Leadership (n): guidance, direction, control, management, superintendence, supervision; organization, government

– (Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus 2008)

Imagine our surprise when told the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction (or as we so indifferently referred to it; the Super-committee) dissolved into the mist its true effectiveness was constructed from. Again I ask you to imagine where anybody with a bit of sense could assume two totally partisan groups could step beyond the confines of their chrysalis as caterpillars, and emerge as butterflies bringing the delight of harmonious and beautiful resolution on any issue. Instead we have moths in the sweater locker eating holes in our belief system that we really have representatives caring about our well-being more than their power plays.

It just ain’t so, said Bro Rabbit.

One only has to look at the photos of Harry Reid walking next to Mitch McConnell, heads down cast but wee smiles tickling the edges of their mouths as they walk to separate podiums to denounce each other as obstructionists looking to derail America. The March of the Clowns would be an apropos lead-in each time these two appear before the press.

These people are so badly entrenched in their ideologies and their specific thought processes showing no more depth than to proclaim “he said yes and I know the answer is the exact opposite. Oh by the way: what was the question?” It doesn’t matter a whit they have no real solution to divulge, they must block the oppositions’ efforts to advance.

This allows them to appear as though they’re actually accomplishing something of substance. They really do very little and pocket 170+ thousand dollars a year to do it. Their perks alone, if placed in a position of commanding an exchange rate, would arguably feed several third world countries.

We won’t belabor the point of fact this committee was a cynical construct by a leadership challenged Barack Obama. His plan was a politically based “win-win” type operation where the people stay in a “lose-lose” posture. If the committee found a way to cut $1.5 Trillion, he comes out looking like a savior. If they fail (as they have so miserably) Obama can proclaim his mantra of: “They didn’t do what they need to do!” This guy finger-points like a proctologist trying to beat the clock on his patients’ deductible.

Obama has failed at each descriptive designation referred to in the definition of leadership. When the going gets tough Obama goes to Asia, or to Hawaii, or Europe. This is so he can insult our allies more efficiently and Kowtow to China in closer proximity. Obama’s inability to personally develop solutions to complex issues shows his incompetence to achieve anything. He relies on minions; “yes men and women” paid to butter his butt and do the heavy lifting. He can’t define the load or how to go about putting it somewhere constructive, but he can sure as heck delegate somebody else to move it. Witness Pelosi and Reid floundering around in the mud while trying to polish the worm filled apple they laughingly call government. In so many ways we’re being pulled into center ring to be blinded by the familiar smoke screen, fog machine and spotlights concealing the fact the audience is stuck in a “Potemkin Village”, or façade of real governance they advertise.

Stephen Sondheim’s elegant song, Send in the Clowns ©from “A little night music” helps make my point.

Isn’t it rich? Are we a pair? Me here at last on the ground and you, in mid-air, Send in the clowns

Isn’t it bliss? Don’t you approve? One who keeps tearing around and one who can’t move?

But where are the clowns? Send in the clowns

Just when I stopped opening doors, finally finding the one that I wanted was yours

Making my entrance again with my usual flair, Sure of my lines, nobody’s there

Don’t you love a farce? My fault, I fear, I thought that you’d want what I want, sorry my dear

But where are the clowns? Send in the clowns

Don’t bother, they’re here…

“Don’t bother, they’re here” pretty much says it all doesn’t it?

Thanks for listening.