In support of her claim, Curry pointed out a sign that had been tacked up on the door to a mud-brick structure renaming it “the Obama schoolhouse.” The video clip shows a sign in Arabic. Someone had helpfully translated it, scrawling “Obama” in chalk on the entranceway.
Curry took it all at face value. But let’s think about this. Imagine you’re a refugee camp administrator. You’ve been alerted to the fact that an American TV crew would be at the camp covering the visit of George Clooney, whom Curry was accompanying, and that Clooney would be soon be meeting with Pres. Obama. Do you think it might be nice for Clooney to be able to tell the president that the school had been renamed in his honor? Not to say that Africans aren’t inspired by Pres. Obama. But a little investigative reporting by Ann as to just when that sign went up would have been helpful.
While Curry gushed [and at one point in the clip can be seen going touchy-feely on Clooney], the movie star seemed admirably level-headed. At one point, as a group of kids ran past, he quipped: “Angie and Brad just got here. Happens to me all the time.”
Perhaps Curry is correct, and Pres. Obama’s message of hope has reached Chad. Now if it could only reach a little closer to home. Say, Wall Street . . .
Note: Ann should consider opening her next report by answering the question Chris Matthews has now made fair game: “did you vote for Obama or McCain?”
