The Apology Tour.
For those of you who have forgotten, the newly elected President went on a tour of nations a few months after he took office in 2009. Conservative spinsters (I mean spin-meisters) and broadcasters deemed the trip "Obama's Apology Tour," claiming that the new President left American shores and travelled the world making apologies for the United States. The clever right-wing campaign was debunked and called foul by countless political fact check groups and ultimately every news organization, including some at FOX news, but the theme was revisited as recently as last week by Mitt Romney in his address to the VFW shortly before he left for his own international tour. Romney also said he would never apologize for American exceptionalism.
Romney's trip was certainly exceptional.
The only question that remains is whether his trip will result in just a stumble . . .or a fall. There's something about us that makes us laugh when someone trips. But it doesn't feel so good to be the one laughed at, whether it be Romney, or us, as in U.S., in the eyes of a questioning world.
During what had been carefully planned to be a week of looking American and Presidential with no chance of making a mistake, most of the Governor's time seemed to be backing up from, you might say apologizing, for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time and wrong place.
And to make it worse, Romney tripped over his own feet. Brian Williams tossed him a softball, asking Romney for his view of the readiness of the Brits for the Olympics. He could have said that Great Britain has a history of doing what needs to be done, or about their famous resolve, or he could have just said he thought they would pull it off swimmingly, if he really want to be glib. But he didn't. He said some of the things he had heard about the preparations were "disconcerting," and went on to painfully, arrogantly elaborate.
Romney spent the rest of his time in England backing up as if he were exiting an audience with the Queen herself. His comments brought the sarcastic retorts of the Conservative Prime Minister and the colorful Mayor of London . . . and thousands of rowdy Brits. He brought a new unity to the Empire. None of them like him.
Not even the warmth of Dressage could melt the hard feelings.
Then in Israel Romney blamed the poverty in occupied Palestine on Palestinian culture. He inferred that Jerusalem should be the capital of Israel (I don't have enough time to explain how big a diplomatic gaffe that was) and one of his advisers was making Iranian policy on the side, within earshot of officials and microphones.
Poland was looking good, at least from a neo-con perspective, but still, it was being executed well, until Romney's aide told reporters to "kiss his ass", not in an affectionate way, and to "shove it." All on video.
So give it up Obama. The Apology Tour is now Red.
And not just from embarrassment.
.
No comments :
Post a Comment