Wyclef Jean is seriously mulling a campaign for president of Haiti. His candidacy was buzzing around political circles in Little Haiti all last week, and then over the weekend, the onetime Fugee confirmed to a Canadian newspaper that he has already filed paperwork to enter the race.
The big question: Can the savior of an earthquake-ravaged, horribly mismanaged nation really be a musician who horribly mismanaged his own charity and let his Miami Beach mansion fall into foreclosure?
Speaking to CNN earlier this afternoon, Jean confirmed he has indeed filed papers to run for president but says he hasn't yet decided whether to follow through.
"I can't sing forever," he says.
That doesn't sound like the most compelling reason to take on the most challenging leadership role in the Western Hemisphere. Particularly for a guy roundly criticized for paying himself $100,000 to play a charity concert and allegedly paying his mistress six figures a year to run Yelle, his Haitian relief charity.
Then again, as many observers have pointed out, having an independently wealthy president in Haiti might actually help cut down on the endemic corruption that's been so deadly to reconstruction attempts.
Plus he's already tight with Bill Clinton, Haiti's number one international advocate.
