AN AMERICAN IN PARIS

The American Secretary of State has made it to Paris.  The Obama Administration is famous for "bad timing" but this visit was awkward and embarrassing to watch.  Why James Taylor, "the bald," had to come along as extra luggage remains a mystery.  The French must have been perplexed by this sad troubadour's 60s performance.  John Kerry usually displays savoir faire but his staged embraces looked ridiculous.

The White House realized that it missed the ball in Paris but has failed to repair image and damage.  Probably John Kerry was too occupied negotiating a deal with Tehran, putting himself under pressure and letting the Iranians set the tone and the speed. This reversal of fortune is becoming an Obama hallmark.  Likewise, the President seems unable to utter the words "radical Islam" as if he feared to acknowledge the elephant in the room. The Pope's unambiguous words might embolden the White House to call a spade a spade, maybe.

By the way, the recent pronouncements of the German Chancellor also sounded surreal. She suggested that the Muslims were a part of the German mosaic, like the Christians and Jews. I thought that the season of gifts was over. To state this without any requirement of reciprocity sounds gratuitous. In a perfect world this might indeed be a desirable outcome but given the realities such a statement is absurd.

The day Muslims as a whole accept a cross-examination of the Quran, their beliefs, and pluralism in their midst, the West might enter into a dialogue. Until then, the crash is likely to become a war.