A Week That Began In Tragedy Ends In Farce

Ladies and Gentlemen, that actually happened, and we let it happen.

President Obama has said “I want the people of France to know that the United States stands with you today, stands with you tomorrow.”

“We” stand with the people of France but Obama, personally, did not. He said that during a speech in Tennessee.

So, today SecState Kerry went to Paris and did an apology tour (see his remarks here), which he began with some highly awkward hugging and ended by having an ancient hippie - “a good friend from Massachusetts” - sing three minutes of elevator music.

Just call out my name
And you know wherever I am
I'll come running
Unless I’m spending a relaxing day at home watching football on TV

Maybe Obama now wishes he had TIVO’d that game.

And maybe the French should now respond by sending us Taylor's contemporary, Carole King, to sing It’s Too Late.

But really, we don’t need to send any of our singers to France. The French people can sing just fine for themselves. This is what the Members of Parliament sang after they observed a minute of silence for the victims of the Charlie Hebdo massacre:



The Marseillaise ends with a line about making the impure blood of the invaders water the fields of France. That sentiment suits the occasion better than anything that ever came from James Taylor.