by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright July 27, 2009
All Rights Reserved.

        Rookie and veteran mistakes hit the White House in recent days with President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden both making politically incorrect statements.  Speaking at a primetime news conference July 22, Obama called the Cambridge Police “stupid” for arresting his friend Harvard African American scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr.  By the time the media frenzy abated, Gates and arresting officer James Crowley were invited to the White House for a beer.  Obama committed the cardinal sin of political correctness making disparaging remarks, whether justified or not.  On the tail end of a heated press event on national health care, Barack was asked to comment about Gates’ arrest.  Having sponsored racial profiling legislation in Illinois, Barack didn’t hesitate to hazard an opinion.  Saying the Cambridge Police acted “stupidly,” opened up a can of worms.

            Popular presidents don’t want to offend particular groups, especially not police, who put themselves in harm’s way as first responders every day.  Public opinion wasn’t kind to the 58-year-old Gates, who most perceived as talking trash to Sgt. Crowley.  Whether that justified an arrest is doubtful, prompting Barack’s taboo comment about the Cambridge Police.  Had Barack said “the Cambridge Police had other options to making an arrest” or  “that’s not what I would have done at the scene” or "police have a difficult job out in the field,” all would have been politically correct but entirely phony.  While backtracking now, Barack got it right that Crowley overreacted cuffing the 58-year-old Harvard professor for shooting off his mouth.  Had Crowley performed a cursory computer background check, he should have apologized and walked away from the regrettable scene.

            Barack’s innocent mistake cost him points, diverting attention away from his far-more-important health care legislation.  Elected officials can ill-afford to offend any group, especially foreign leaders whose sensitivities can make important foreign policy work more difficult.  When Obama charmed Moscow July7, he made every effort to “reset” U.S.-Russian relations, after eight years of missteps under former President George W. Bush.  Ironically, Bush didn’t make too many foreign policy gaffes but antagonized Russia by siding with the former breakaway republic Georgia and cutting missile defense deals with Poland and Czech Republic.  Calling Russia a “weakened nation,” Biden offended many Russian officials, uncertain now who’s running U.S. foreign policy.  Russia’s cooperation on Iran or North Korea is indispensable for U.S. national security.

            Speaking to the Wall St. Journal, Biden observed that Russia’s economic woes created new leverage for U.S. foreign policy.  “I think we vastly underestimate the hand that we hold,” said Biden, leaving Russia the impression that the U.S. seeks to manipulate the former Soviet Union.  Biden could have easily said, “both countries seek cooperation on a host of common issues” or “U.S. foreign policy is committed to a ‘strong, peaceful and prosperous Russia,’” the exact words used by Obama to rebuild strong bilateral relations.  After Russia’s biggest papers posted Biden’s remarks as headlines, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs was forced into damage control mode, insisting Barack’s prior statements still stand.  Russian papers had a field day with Biden’s insulting remarks.  “The have a shrinking population base and they have a withering economy . . . “ said Biden.

            Political correctness, while phony, assures that inconsequential events don’t get blown out of proportion.  Biden of all people should know that critical comments come back to bite you.  Whether his remarks were factual or not, they don’t excuse the damaging effect on U.S-Russian relations.  With trust at a minimum, publicly opining about Russia’s economy, population, banking system and dismal future prospects didn’t make Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s job any easier.  Biden shouldn’t be casting aspersions when the U.S. economy has been under siege, questioning whether the dollar should continue as the world’s reserve currency.  “Joe Biden unexpectedly returned to the rhetoric of the Bush administration,” wrote the Kommersant newspaper.  With public relations like that is it any wonder that the U.S. has been losing friends and winning enemies.

            Administration officials would be well-advised to follow the late President Ronald Reagan, who, among other things, used to tell Republicans to not speak ill about their colleagues.  Reagan’s advice should be extended to members outside your party and certainly on foreign soil.  Whether Biden likes Russia or not, he should not be insulting another foreign government, especially given the economic upheaval within his own country.  Calling Russia a “great power,” Hillary tried to mend fences speaking Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,”  “Every country faces challenges,” said Hillary.  “We have our challenges, Russia has their challenges.  There are certain issues that Russian has to deal with on its own,” proving, she’s come 180 degrees from when she battled Barack tooth-and-nail for the Democratic nomination in 2008.  Barack and Joe should listen to their wise Secretary of State.

 John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news.  He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.