The Empty Chair

Remember the 2012 RNC nominations and Clint Eastwood's speech to the empty chair?

President Obama was nowhere to be found during the beginning of a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine commission in Wales on Thursday.

Obama was "noticeably absent" from the start of the meeting, according to a White House pool report, although U.S. Ambassador to NATO Douglas Lute was in attendance.

Obama was late to the Ukraine meeting because of other meetings on Afghanistan and a meeting with King Abdullah of Jordan, according to a White House official.

These are the things that were not said by Obama. Once again, his chair is empty.

Back at the Ukraine meeting, leaders were addressed by NATO Secretary General Anders Rasmussen, who urged Russia to stop the "illegal" annexation of Crimea.

“We call on Russia to end its illegal and self-declared annexation of Crimea,” Rasmussen said. “We call on Russia to pull back its troops from Ukraine” and stop the flow of arms to separatists.

Rasmussen said the gathering of the leaders should telegraph a "clear message" to Ukraine that NATO stands with the nation and supports its reforms.

He said leaders would work with Ukraine to modernize its army and improve the ability of Ukrainian and NATO forces to work together.

Story here.

The President Who Wasn't There

Yesterday, NATO had an empty chair,

America's President wasn't there.

He wasn't there again today,

I wish, I wish he'd go away...

He spends much of his time on a golf tee,

The President isn't there for you and  me.

And when they looked around NATO's hall,

They couldn't see him there at all!

Go away, go away, don't you come back any more!

For you only protect traitors like Sgt. Bergdahl!

Francis Scott Key wrote our anthem by the rocket's red glare,

But now we have a President who isn't there,

He wasn't there again today

Oh, how I wish he'd go away...

This is my version/rewrite of "The Man Who Wasn't There,"  by William Hughes Mearns.