Every day we don’t act

“Every day we don’t act…” How those impassioned those words are. How commanding. The very essence of presidential, moral leadership. Unsurprisingly, such eloquence escaped President Obama’s lips during the weekly address—and for a blink, I had “Hope.” Hope that he would switch from the sexy topic of financial regulation to matters more pressing on the presidential portfolio. Like genocide prevention, crimes against humanity, rigged elections, or just foreign affairs in general. Instead, Obama embraced the domestic politics of the day—and willfully ignored the elections in Sudan.

Disappointing to be certain but not inconsistent with his actions as President. Since the appointment of US Special Envoy Gen. Scott Gration, and the October 2009 announcement of the strategy for Sudan, the Obama administration—with the exception of Gration’s unhelpful statements—has been largely silent. US Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice has been all but invisible. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been notably quiet. Vice President Joe Biden, once an outspoken supporter of ending the genocide is also silent. Instead, there is Press Secretary Robert Gibbs offering a typical avoidance in the White House Press Briefing today, answering to the only question during today’s briefing that the president’s meeting with Scott Gration started about 20 minutes late and he’ll get back to us.

Great. Thanks. I am sure that gives great comfort to the people of Sudan who are facing a spectre of violence few Americans can conceptualize. There are things worse than war. Genocide, rape as a tool of extermination and rampant starvation are horrific. The extreme poverty and helplessness is something President Obama once vowed to address with “unstinting resolve.” Today, State Department spokesman PJ Crowley offered quips and insolence.

He started strong, as reported by Reuters, ““This was not a free and fair election,” said State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley. “It did not, broadly speaking, meet international standards.”

That, officially, is an understatement.

“That said, I think we recognize that the election is a very important step” toward carrying out a 2005 peace deal that gave the south autonomy, a share of oil revenues and a route to independence via referendum by January 2011, Crowley told reporters.

Crowley seemed unconcerned about the legitimization of Sudanese President Bashir’s role as genocidaire. In fact, he notes the Khartoum regime officials are now, essentially, our partner. They will play “important roles in whether “we have a credible referenda process that, quite honestly, is likely to yield the emergence of a new country.”

“So while we understand that there were flaws and failures in terms of this electoral process, we will recognize that there is a lot of work to be done,” he said. “The United States will continue to work with the government in the north, the government in the south, as we move forward with … the vitally important referenda that’ll happen in January of next year.”