may 29th 2009

It was hardly a standing ovation as the news headlines report. With the exception of perhaps 10 people out of the reported 6000 stood up to greet the former presidents of the United States. I am surprised at the rather generous, yet misconstrued, news coverage of this event which generally deemed it as an epic’ event. Being there in the audience, sponsored by a secondary school, from my perspective it was no such thing. Although there was substantial amount of applause through out the evening, more often than not it was an expression of dissent, and by that I mean that the applause came after moments like when Frank McKenna inquired about their opinion of the passport requirement for crossing the American border (instituting June 1^st). Or after he posed the question of why Mr. Bush as well as Mr. Clinton had not intervened in the African genocides. The audience was welcoming, but was uneasy as well at the colloquial and nonchalant mannerisms of former President George W. Bush. His jokes and casual approach to responding the questions appeared ignorant of the magnitude of his decisions in the last term of his presidency. As for Bill Clinton, the reception was warmer; a few times his reflections on his own actions, or inactions pleased the audience. The ‘conversation’, was just that, a conversation. There were no controversial moments, no heat, and no substance. The provoking but nicely posed questions were averted skillfully and the two former presidents gave us no good conversation material. At the end of the event it was hard not to realize that it was a pre-meditated amiable event held with the intention of bringing in cash.