Garcia Media Life

I saw this ridiculous headline today on WashingtonPost.com- What does the nonstop coverage of uprising mean for the economic message that Obama was hoping to push this week?

The Post’s Chris Cillizza then pontificates in front of a camera for 1 minute and 24 seconds about how non-stop coverage of events in Egypt is cutting into the President’s latest message on economic recovery.

So let’s get this straight. A million Egyptians take to the streets; one of, if not the most important nation in the Middle East is teetering on the brink of revolution; the implications affect everything from the war on terrorism to the global economy; peace and stability in one of the most volatile regions on Earth is at stake—and the inside-the-beltway sages wonder what all this means for a White House economic public relations campaign that might have to be postponed for a few days?

It’s times like this when the insular, self-involved, day-to-day views of Washington insider-types clash head on with the long view of world history. We are at a critical juncture; a time we will look back on a generation from now to help us understand how the world may have forever changed on one February day in the year 2011.

No one will remember who Chris Cillizza was. If they don’t play their cards just right there may not even be a Washington Post. Certainly no one will remember this was the week President Obama had planned to push an economic message.

So, Mr. President—please don’t hesitate to postpone your visit to some factory in Peoria where you would have donned protective eye-wear while posing in front of some machine that makes solar panels—and do concentrate all your efforts on our planet, the substantive changes that may be needed in recalibrating American foreign policy for the foreseeable future, and protecting America’s and the world’s long-term interests.

I guarantee you the cameras and microphones will dutifully record every moment of your new economic message next week.