News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. Nov. 22, 2013: Bill Clinton?, Oprah Winfrey?
Looks like Barack forgot Hillary …
or is he waiting until she announces for President!
Wednesday was a Big Day at The White House – the Presidential Medal of Freedom Awards. What exactly is this Medal anyway?
This from The White House Website …
The Medal has been presented to more than 500 individuals who have made especially “meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.”
In other words just about anyone who is not a criminal qualifies.
Here is the real issue. Whoever is President makes the selection all by themselves, applying whatever criteria they like. Objectively what that means is there is no credibility to the selection even if many of the individuals chosen are worthy.
It would be totally different if at least the President appointed a panel of let’s say 12 scholarly women and men to recommend the individuals who the President should consider. Instead the selections becomes part of The White House political operation. And it works as the media fell all over itself praising The Medal Wednesday and no questions at all.
What the Medal of Freedom does is reward visible “success” from among individuals – in this case – whom President Obama favors.
This brings me back to Bill Clinton and Oprah Winfrey!
I think former Presidents and very RICH friends of the current President should not be allowed to receive such a Medal because as above it makes it a “political” vehicle for The White House.
Barack Obama has not made it a secret at all that he is in the business of promoting the Clinton “brand” in anticipation of Hillary running for President again and whatever “handshakes” have taken place between Barack, Hillary and Bill that relate to that subject.
But again that aside, WHY is Bill Clinton being given what The White House proclaims is the highest civilian honor any American can receive? They make it a point to make sure it does not seem like he is just on the list for having been President rather it is for his “work” later.
What work is that? Getting rich since being President? Being paid to make vacuous speeches around the world for exorbitant fees, some of them well over $ 1Million as a reward being a “good” President for various special interests? Like repealing the Glass-Steagall Act which made banks even richer and led directly to the mortgage meltdown fiasco.
A Website, TheRichest.com lists Bill Clinton’s net worth at over $80 Million.
Hillary Clinton’s net worth at over $20 Million
Or The Clintons’ combined net worth at over $100,000,000.
NOT bad since they left The White House in 2000 worth virtually nothing.
Maybe Bill Clinton got The Medal of Freedom for freeing him and Hillary to become very, very rich,
As for Oprah Winfrey, if wealth is the criteria, Oprah is far, far more deserving of the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Poverty ..
The same Website estimates Oprah’s wealth at $2.7 Billion.
But not a word about the Clinton’s or Winfrey’s wealth as a basis for their Medals.
It could be called The Presidential Medal of Success or The Presidential Medal of Wealth for some or The Presidential Medal of Distinction for all but no it is named The Presidential Medal of FREEDOM.
That gives it a very lofty character but that only a few of the recipients have accomplishments that address the sacred issue of FREEDOM …
That Medal should go to those who defend or enhance our FREEDOM by the heroic nature of their deeds and actions.
On that count if there were nominations from the public for The Presidential Medal of FREEDOM there would be a very interesting number of such nominations for Edward Snowden among others.
Not quite what is on President Obama’s mind for Snowden he’d like to see him spending the rest of his life in an American prison for telling the Truth that Obama lied to us about illegal spying on Americans and others.
That is one “good” (sic) reason we will never see a fair and objective and widely participated process for nominating candidates for this Medal.
Instead we get Bill Clinton and Oprah Winfrey this year among others.
Probably next year Hillary Clinton and maybe who knows Lady Gaga. Or God Forbid maybe even Michelle Obama. Or is the deal it will happen when Hillary is crowned President and the Clintons reclaim their prize.
About The Writer: Arthur Piccolo is a professional writer and commentator and often writes about Latin America for New Americas.
