POTUS: "I'm gonna call one foreigner"

April 2, 2009

I can't believe I just witnessed this. I'm not surprised - I'm embarrassed. Again. It's just one more example of the embarrassment already provided by the President and First Lady of the United States on their coming out to the world.

barry was taking questions at the final press conference and this is what he said:

POTUS: I am going to call one foreigner [abrupt stop, camera off his embarrassed face, nervous laughter and lame recovery] Actually I am the foreigner - that's why I smiled. One correspondent not from American and then I'll...

He makes them wait while he picks them over.

POTUS: We're not doing bidding here - c'mon. [laugh] I also want to make sure I'm not showing gender bias here.

I don't know what the gender split was because I tuned in shortly before the Chinese reporter spoke, who stuck it to barry. The camera panned the audience and there were arms gesturing at folks. A woman with blondish-red hair wearing a long-sleeved blouse was pointing at another woman, who he ended up picking.

What was he looking for as he made them jump up and down for attention like first graders? Did he take for granted that if they looked Chinese they would be from China? The "foreigners" were spread out throughout the audience and he didn't politely ask that only the foreign press raise their hands. And he took much too much time making them beg. Please someone - let him know he is not the messiah of the cosmos and that he is coming across rude and arrogant.

The woman he picked appeared to be of Indian descent, which, luckily for him, she was. She asked how the US is going to help India in the fight of terrorism against Pakistan. He initially responded by saying something like he thought her Prime Minister is a fine men. She said she did, too.

He stopped and laughed at her. And then the audience followed his lead and laughed at her. She looked around uncomfortably and then he totally embarrassed her by asking her if she was taking credit for him - the PM. It was painful to watch. And even though she handled it well, she will be roasted throughout her country. Her moment to personally stand tall and proudly represent her country was destroyed by the supposedly charming President of the United States.

And then he went on to not even answer her question - as per usual. He spouted a pre-recorded message about poverty and carbon footprints and coal and then said, ok? instead of thanking her for her question and making a quip to lighten her embarrassment.

There was no chance of an apology - he has yet to ever make one - and he wasn't about to show humility with the adoring "foreigners" of the world in front of him.

Then he picked on "Chip" from America so he could ease his way out and still he couldn't help himself. Chip asked him if the leaders were terrorizing him because of the role of the US economy in causing the global downturn and barry answered by blaming Wall Street. He seemed completely oblivious to the fact that whatever happens in the US, he is responsible for on the world stage. At home, he can get away with blaming it on other things and other people and Bush and whatever else - as he has been doing in his campaign version of "governing" - but not when he represents the entire country, which includes Wall Street and Bernie Madoff.

And he didn't stop there. He went one further, by saying they shouldn't attack him because they have their own problems.

His arrogance knows no bounds - and arrogance is the number one criteria of the "ugly American" to the folks of the world. He can charm the leaders perhaps - but not the people of the world. Especially the "foreigners" in the press, who see through all that false collegiality and actually hear his words and watch his dismissive body language.

And what did they see?

They saw the new President of the United States laugh at an Indian journalist for taking pride in her country and they heard him not apologize to the "foreigners" for taking mostly questions from American press, which he does every day.

They saw right through it. They saw that he was not prepared to answer "foreigners" questions and that he was only interested in standing before them getting his TV time and basking in the adoration of the world.

Those reporters represented their entire country and they shouldn't have been made to beg. It was the G 20 - not the US + G 19. He should have set up the press conference so that each of the 20 countries got to ask a question - if not then - some other time, or at least in writing. I don't know how many questions he took in this particular press conference but I assume this was the only opportunity to take questions from the "foreigners", who are seeing him for the first time. The day previous the British press got their opportunity.

He demonstrated, once again, with his anger at the Chinese journalist, who dared to point out barry's unpreparedness, and his mocking of the Indian journalist and his defensiveness about the US economy's role that he has no idea how to handle folks who aren't lobbing him softballs out of adoration.

It was embarrassing.

And somewhere in there was another dig at Churchill.

He talks a good game when it comes to diplomacy but he doesn't seem to know what it consists of. It includes everything - especially the little things - greetings, gestures, facial expressions, body language and understanding how to communicate to "foreigners" in front of a large group. Which most definitely does not include ridiculing a female reporter from a country that already oppresses woman - nor does it include avoiding "foreigners" questions because he is tired and unprepared. Stop the stumping, stay in the White House and become prepared.

And Michelle needs to do a little more tea sipping. Both of them need to watch how Madame Secretary Clinton is received and how she handles herself. She has the bearing and command of a President and the grace and etiquette of a First Lady.

Between them they have neither. It's what happens when one has such little time on the national stage and minimal foreign travel in an official capacity. And Michelle's had no exposure even to Washington etiquette.

No matter my thoughts about barry personally or about his eligibility to be president - he and Michelle were representing me and the rest of The American People on the world stage for the very first time and it was embarrassing. There was a clear lack of grace on both their parts.

I did not watch much of the coverage, but each time I did, I was embarrassed by his or Michelle's behavior. And please don't write any more of those - you're a racist comments. He is the President. It's time to stop that easy out and make him take responsibility for his actions.

He was representing the United States, which is made up of every race, religion, ethnicity and whatever else in the world. The world doesn't care what color he is because they are every color. They don't care that he has a funny name - because theirs are too. They care about how he handles himself toward their own countrymen. And I don't see the Brits, the Chinese or Indian people being pleased with his attitude.

Even if he was joking - he wasn't - he should have been aware that "jokes" are taken differently in different cultures. That is something a president (and first lady) should know. Why don't they? Someone not understanding the language would have seen the body language of embarrassment and arrogance and made their own conclusions.

barry may be more articulate than Bush and smoother on his feet, but he handled himself just as arrogantly, and it wasn't offset with the quiet grace of First Lady Laura Bush. And no, it isn't because Michelle is black. Face the facts. She is the First Lady. Stop using that lame excuse and make them accountable for their rude behavior.

It was embarrassing to watch. And it is infuriating to hear the press babble on about how fabulous! they did. It only reinforces to the world that their behavior was acceptable.

It wasn't.

And someone at the White House better make that clear and then teach them a little etiquette.

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POTUS: "I'm gonna call one foreigner"
POTUS: "there have been times when America has shown arrogance"
To POTUS: "Do you regret running for president?"