Mitt the politician would understand
when and where to rein in the brown-nosing. Pandering, while useful, clearly has its limits; even among the intended
targets. Repeatedly indulging the
95-year-old grandmother of your fiance about how "youthful" she looks, for
example, will only get you so far. Especially if you both know damn well that she looks every bit her age. Considering
the economic
impact of the Israeli occupation on Palestinians, Mitt's racist cajoling about
Jewish cultural superiority being the reason for Israeli/Palestinian income
disparity probably gave the shivers to many Israelis -- Netanyahu included -- who
know better.
A
Simple Task Made Difficult
Carrying out a routine overseas
political fundraising/junket should be a fairly simple task for anyone who
fancies himself worthy of the title of Commander-in-Chief. In this case, Mitt merely needed to swoop in to the target countries,
flash the awesome "Anglo-Saxon"
smile as he extends plaudits at every opportunity; generate a few
baby-kissing photo-ops; put the snatch on all that folding money hurled at him
along the way, then cop a squat on an airplane and get his ass back home in
time for the rollout of July's unemployment numbers.
Mitt did little of that. It's evident now that Mitt permitted his
insecurities to get ahead of him. So,
instead of allowing his presence as America's presumptive Republican
Presidential nominee to do his talking for him, he wrongly made the bold,
tactical decision to permit his mouth to take on that assignment. Such is life. Nevertheless, in its aftermath, instead of
riding shotgun on the claim by an advisor that the trip was a "great
success," Mitt needs to own up to the gaffes, diplomatic blunders, and
missed opportunities.
I would, however, concede Mitt
a bit of slack for any missed photo-ops of the candidate kissing babies (although
not necessarily because he may have been far too busy puckering up to the rear
ends of his adult benefactors). Those
misses were likely the result of a decision made by parents from the visiting
countries that it just might not be a good idea to bring the wee ones too close
to Mitt.
These would be parents who are
likely to have viewed the trailer for The
Campaign, where Will Farrell's character -- a candidate for Congress -- experiences
a politician's worst nightmare by accidentally
slugging an infant, presumably during a campaign event. If, as Oscar Wilde famously noted: "life
imitates art," then the sight of the infant's pacifier flying from its mouth in
slow-motion is one that would make most parents think twice about bringing
their babies anywhere near such a gaffe-prone American politician.
It's not an unreasonable precaution. The odd future envisioned for America expounded
by Mitt and other
GOP contenders via some of the most
extreme notions, principles, and policy ideals to be found this side of Ayn
Rand, scared the bejeebers out of half of America as they witnessed the GOP
nomination process unfold.
Now, thanks to Romney's gaffe-plagued
Euro-Middle East road trip, a similar fear has spread to most of the rest of
the civilized world.
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