I notice, in the newspapers, that I have chosen another world leader again. I'm tired of choosing leaders for other nations.
Not, I'm tired of waging wars tired. But still, I'm pretty tired of it.
I have recently chosen Haider al-Abadi to be leader of Iraq, over Nuri al-Malaki. Four years ago, I had chosen Nuri al-Malaki to be leader of Iraq, over Ayad Allawi.
I can't even spell these people, to be honest, much less choose between them. And as exposed in a recent Frontline episode, when I choose leaders for other nations, I sometimes don't even know their real names, much less be able to spell them. I am tired of all that.
It is not, actually, very demanding to choose leaders for other nations. That's because I delegate it.
I choose the leader of my own nation, which is the United States. Then the leader of the United States chooses the leaders of other nations.
But the burden, on me, is psychological. Nuri al-Maliki, who I had chosen four years ago, and am not choosing now? On the day after my invading army left his country, he tried to have his Vice President killed, and the Vice President had to flee. I had not chosen the Vice President who was threatened with death. That I am aware of. But still, I am tired of that kind of stuff.
A special burden in choosing world leaders is what happens if you pick a bad one. As in the case of Nuri al-Maliki. You have to call up the New York Times, to get them to place a story, something Condoleezza Rice had once said or whatever, trying to obscure the fact that you had chosen the bad leader in the first place.
Mr. Bush rejected the idea but sent Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to Baghdad to tell Mr. Maliki to shape up. “You’re a terrible prime minister,” she told Mr. Maliki. “Without progress and without an agreement, you’ll be on your own, hanging from a lamppost.”
See what I mean about psychological burden? I'm tired of telling Condoleezza Rice stories to the
New York Times, to obscure my own past mistakes. Way tired.
I am also tired of choosing forms of government for other nations. Like the time I chose the President of Afghanistan, and also that Afghanistan should have a President. I had an argument with France, about that.
Recently, though, I have changed my mind about what form of government Afghanistan should have. Afghanistan is to get a Prime Minister. More positions, more opportunities to control patronage, essentially. Except that having a President, and a Vice President, and Another Vice President, and a Prime Minister, all fighting to control patronage, might lead to a lot of fights. Afghanistan is having a big argument, about that. And I am tired of it.
Sticklers for detail might point out, that I have not actually chosen the new Prime Minister of Iraq yet. That there are processes from the Iraq constitution to go through, and such.
Which is all just exactly what I am tired of. If I am in a habit of choosing leaders for other nations, and selecting what they call those leaders, and writing their constitutions, how do I now respect those things?
When a leader of another nation, who I have chosen, with a title that I have selected, starts ignoring a constitution, which I have written, I get all tied up in knots. I don't know what to think. And I am tired of it.
I'm also afraid, if my habit of choosing leaders for other nations continues, that I might soon start trying to carve up their borders as well.