Call it your daily affirmation.
The Obama administration over the past several weeks has developed a certain conciliatory style of diplomacy, striking a hard contrast between this White House and its predecessors.
While George W. Bush drew charges of "cowboy diplomacy" for his unilateral style of doing things, the Obama team might just be the Stuart Smalley counterpart to Bush's John Wayne.
Smalley, you may recall, was Al Franken's lovable alter-ego on Saturday Night Live -- an uncertified gusher of self-help advice who often needed that advice more than his guests.
"I deserve good things. I am entitled to my share of happiness," he used to recite to himself. "I refuse to beat myself up. I am an attractive person. I am fun to be with."
Maybe President Obama's daily sessions with senior advisers don't begin with a daily affirmation, but the similarities are there.
Smalley often had his guests repeat his mantras.
"I'm good enough, I'm smart enough and, doggone it, people like me." It's a line many Americans surely still say to themselves every morning when they brush their teeth.
The Obama administration, likewise, has invited a list of nations to join him on the couch, put down their guard and share in that sense of satisfaction.
"We know that you are a great civilization, and your accomplishments have earned the respect of the United States and the world," Obama said in a Web video message to Iran in celebration of Nowruz, the country's new year, last week, praising the country's art, music and literature that have "made the world a better and more beautiful place."
Earlier this month, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with Russia's foreign minister to pursue what she called a "fresh start."
She presented Sergei Lavrov with a toy red button that, despite a typo, was supposed to say "Reset" in English.
"We want to reset our relationship. And so we will do it together," Clinton said. - FOX News Story
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