Aren't you just crazy about Little Timothy’s
Meet the Press?
Not.
Sunday morning with the
two Democratic presidential candidates was like making a Sunday morning
brunch choice between bagels and croissants.
Did you pick Barack Obama
on Little Timothy’s Meet the Press, an elegant foray into genteel
meaningless conversation? Or was Hillary Clinton’s debate on This
Week with George Stephanopoulos and real Americans, a meat and
potatoes substantive discussion, more your fare?
If you were having a
difficult choice deciding which one to watch you were probably thinking,
as I did, of the irony that each candidate was taking an hour out of
their busy schedule before the crucial North Carolina and Indiana
primaries Tuesday, to discuss the issues with someone else but not each
other.
And you might have
remembered as I did that Mr. Obama had declined Hillary Clinton’s offer
to debate before these primaries because he wanted to spend street time
with the people of North Carolina and Indiana and therefore didn’t have
time for a debate.
So there he was Sunday
morning chatting with Little Timothy at the same time Hillary was debating
with Little George, and imagine, they could have been together
live via satellite for all the voters of all the states to see, if that
had been Senator Obama’s choice.
But, of course, Mr. Obama
didn’t really decline the invitation by Mrs. Clinton to debate because
he wanted to be with the people. He declined because he’s scared of Mrs.
Clinton who trounced him unmercifully in the Philadelphia debate.
More importantly, Mr. Obama, the current frontrunner, is engaging in
that sportsman’s tactic called running out the clock. He’s playing it
safe hoping there will be no more appearances by his once spiritual
mentor now arch-enemy the not so Reverend Wright and he can win the
contest against his opponent, Hillary Clinton, even if he has to limp to
the finish.
So, there Mr. Obama sat
on Little Timmy’s talk show, the trendy set design his backdrop, tall
and lanky, a political candidate who could just as easily grace the
cover of GQ as a top model, trying to look presidential.
Instead he reminded me of
that wounded character we all came to love so much in Breakfast at
Tiffany’s, the equally tall, lanky and elegant Holly Golightly (so
beautifully played by the irreplaceable Audrey Hepburn) who like Barack
Obama had a penchant for befriending people of questionable character.
Over latte and
croissants, Little Timothy brought up the subject of one of Mr. Obama’s
ne’er-do-wells the infamous Reverend Wright, and, yet one more time, America was forced to
listen to the young Senators Moon-river of explanations of
why he didn’t extricate himself from Jeremiah Wright twenty years ago...
And why he didn’t
denounce him on March 18th when Reverend Wrong became a
campaign issue and Obama gave his speech on race and said he couldn't
disown his revered reverend...
And why he was doing it
now and not then...
And oh, can you hear the
guitar strumming in the background…”we’re after the same
rainbow’s-Coalition end, waiting ‘round the bend…oh dreamaker...”
Barack Obama, some dream
maker.
How about heartbreaker,
I'm NOT going your way.