Obama's Speech To African Leaders Was Ironically Right On Target

In a decidedly "Do as I say, not as I do" speech, President Obama delivered a speech to the political leaders of African countries that said what needed to be said. However, it is unfortunate that the President seemingly does not have the ability of introspection. The President domestically proposes and supports programs and policies that are quite similar to the very political norms that he criticizes and identifies as primary reasons for the lack of advancement of the African continent.

Below are some of the quotes from his speech and the hypocrisy that I find in our President making these comments in false piety.

"We must start from the simple premise that Africa's future is up to Africans"
"It is easy to point fingers and to pin the blame for these problems on others"
"But the West is not responsible for the destruction of the Zimbabwean economy over the last decade, or wars in which children are enlisted as combatants."

He calls for accountability and the taking of personal responsibility. Yet, he supports and intends to expand our countries entitlement programs and fund community organizations. For decades these programs have done very little, but ensure dependence by reinforcing that being poor is a societal ill and has nothing to do with past, present and future poor individual decision making.

"No country is going to create wealth if its leaders exploit the economy to enrich themselves"

Let me think for a second, Obama was a recipient of a below market "Friends of Angelo" Countrywide loan among a veritable laundry list of other politicians and government officials.

"No business wants to invest in a place where the government skims 20% off the top"

Yet with the highest marginal corporate income tax rates among industrialized countries (except for Japan) and the Waxman/Markey bill poised to further plunder of domestic profits, we have been chasing industry from domestic production.

The White House described the President's speech as necessary tough love spoken from a position caring. He spoke of what African countries could do to help themselves and show due diligence and good faith that might facilitate foreign aid. I believe that this speech was necessary. However, the audience for the speech could just as well been the President himself, all three branches of government and the American people.