Nile Gardiner is a Washington-based foreign affairs analyst and political commenter for the UK’s paper, The Telegraph. The following is excerpted from his essay of Feb. 25, 2013, “Michelle Obama’s Oscar cameo was pointless and bizarre“:
“[...] All in all it was an entertaining evening, recognising some truly great cinematic achievements. However, the entrance of Michelle Obama, via video link, at the end of the ceremony to announce the Best Picture winner was a bizarre moment that was completely pointless. It was reportedly arranged by Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, a close friend of the Obamas (hat tip: Drudge Report). If the First Lady was a former actress (à la Carla Sarkozy), or had some official role in promoting the American film industry, it might have made some sense. Mrs. Obama, though, has no connection to the world of cinema.
It was a cringe worthy moment that came across as cynical liberal Hollywood pandering to a Democrat White House, a fitting match for an Obama presidency that is obsessed with show biz celebrities. As Tim Stanley noted earlier, “the bias discredits both the White House and movie industry.” Even the First Lady herself looked a bit embarrassed by the whole affair, and who knows what Jack Nicholson was really thinking about the spectacle. At least there is a silver lining. Argo is not only a nail biting movie based on a true story, but it is also an unflinching indictment of the Iranian revolution and the Islamist regime that came to power in 1979. To anyone who has seen this movie, Barack Obama’s policy of engagement with the tyranny in Tehran looks foolhardy and naive in the extreme.”
I would have used stronger words than “pointless and bizarre.”
But then I suppose we should all be grateful than Mooch didn’t have snot dribbling from her nose like she did, for minutes upon minutes beginning at the 12:06 mark in the video below, when she spoke at the 2011 National Governors Association Meeting in the White House:
~Eowyn
