The Liberian President Also Made It Special...

Thanks, Lee...and everybody.

It's not that I thought everybody forgot, exactly. It's that my lip was poked out because I normally take my birthday off and disappear for the day...and well...I can't...so thanks everybody. (I won't go into the details of the whole menu because I don't want to incite envy but suffice it to say...SOUL food was in the house. YUM!)

And actually, I cannot complain because today was a seminal day for me and for Tell Me More. Told you we would have major "mover" on today and we did. We have been pursuing an interview with Madame President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf for quite some time. We were finally able to meet with her when she was here in Washington. You can check out the interviews here.

It might be interesting to mention that one reason we have not been able to speak with her before now is that one cannot always secure a reliable landline at the President's mansion. Now think about that. Can you imagine our President not always being able to have secure communication with the outside world at his will? It should give you some idea of the challenges being faced there. That's one reason we wanted to talk to her.

We think Americans are intrigued by Africa. I don't think you have to be African American to be intrigued. I think many of us are. It's a place of so much promise, opportunity, and yet most of the world's most demanding problems can be found there.

So, whenever we get the opportunity, we want the leaders...and, frankly, the people of the Continent to tell us more...

What I also found interesting was her take on women in leadership and how she sometimes feels restrained to huddle...or to sometimes raise a certain perspective when meeting with fellow international leaders -- almost always male. It comes, according to her, from not wanting to fulfill the stereotype that might be associated with being the "woman at the table."

I don't know about you, but as she was talking I'm sitting there thinking it's amazing that no matter how "high" you climb the ladder of success these sensitivities can still hop on and climb right on up the ladder with you.

How many times have you felt this way -- wherever you are on the ladder? (At its most common level, would you have ever imagined that you might have something in common with the president of a nation?) How have you managed being in a room...at a table...or in a position, where you don't always want to make as much noise as you could, just because you know that might be just what people are expecting?

Of course, you don't have to be a president, king, queen or royal ruler here...just everyday, ordinary citizens (like me).

Oh, and don't get it twisted President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is far from a backbone-less leader. She's a towering force and was just keeping it real (I really like that about her). When madame president speaks, people listen. I did...

Big developments in the immigration debate today. They're late breaking and complicated. We'll have more next week for sure.

Now, excuse me, I am going to get more cake. You can see there's only just a little left...

Michel Martin

7:20 PM ET | 05-17-2007 | permalink

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7:20 PM ET | 05-17-2007 | permalink