Henry, You have
seen that I often write about Valerie. She is as treacherous as a Copperhead.
JimWashington
insiders are well aware that the key decision maker in the Obama White House is
Valerie Bowman Jarrett. Washington lobbyists know that if they have an idea or
project to push, unless it has the blessing of Valerie Jarrett, it is probably
dead in the water.Valerie Jarrett may have even more
power than Mrs. Woodrow Wilson. Recall, in 1919, President Wilson suffered a
debilitating stroke and, for the next 18 months, Mrs. Edith Wilson decided which
papers President Wilson saw and which ones he signed. But, despite her influence
on President Obama, Valerie Jarrett is not well-known outside of Washington
circles.As most everyone knows, the First
Family lives upstairs in the White House in what is known as the presidential
residence. What most people do not know is that Valerie Jarrett has her very own
bedroom inside the presidential residence and she most often eats her meals with
the First Family. Every matter of importance is discussed between the President,
the First Lady, and Valerie Jarrett.Some say that Valerie Jarrett is the
de facto President of the United States, that the First Lady is actually
the de facto Vice President of the United States and that Barack H. Obama
is their skilled official spokesman. The three work together. They travel
together. They even vacation together, albeit Barack and Michelle often take
separate vacations. When that happens, Valerie usually goes on vacation with
Michelle and the children.So, who is this mysterious
l'éminence grise of the Obama White House? She is the daughter of James
E. Bowman, M.D. and Barbara T. Bowman. Valerie was born on November 14, 1956, in
Shiraz, Iran. Yes, in Shia-dominated Iran, which is now the major
self-proclaimed enemy of the United States and of non-Shia Muslims
everywhere.Valerie's first five years were lived
in Iran where her cradle language was Persian and her second language was
French. At age six, she lived in London for a year where her English was
perfected. After that, her family settled in a wealthy African-American section
of Chicago. She holds a B.A. from Stanford University and a law degree from the
University of Michigan. She is a divorced single mother with a grown
daughter.Working quickly up the ranks of
Chicago's Democratic Party politics, Valerie was the person who got Michelle a
job in Mayor Richard J. Daley's office and who served as the Yenta or
match-maker (Valerie has a Jewish great-grandfather) who brought Michelle
Robinson and Barack Obama together in marriage.Sometimes, Wonder Wife and I put
together imaginary lists of famous dead people we would like to bring back to
life and have over for dinner. Usually, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison,
Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, and the historians Barbara W. Tuchman,
Daniel J. Boorstin, and Stephen E. Ambrose top the list. But we also make up
lists of today's interesting people. Someone with the smarts and influence of
Valerie Jarrett, despite our political differences, would be more than welcome.
To find out why President Obama has been so painfully slow to provide arms and
aid to our Kurdish allies (mostly, Sunni) would be worth serving filet mignon
and some decent wine. Wonder if Valerie's background in Iran (mostly, Shia)
plays a role?Jim Morris
Twilight
Imagery, Inc.
