Dr. Christina Greer, whose column appears in our pages and sits on our board, was spot on in her recent op-ed in the New York Times. What she shared there is but a sample of what she has posted on many occasions here for us, and for that we are deeply appreciative.
In her “Dear Kamala” missive, Dr. Greer warns the first female and Black vice president about the rigors and dangers she faces in her historical breakthrough, in other words, as we used to exclaim back in the ’60s, “watch the traps.”
Taking notice of her assignments was something at the core of our coverage when we first learned of the vice president being sent to Latin America, where, as Dr. Greer reminds us, she has “no deep experience” as well as her being given a number of other challenging tasks that are not easy ones and could hamper her political future.
We think Dr. Greer has posed a serious concern but there is little the vice president can do about this having agreed to work alongside President Biden. She might suggest other deployments, other issues, though such an alternative is probably completely unimaginable.
As an old adage noted, hers is to do or die, not to wonder why. She must take these lemons and you know what. Thus far, her diplomacy has been passable, and it certainly wasn’t a godsend to be ticketed to the southwest border or the Northern Triangle of South America, where even the most informed and longstanding authorities have not round remedies for the challenges there.
Perhaps tossing her a ball to knock out the park will improve her confidence and her political capital, something akin to the duties he was given by President Obama on college affordability or health issues, and allow her to grow into the foreign affairs.
But rather than commenting on Dr. Greer’s cautionary tale, we suggest you read it and draw your own conclusions. She continues to be a wise counsel on social and political matters and we are blessed to have her in our corner.
We were particularly impressed by her literary acumen in her reference to “The Wiz” and a vice president who can’t seem “to win for trying.” And the vice president would do well to heed the closing stanza of the tune Dr. Greer cites—“learn your lesson, refuel your mind before some turkey blows out your flame.”