The maestro returns
With his ear for the music of the world, President Barack Obama led an orchestra for eight days on his trip through Europe and into Turkey and finally Iraq.
And now on the 77th day of his presidency, he returns back to America with rave reviews from the critics in Europe and the thundering applause still echoing in the theater of international diplomacy.
But in the quiet of the night as he returns to the White House and the extraordinary challenges the administration faces here at home, there is in fact very little in the way of tangible results he can show for his performance.
So indulge me as we review the symphony Obama has played for the last eight days, movement by movement.
It was a strong opening, with the crash of symbols and the flurry of timpani as Obama presided over the announcement of the extraordinary sum of $1.1 trillion in aid pledged for global stimulus at the G20 summit in the United Kingdom.
But on closer inspection, it seems that number is largely smoke and mirrors.
The money is “pledged,” but that is very different than having it in hand. It is also double-counted in some places, and in other cases it is not actually a cash infusion into the economy but an increase in direct financing for the International Monetary Fund. The real parsing of the money is only starting now. Still, that number, $1.1 trillion, riveted the audience all week.
And the band played on.
As Obama arrived in Strasbourg for the NATO summit, there was the swooning sound of the string section while he made his plea for European countries to contribute more troops in Afghanistan.
Just before he had left on his overseas trip, Obama announced that he would call for the deployment of 21,000 additional troops and advisers as part of the strategic review for Afghanistan and Pakistan. And on his trip he made it clear he expected Europe to pitch in.
Despite the furious pace of the violin bows, the European leaders — even those who have actively supported the war and shared considerable sacrifices — made it clear that the war in Afghanistan was increasingly unpopular on the streets of their capitals. Obama did not secure the troop commitments he had hoped for.
As the president moved from Europe to Turkey — after pausing to perform before his largest audience, in Prague — there was a crescendo of triumphant horns sounding the message that America wanted to establish a new relationship with the Muslim world.
The days of George W. Bush and his clanging unilateralism, “axis of evil” and discordant comparisons of militant Islam to Nazi Germany, were over. It was a time for a new paradigm beyond “The Clash of Civilizations.”
Obama told Turkey’s parliament: “America’s relationship with the Muslim community, the Muslim world, cannot and will not just be based upon opposition to terrorism.”
"We seek broader engagement based upon mutual interest and mutual respect.”
America “is not and will never be at war with Islam,” he said.
He paused for the interpreter catch up and waited for the resounding applause in the parliament.
But hours later he was in Iraq, where America is indeed at war — not with Islam but with insurgents who cast their fight against America in religious terms.
And all the good will in the world will not change that. And all the killing of Iraqis and American soldiers cannot be washed away even by the sweetest strands of words.
So in the finale, Obama recognized that somber truth by going to Iraq to be with the troops, to serve witness with the Iraqi people, even if only for a few hours.
And in the beat of silence at the end of the week-long performance, there is much to applaud.
Even though he came up short on concrete plans, he did in fact make music and in so doing he communicated with the world the best of what America can be.
He had moved the world with notes of idealism and a percussion of confidence in his message, all of which are needed for America to restore its severely tarnished image in the world.
Obama was in tune. And the world needed to hear the music of America right now.
For more on Obama’s overseas tour: