Conservative voices in government and in the media seem to be convinced that President Barack Obama's foreign policy stance is decidedly pansy. Bowing to the Saudis, shaking hands with Chavez and agreeing with European leaders has cemented Republican opinion that Barack is a sissy on the world stage.
Emerging from eight years of W. Bush and his combative style, witnessing the way Obama works is like night and day.
Call it "Weezy F. Diplomacy" after eight years of Death Row statecraft.
Former President George W. Bush handled everything about foreign policy like a Makaveli-era Tupac. There was no battle too small, no slight that could go unpunished. So the French want to talk smack about the latest Iraq War? Fine, Pepe Le Pew, it ain't nuttin but a gangsta party - one serving generous helpings of Freedom Fries and Freedom Toast in the congressional cafeteria.
Tupac and George W. are very fond of making pronouncements about the relative righteousness of their actions given the subjective nature of their individual realities. While Sept. 11 changed the course of W's life, Tupac was never the same after he was shot up and went to prison. Both men often invoked the name of Jesus in their public appearances - "Only God Can Judge Me," indeed.
George W. Bush ran with a strong, close-knit group that helped him make all decisions and closed ranks when outsiders assailed them. It is easy to see Dick Cheney in the role of Suge Knight, rarely speaking to reporters but wielding an iron fist in most internal matters. Moreover, the song "Picture Me Rollin'" takes on a completely new meaning when you imagine Cheney and his wheelchair.
Now, we have Barack Obama in charge, a man who has not yet found a foreign politician he won't schmooze or glad-handle. Obama is the big dog in global politics right now, and he is wildly popular in the eyes of the media. His political dominance mirrors the level of authority Weezy currently holds over the rest of the rap game.
Obama and Lil Wayne both have a serious addiction: Wayne is never seen without a cup of codeine-laced lean in his grip, and Obama could not function on the big stage without a teleprompter full of words written by his 27-year-old speechwriter Jon Favreau. Both men will have to work hard in the future to deal with their dependencies.
While it may seem to the uninitiated observer that Weezy will collaborate on a song with absolutely anyone, in reality he has a select group of artists he raps with repeatedly. Like Obama, Wayne works mostly with people of a similar ideology. Boundaries like the line between rap and R&B - and the borders of our nation-states - do not stop these men. Obama and Weezy also both spend money profusely.
The rap game and the geopolitics may seem completely unrelated to most rational people, but this comparison would have seemed much more plausible if Bill Clinton had never left 2 Live Crew to run for governor of Arkansas.
Tommy Maple is a international communications graduate student. His column appears on Tuesdays.
