When I recall my past fondness of Oprah Winfrey, I shudder at the wasted time, tributes and ill-placed good thoughts I felt for that now self-exposed, great big phony.

For one, I was completely fooled by the window dressing of her television show she called “The Angel Network.” It was a theme of at least two seasons of “Oprah” television shows that identified and financially aided mostly everyday, good human beings toiling in admirable feats trying to make the world a better place. They were shows I loyally watched thinking how uplifting and warm in the underlying intent and the visible actions.

Now we know. Oprah, the masked do-gooder, was not spreading authentic from-the-heart benevolence, but instead was masquerading in her struggle to satisfy her bottomless craving for positive attention. Not to mention aggregating her massive bank account and long list of unimaginable assets along the way.

Oprah Winfrey. The first black female billionaire. This icon who came from a downtrodden beginning struck a big chord not just with America, but also with much of the world.

What wasn’t to be liked or admired?

Heck, along the way she drew us in with her just-like-us stories of struggles with obesity, rejection and child molestation. Yes, Oprah was a survivor, and she could make every Mary and Jane think they could overcome adversity, too.

She had a wholly successful 25-year run with her “Oprah” television show; she gave birth to Harpo Productions Inc., a multimedia production company; she has her own private jet; she proved to be a worthy movie actress; she started a girl’s school in Africa; she published the once-popular “O” Magazine and (not in chronological order) emerged with dignity from a highly publicized Texas court trial after she had been sued by some Texas cattleman after making a seemingly harmless comment about not eating beef.

The latter event again underlined her savvy for making lemonade from lemons. With guts and gusto, she took her television show to be taped daily in Texas during the trial, and she met Dr. Phil McGraw, whom she eventually made famous, as well. He went on to be another huge American story of success.

In all of Oprah’s brilliance, she failed to recognize that few, if any, seats on the pinnacle of fame and favor last forever.

A few years ago she ended her TV show; other big names took the spotlight and “O” Magazine declined while rumors of her sexuality did not. Her weight remains a struggle, and she is at that life’s door called being 60.

In short, the once big “O” is fading. Sadly and unfortunately, we know now she is so hollow, she’s trying to take the rest of us with her.

She has been desperate in her attempts to be in Michelle and Barack Obama’s circle. She did get a bone this week with him bestowing her with a Congressional Medal of Freedom. Regrettably, that move certainly cheapens the intent of that honor, considering her recent antics.

Oprah just couldn’t help herself in a pitiful quest to grab the spotlight.

She gave a BBC interview telling the world that Americans are racist, especially where Barack Obama is concerned. Oprah evidently forgot the absolute fact that Obama was freely elected twice in the United States to the most powerful job in the world, and it certainly was not just the black vote.

Oprah claims to believe that anyone who disagrees with Obama or his polices does so out of racism. Yes, it all boils down to the color of Obama’s skin …  “because he’s African American. There’s no question about that,” she said. “And it’s the kind of thing no one ever says, but everybody’s thinking.”

“Everybody?” Really? Not me. Nor have I heard that from my friends or the vast array of people I associate with on multiple levels.

With that, I must wittingly conclude that Oprah not only lives in a bubble vacuous of reality, but that she is also a liar.

The most startling words she spoke a few days ago were: “There are still generations of people, older people (white people), who were born and bred and marinated in it – in that prejudice and racism and they just have to die.”

Winfrey forgot one more vital fact. She did not become a billionaire by appealing only to only black women and men. I am unequivocally positive she did not count her billions of dollars as black or white, just green.

The Big “O.” What a disappointment and a terribly sad ending to a once-great story.

Betty Arenson has lived in the SCV since 1968 and describes herself as a conservative who’s concerned about progressives’ politics and their impacts on the country, her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She says she is unashamed to own a gun or a Bible, couldn’t care less about the color of the president’s skin, and demands that he uphold his oath to protect and follow the Constitution of the United States in its entirety. Her commentary publishes Fridays.