The Blago Trial

Earlier this month Valerie Jarrett told the Chicago Sun-Times’ Lynn Sweet not to read much into the fact that President Obama was not choosing to accompany the U.S. Olympic Delegation to the Vancouver Olympics.  “‘He has a pretty full plate right now, as you could expect. And the Vice President really wanted to go and this was important to him and so the president asked him to lead the delegation. I don’t need to tell you just what a tough time this is right now,’ Jarrett said.”

OK, Ms. Jarrett, let’s take a look at these reasons. We’ll start with the last one.  “I don’t need to tell you just what a tough time this is right now.”  Yes, we all know how tough times are right now.  With 9.7% unemployment, 9.4 million bankruptcies in the last year, as well as 2.8 million home foreclosures, it’s hard to forget.  But, you see, you and the White House are currently pushing a narrative of recovery, of the stimulus having been a success, of things being better now.  Supposedly things are better than they were in September 2009 when unemployment was at 9.8% and the stimulus bill had not had the time to save/create the thousands/millions of jobs (by the way, Ms. Jarrett, have y’all at the White House decided how many yet, and whether they were saved or created or both?)/  Of course last September was also when the President ran off (at your urging) on a last-minute trip to the International Olympic Committee meeting in Copenhagen to support his home town of Chicago in its spectacularly unsuccessful bid to host the 2016 Olympic Summer Games.

And things must certainly be better for you and the White House now than they were in December 2009, when unemployment hit 10% and the United States was saved from a terrorist attack not by the effectiveness of our security systems, but by the fortunate ineptitude of the terrorist; that same month of December when Pres. Obama once again traveled the 7,958 mile round-trip to Copenhagen to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.

So, you see, we’re a little confused.  Apparently the current state of the Union (better now than it has been according to you and the White House) is so precarious that the President cannot take the time to make the 4,882 mile round trip to Vancouver, on the same continent, and mere miles from the U.S. border.   How is it, then, that twice in the past six months when the state of the union was even more precarious, was he able to take the time to travel farther, and to a different continent nowhere near the U.S. homeland?  He could take time to travel to Denmark, a not particularly strong or influential ally, but not to Canada, our neighbor, largest trading partner, and biggest supplier of petroleum and crude oil?  He could twice take time to address an international body in Copenhagen, but not to see the international athletes and several of their heads of state gathered in Vancouver?  We don’t quite buy that.

Next.  “He has a pretty full plate right now.” First off, let’s stipulate that every president’s plate is always pretty full.  That said, is it any more full than it was last September or December?  I seem to remember Congress being in session almost the entirety of both those months, yet precisely this week in February 2010, the opening week of the Olympics, Congress is in recess for President’s Day.  Of course, the President can still have a full schedule without Congress being in session.  What then did he do this weekend?  Apparently, he spent it at Camp David and after 12:00 pm on Friday the 12^th had no more public events until Tuesday, February 16.  Hmmm… it doesn’t seem that the President’s plate was all that full.

And finally, “the Vice President really wanted to go and this was important to him.”  The President decided not to go to Vancouver because “the Vice President really wanted to go”?  Could they not both make an appearance, like they recently did at the Georgetown-Duke game?  You’re asking us to believe that Pres. Obama snubbed Canada, their Prime Minister (who had to meet with the veep, instead) and their Olympics, to make Joe Biden happy?  Are you saying that Pres. Obama is not the serious man you all claim that he is?  Not likely.

So what is the real reason, Ms. Jarrett?  An analysis of the trips might shed some light.  The trips to Copenhagen were trips to see left-leaning international bodies, in left-leaning cities, with left-leaning national governments, and the President was expecting to walk away in triumphant glory.  The Nobel Committee fulfilled on all accounts.  The International Olympic Committee basically snubbed the President.  Now we have Vancouver: left-leaning international body, left-leaning city, with oh! a right-leaning national government, and no expected triumph or glory for the President, but, in fact, the reminder of a what had to have been a painful snub.

Hmmm… as always, Ms. Jarrett, reading between the lines of your comments is always very enlightening.