Africa Has A Real Woman President, America Has a Fake One

Commentary by Ghelawdewos Araia  January 18, 2006

On January 16, 2006 a remarkable historical achievement was scored when the first woman president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, was sworn in into the highest office in Liberia. Present in the inaugural ceremony, among other dignitaries and diplomats, were the two gorgeous ladies (ebony and ivory), US Secretary of State Condolezza Rice and Fist Lady Laura Bush.

Laura Bush may not run for any public office and may lead a quiet or active life after she is out of the White House following the end of President Bush’s second term. She may carry on the legacy of “no child is left behind” in education or may immerse herself in reminiscing her White House years and write a book about it. Condolezza Rice, on the other hand, may run for the office of the presidency and could become not only the first woman but also the first black president of the United States. Not withstanding rumor and media pundit speculations that Condee will run for the presidency, by a strange way of historical irony - participating in a first woman president inauguration -, she may become the first woman president of the United States.

When I was watching the inauguration of President Sirleaf, I was kind of distracted by the smile of Condolezza Rice, and I some how tried to probe into her mind and strove to speculate what she was saying to her inner voice. This is what I thought she was saying to herself – a monologue that could perhaps be detected intuitively--: “God willing if I became the first woman [and black] president, I will officially invite Mrs. Sirleaf to the White House, and as part of my welcome speech I would, by way of reaffirmation, state, ‘I am African American; you are African but since Liberia was founded by freed American slaves, ancestors to both of us, it is an apparent historical destiny that the United States and Liberia are bound together forever!’”  

However, if Dr. Rice decides to run for office, Hillary Rodham Clinton, a formidable, astute, and bright woman will challenge her. Again, rumor has it, that Mrs. Clinton will run for the presidency and if it is true and both woman indeed run, the likelihood is that Clinton will win, for America may not be ready for a black president. But if a white man politician challenges Clinton, in all probability she will lose because America may not be ready for a woman president.

But in anticipation of a real woman president, America has invented a fake president by the name Mackenzie Allen, the first woman to lead the USA, who is the Commander-in-Chief on an ABC TV drama series. The charming Geena Davis acts as commander-in-chief in “Commander-in Chief” aired every Tuesday between 9 and 10 pm Eastern Time. “Commander-in-Chief” is created by Rod Luire, the director of The Contender, and has a full-fledged cabinet (cast) including Geena Davis as President Mackenzie Allen, Donald Sutherland as Nathan Templeton, Harry J. Lennix as Jim Gardner (as Harry Lennix), Kyle Secor as Rod Calloway, Ever Carrradine as Kelly Ludlow, Mat Lanter as Horace Calloway, Caitlin Wachs as Rebecca Calloway, Jasmine Jessica Anthony as Amy Calloway (as Jasmine Anthony), and Mark-Paul Gosselaar as Richard ‘Dick’ McDonald.

Nevertheless, all of the above mentioned TV personalities, including Geena Davis, are actors and none of them is a politician, but if one or some of them follow the paths of Ronald Reagan, they could become real statesmen and America could have a real woman president.

“Commander-in-Chief” is not only an illusory cinematic drama but it also deliberately creates mirage (geographic and factual errors) in some of its episodes. In Episode 1.5, the President, standing in front of the White House, gazes at her husband and kids and sees a mountain range behind them. There is no mountain in the vicinity of the White House. In Episode 1.7, “Saving the Century,” Geena Davis has memories of her vice presidency (VP Allen) under her predecessor President Teddy Bridges and her travels with him on Air Force One. The President and the Vice President are not allowed to fly on the same plane, let alone Air Force One. In the same episode, the Speaker of the House oversees confirmation hearings for the vice president. This is not a normal protocol under US constitution and the Speaker does not sit on any committee nor does he vote on issues pertaining to House business.

On top of the above illusions, President Mackenzie Allen (Geena Davis), unlike President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, does not have to engage herself in real politic and real problems. In her one-hour inaugural speech, President Sirleaf, the Harvard graduate economist, pledged to realize peace and prosperity for Liberia and confront corruption. Unlike the TV drama, however, the real problems that require immediate attention in Liberia are massive unemployment, huge housing shortage, destroyed infrastructure, water supply shortage especially for the one million residents of Monrovia.

Unlike Allen, Sirleaf will have a real cabinet run (hopefully) by professional and committed ministers. They will seriously consider (hopefully), as their first task, the proper allocation of resources. Liberia is a small country of three million people but it is rich in tropical fruit plantations, palm oil, rubber, iron ore, and diamonds. Liberia is also known as the Rubber Republic and has the capacity to produce liquid latex and solid rubber. One cannot imagine Firestone and Good Year tires without Liberian rubber.

The fake and/or real commander-in-chief in the United States does not have to worry about allocating resources and infrastructure. America, after all, is the richest country on the planet and the world is envious of its infrastructure. Drawing comparison between the USA and Liberia is like comparing the head of a pin with that of an ox, but as per the title of this article, we can make a reverse comparison in which Liberia became the first nation ever in Africa to have the first woman president while America has only a fake one. In this respect, the analogy of the pinhead and the ox-head is reversed; the pin symbolizes the USA and the Ox represents Liberia.