Wyclef Jean Would be a Disaster as President of Haiti and the Last Thing Haiti Needs is Another Disaster

It is a fascinating bit of celebrity news. But it's also a very serious pursuit by an utterly untested and unqualified candidate who has a strong chance of actually becoming the president of that crippled nation.

Jean, a Haitian citizen who grew up in Brooklyn and New Jersey and who many simply call Clef, enters a crowded field. It includes his own uncle, Raymond Joseph, the distinguished silver-haired Haitian ambassador to the United States, whom Jean himself had encouraged to run.

But Jean has been catapulted to the front of that field because celebrity trumps solemnity. If he can prove that he meets the residency requirements, which some doubt, he has a serious chance.

So we must take his candidacy seriously. The question for Wyclef becomes: "Why, Clef?"

It's a pressing question because whoever wins takes over what many considered a failed state even before the devastating January earthquake that killed more than 200,000 people and worsened an already desperate situation.

CNN's Wolf Blitzer put the question to Jean on Thursday on "Larry King Live." Here is the sum total of Jean's rambling, somewhat incoherent, answer: "Well, after Jan. 12th, I would say over 50 percent of the population is a youth population. And we suffered for over 200 years. Now that our country has a problem, it's a chance to rebuild from the bottom on up. And I don't even say I'm trying to be president. I'm being drafted by the youth of Haiti. Right now is a chance for to us bring real education into the school, infrastructure, security and proper jobs. So this is some of the reasons that I'm running."

Wow! Let's just say that he's no Demosthenes.

When Blitzer asked him what made him qualified, Jean responded, "When I look at the past 200 years with what our people have suffered, Wolf -- political instability, coups after coup d'états. I feel that me running, it bring as neutral situation -- meaning that Wyclef Jean can sit with any political party, have a conversation. I'm coming in neutral."

Neutral, huh? Some Haitians may not see it that way. During the 2004 coup that ousted then-President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, Jean voiced his support for the rebels to MTV News and called for Aristide to step down.

As for management experience, one of Jean's only stints was at the helm of his nonprofit Yéle Haiti Foundation. It came under scrutiny soon after the earthquake because of the way it uses its money. The Smoking Gun reported that, "Internal Revenue Service records show the group has a lackluster history of accounting for its finances, and that the organization has paid the performer and his business partner at least $410,000 for rent, production services, and Jean's appearance at a benefit concert." Jean has denied any wrongdoing and stepped down from the foundation on Thursday.

Since Jean has never held political office, left the country when he was 9, has little management experience and has yet to take any detailed policy positions, the only benefit of a Jean presidency at this point would appear to be his ability to leverage his celebrity. That sounds exciting in theory, but fame has its limits.

First, celebrity doesn't necessarily loosen purse strings.

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