Barack Obama seems to know how to get himself out of a pickle. Just give a great speech. It worked when the Jeremiah Wright scandal hit, and it worked when health care reform hit a rough patch, and it worked after the midterm fiasco. He’s given stunning speeches, like his performance at the 2004 Democratic National Convention and the Tucson memorial service. And he gave a great speech tonight. He’s so good with words that his critics like to say that “he’s just words.” You can’t talk your way out of every situation, and in Libya the results are what will matter.
Still, he does remind me of Brer Rabbit. He was born in the briar patch. The Republicans begged him to intervene in Libya. And as soon as he did, they turned on him. Brer Rabbit, you might remember, was a bit naive. He fell for Brer Fox’s scheme to get him stuck to the Tar Baby. But he was resourceful enough to get Brer Fox to help him out of his jam.
Brer Rabbit gulped. He was stuck fast. He did some fast thinking while Brer Fox rolled about on the road, laughing himself sick over Brer Rabbit’s dilemma.
“I’ve got you this time, Brer Rabbit,” said Brer Fox, jumping up and shaking off the dust. “You’ve sassed me for the very last time. Now I wonder what I should do with you?”
Brer Rabbit’s eyes got very large. “Oh please Brer Fox, whatever you do, please don’t throw me into the briar patch.”
“Maybe I should roast you over a fire and eat you,” mused Brer Fox. “No, that’s too much trouble. Maybe I’ll hang you instead.”
“Roast me! Hang me! Do whatever you please,” said Brer Rabbit. “Only please, Brer Fox, please don’t throw me into the briar patch.”
“If I’m going to hang you, I’ll need some string,” said Brer Fox. “And I don’t have any string handy. But the stream’s not far away, so maybe I’ll drown you instead.”
“Drown me! Roast me! Hang me! Do whatever you please,” said Brer Rabbit. “Only please, Brer Fox, please don’t throw me into the briar patch.”
“The briar patch, eh?” said Brer Fox. “What a wonderful idea! You’ll be torn into little pieces!”
Grabbing up the tar-covered rabbit, Brer Fox swung him around and around and then flung him head over heels into the briar patch. Brer Rabbit let out such a scream as he fell that all of Brer Fox’s fur stood straight up. Brer Rabbit fell into the briar bushes with a crash and a mighty thump. Then there was silence.
Brer Fox cocked one ear toward the briar patch, listening for whimpers of pain. But he heard nothing. Brer Fox cocked the other ear toward the briar patch, listening for Brer Rabbit’s death rattle. He heard nothing.
Then Brer Fox heard someone calling his name. He turned around and looked up the hill. Brer Rabbit was sitting on a log combing the tar out of his fur with a wood chip and looking smug.
“I was bred and born in the briar patch, Brer Fox,” he called. “Born and bred in the briar patch.”
And Brer Rabbit skipped away as merry as a cricket while Brer Fox ground his teeth in rage and went home.
The president may be a bit naive in places, but he’s infinitely smarter than his opponents. If Obama pulls this off, he’ll get all the credit. None of it will be shared with his erstwhile hawkish adversaries. If it goes south, however, we’ll have all the clips we need of the Republicans calling him a slow-poke and a coward for not intervening fast enough.
I don’t know how things will turn out, but Brer Fox may have overplayed his hand again.
And nothing is more sickening that the nakedly political way the Republicans have tried to game the tragedy in Libya.
