Skip to main content

When is a Bat Just a Bat?

(White House photo)
By now, you may have heard about the diplomatic hub-bub created by this picture of President Obama grasping a baseball bat while on the phone in the Oval Office. Had he been speaking on the phone to a U.S. Senator or a Governor, or even Mrs. Obama, nobody would have given the bat a second thought. But the White House caption on the photo revealed that he was talking to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. And, so, second thoughts have given way to third, fourth, and fifth thoughts. And the White House was forced to issue a statement.
For starters, I dearly wish that the bat symbolized what many in Turkey probably took it to symbolize – that the President was getting tough with Ankara or with Syria. But…c’mon. It’s an election year and the bat was a gift from Hank Aaron to the President. If Hank Aaron gave me a bat, I’d probably never put it down.
But a columnist in the Asia Times saw the picture this way:
Why hold a baseball bat while on statecraft – and then publicize it? The Turks could see any number of reasons: Obama was likely grandstanding as a tough world leader; possibly, threatening Bashar; maybe, impressing Israel and Saudi Arabia – or, Iran and Russia. But they calmly concluded that Obama was conveying a blunt message to Erdogan to speed up the “regime change” in Syria: “Whack Bashar, Erdogan“.
While some have been critical of the Obama Administration for publishing the photo and captioning it as they did (and it’s interesting to see the American press leave this “gaffe” alone in contrast to their treatment of Gov. Romney during his recent trip abroad), I actually see this as indicative of Turkish self-consciousness and weakness. Turkey has long feared that the U.S. does not take them seriously; that the U.S. uses its relationship with Turkey for our own convenience and nothing else. Turkey longs to be – and, perhaps more importantly, to be seen as – a regional power. A country that is secure in its own importance doesn’t get huffy when the leader of the free world has a bat in his hands. Of course, a confident country also doesn’t send flotilla ships to break a legal naval blockade, or use its alliances to settle political scores.
So, Turks…seriously…chill out. It’s just a baseball bat.
Author: Rabbi Jonathan Greenberg | August 8, 2012
Posted in:  Obama, Turkey

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Danger in Being a Christian: It began as a Jewish sect; fierce persecution only helped it spread Today's reading: Acts 8 Acts 8:1 On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. In some countries, a person who becomes a Christian forfeits a good education and job. And in a few countries, a person who converts risks his or her life. One church historian estimates that more Christians were martyred in the twentieth century than in all preceding centuries put together. Yet, strangely, more often than not, intense persecution of Christians leads to a spurt of growth in the church. An ancient saying expresses this phenomenon: "The blood of martyrs is the seed of the church." The First Big Advance For a while, the new faith enjoyed popular favor. But very soon it involved grave risk. In the book of Acts, the persecution that produced the first Christian martyr, St...
1 comment
Read more

Reverenfun

Post a Comment
Read more

One Day at a Time - May 21

Reflection on Genesis 44:33 Sometimes we get a second chance. When we do, it’s important to seize the opportunity. That’s what Judah did. When his brothers wanted to kill Joseph, Judah didn’t rescue Joseph but instead suggested that they sell him as a slave (see Genesis 37:26–27 ). His second chance came when Benjamin’s life appeared to be in danger. This time Judah put his own life on the line to protect his half brother, Rachel’s other son. Perhaps this commitment was taken into account in the blessings that God inspired Jacob to give his sons; eventually the Messiah came through Judah’s descendants (see Genesis 49:10 ). God often gives us second chances in life. When he does, we need to take advantage of the opportunity and set things right.
Post a Comment
Read more