Mama Bin Cranky

I have read some stuff about the murdered Ambassador. First, he was in the Peace Corps. I wonder how many people in the Diplomatic Corps volunteered for the Peace Corps?  I am going to guess it is a pretty high percentage. The Secretary of State’s own book, “It Takes a Village” pushes this “together we can make a difference” kind of thought.  Who can be against that?  I guess I can.

I suppose Diplomats are an optimistic lot. They think talk can fix anything.  It can, but it has limits. Particularly when dealing with non-Western people. They come from the Peace Corps, with hands on experience in dealing with the third world.  Provide water wells, teach them to farm, inoculate against disease, learn their language, and they will love and respect you.

There has been much made of how respected this Ambassador Stevens was. He knew the language, he was very hands on. He made a wonderful video about how excited he was to help the Libyans make a new government. He was so optimistic. But was he a realist? Were his eyes open to the ugly underside of where he was? Why was he not at the secured Embassy in Tripoli on 9/11? Why weren’t all Embassies in Islamic countries locked down with extra security on Tuesday? Does everybody have rose-colored glasses from Obama to Biden to Hillary to Stevens?

I know that man was a husband and a father, and I do not like to speak ill of the dead. He apparently was an idealist, and I think this is one reason he is dead. No, it isn’t his fault, but it did play a part. I do not want to blame the victim. Strangely, this phrase usually refers to rape victims, and there is some concern that the Ambassador was raped before he was killed. Can we have a State Department with optimism and realism.  With Peace Corps dreams and pragmatic realism that sees Muslim extremism, Putin’s megalomania, the never-ending fount that feeds the third world with so little to show for it.

Recently, as Hillary has traveled, there have been several reports or her having things thrown at her or other gestures of disrespect. Isn’t this a tip-off to someone of how loved and respected we are. If the world doesn’t love Hillary and Obama, we are really in for some bad times.