The bogus debate goes on. Should Obama have left his seat beside Raul Castro at the baseball game in Cuba and flown straight back to Washington to condemn the Isis attack on Belgium? Interrupt his diplomatic mission to Cuba and Argentina to express his condolences to the Belgians in the same old boilerplate nations keep in the can for such sad occasions? Every Republican I’ve heard on the subject says “yes, absolutely.” Said angrily, with censure and scorn. Out of their enduring hatred of Obama? Or are they just faking their outrage to score political points?
Who knows? Some 57% of these same folks deny that humans evolved from lower life forms; 52% believe global warming is a myth. Half-time Score: GOP 2, Science 0. Moving on, some 54% believe that Obama is a Muslim, and 68% believe in demonic possession. I can’t help you there. You’ll have to consult your local priest, preacher, rabbi, mullah or guru for the final score.
Schooled in the American Pragmatism of Peirce, James and Dewey, I say it’s all bullshit—a trumped up imaginary conflict of Lilliputian dimension to further confuse the muddled minds of voters. I also believe acting to gain a desired and tangible end (in this case, a peaceful reconciliation with Cuba) is infinitely better than trite cries of shared grief that achieve nothing.
Hats off to John Kerry. Our Secretary of State shined needed light on the contrived controversy Saturday. When asked on Face the Nation how he responded to those who criticized the president for watching a baseball game in Cuba on the day of the attack and dancing the tango at a state dinner in Argentina the next day, Kerry said “the president’s schedule is not set by terrorists.” He “has to engage other countries...to build a relationship and achieve some of our goals with respect to human rights, with respect to Cuba and elsewhere. Life doesn’t stop because one terrorist incident takes place in one place.”
Amen. By the way, here’s one final score I can give you. The Tampa Bay Rays 4, Cuba National Team 1. I think I saw on the telly Obama needling Raul about that.