THE PRESIDENT IN THE OLD COUNTRY - AT 10:27 A.M. ET:  We give credit where it's due here.  President Obama made a very solid speech about Africa yesterday.  It may be that only a person of color could have given such a speech, bluntly stating reality to people who've been made into professional victims by the usual suspects:

L'AQUILA, Italy | President Obama on Friday said African countries cannot blame colonialism for problems caused by corruption and their own bad governance as he embarked on his first trip as president to sub-Saharan Africa.

Mr. Obama also announced that he has secured a commitment from major countries to spend $20 billion on food security aid, or $5 billion more than expected from world leaders meeting in Italy this week. But he said rather than simple assistance, this money will be managed "to help people become self-sufficient, provide for their families and lift their standards of living."

"We do not view this assistance as an end in itself. We believe that the purpose of aid must be to create the conditions where it's no longer needed," he said.

And...

He said he delivered that message in Italy at a meeting of major economies and African countries, when some fellow leaders started blaming "colonialism and other policies by wealthier nations."

Mr. Obama said he told them the parallel between Kenya and South Korea, which 50 years ago had similar-sized economies. Today South Korea's economy is nearly $1 trillion, while Kenya's is about $30 billion.

Excellent analogy.  Have you read that in The New York Times?  I don't think so.

It's great to hear the president speak some truths that needed to be spoken.  I recall the days, not long ago, when African diplomats would float around New York in their native garb - often running up huge lists of parking tickets - and thrill Manhattan's chic hostesses with their presence.  Everyone groveled appropriately and nodded knowingly as the diplomats spoke of 1) oppression, 2) colonialism, 3) racism, 4) imperialism, and 5) capitalism.  At the end of the session, one distraught audience member would always ask, "What can we do to help?"  Another would apologize for the West and its entire history, going back to prehistoric times, to racist dinosaurs.  Everyone left, feeling very good about themselves, not realizing that the "diplomats" were often relatives of some gunslinger in power back home.

Maybe Obama can make some headway.  I wish, however, he had the same moral clarity about other parts of the world as he has about Africa.

July 11, 2009