To paraphrase Jerri Blank: If Aguilera and [Vanilla] Ice were Rumsy and Rice, Saddam would have been a non-issue.
Yeah, I admit it’s a little weak–is there anyone else from the MTV set whose name rhymes with “Rice”?–but as this article explains, the point is valid: infiltrating countries via music and culture may be slower and less predictable than sending in the troops, but it’s a great way to effect significant, long-term change. In fact, a couple of years ago, I toyed with the notion of taking a position with the Department of State as a cultural diplomacy officer, where my job would have been to lead such covert operations. Unfortunately, I had to decline the offer once I learned that Colin Powell goes positively nelly for Rogers and Hammerstein and would likely have me pushing Oklahoma in drought-stricken communities where the thought of corn as high as an elephant’s eye would bring not applause, but salivation.
Still, I’ve said it before (but I’m not browsing my archives to find it): if we’d thrown Brittney in a burka in the late 1990s and sent her on a tour of Afghanistan, the world might be a very different place.
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