Something is really going on over the last few days. You can smell it in the air like springtime. There is hope. The two Presidents are dueling for prime time television spots, and romancing the American public. A-ha, these two are showing the loggerheads in the media how it should be done.
Obama did the grand slam on the Sunday shows from Meet the Press to Face the Nation and This Week attempting to defuse the acrimony over his health care agenda, and it went very well. Good going! And if that were not enough now former President Clinton waltzed through the television networks with his global message for the opening of the Clinton Global Initiative in New York City held during the convening of the United Nations.
This is really impressive in its attempt to right the media machine, and put it back on track. There is no controversy here, and yet the story has legs. It is the President who kicks off the convening of the Clinton Global Initiative embracing the world leaders and the fundamentals of world health, global poverty alleviation, education and climate intervention. This is a magnificent prelude to the meetings to be held later in the week with the Chinese government and other world leaders at the United Nations. This is a true gesture of unity. It is powerful and provoking as Obama steps up to regain leadership in the eyes of his country and world. Notably, there is no one more skilled than the former President Clinton to extend his hands to the new President. Consider the implications of the trilogy of President Obama, his Secretary of State Madam Hillary Clinton and the former President Bill Clinton. If the media cannot get this right without stirring the proverbial pot, they never will.
This is the Fifth Annual Meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative, an event that brings together global leaders from business, government, academia, science, religion, and non-governmental organizations, including numerous heads of state, former heads of state, CEO’s of multinational corporations, and prominent philanthropists. This evening President Clinton announced that more than 60 current and former heads of state, 500 business leaders, and 400 leaders from nongovernmental and philanthropic organizations will be attending the meeting, representing 84 countries. "In the midst of a global financial crisis, it doesn't surprise me that more people are attending this meeting than ever before,"” President Clinton said. “"Since 2005, it has become clear that CGI has found an effective model for addressing challenges around the world….”
Consider this in light of the irony of the cameo appearance last evening of former Majority Leader Tom Delay on Dancing With The Stars. The media has been handed one of the stories that will change our lives. Hopefully, they will run with it and return to good journalism.