He’d like to teach the world to play in perfect harmony

Unlike many soccer fans, I’m not obsessed with the sport’s popularity, or lack thereof, in this country. Still, I admit that, other things being equal, it’s a good thing if the sport becomes more popular here.
On the other hand, I wonder whether other things actually are equal when new soccer fans make idiotic observations about the sport, such as:

I think the big issue everywhere in the world today is there are some forces bringing us together and some forces tearing us apart. And you want the ones that are bringing us together [like soccer, which provides a constructive, entertaining and safe means of working out some conflicts] to triumph over the ones that are tearing us apart.

UPDATE: To make matters worse, Bill Clinton (who made the statement quoted above) has asked where he can buy a vuvuzela. According to the Washington Post, “the incessant buzz annoyed him when he watched the U.S. team’s opener against England on TV. But after hearing the horns in person. . .he was intrigued by the rhythmic riffs that seem to spring up organically from the crowd.”
Is this a case of “you have to be there” or a case of shameless pandering to a third world country, coupled with a bizarre attempt by our “first black president” to affect special musical insight?
We report, you decide.

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