PrintApril 10, 2009
Some more redmeat on Obama's excellent overseas adventure
Two great analyses of Obama's overseas excursion/apology tour. This one from British author and broadcaster Gerald Warren who refers to our lightwalking president in typical British understatement as "President Pantywaist:"
President Barack Obama has recently completed the most successful foreign policy tour since Napoleon's retreat from Moscow. You name it, he blew it. What was his big deal economic programme that he was determined to drive through the G20 summit? Another massive stimulus package, globally funded and co-ordinated. Did he achieve it? Not so as you'd notice.
Barack is not the first New World ingenue to discover that European leaders will load him with praise, struggle sycophantically to be photographed with him and outdo him in Utopian rhetoric. But when it comes to the critical moment of opening their wallets - suddenly it is flag-day in Aberdeen. Okay, put the G20 down to inexperience, beginner's nerves, what you will.
On to Nato and the next big objective: to persuade the same European evasion experts that America, Britain and Canada should no longer bear the brunt of the Afghan struggle virtually unassisted. The Old World sucked through its teeth, said that was asking a lot - but, seeing it was Barack, to whom they could refuse nothing, they would graciously accede to his wishes.So The One retired triumphant, having secured a massive contribution of 5,000 extra troops - all of them non-combatant, of course - which must really have put the wind up the Taliban, at the prospect of 5,000 more infidel cooks and bottle-washers swarming into the less hazardous regions of Afghanistan.
A guy like Obama could not survive the British press or "Question Time" in the Commons where any MP can ask the PM anything he wants. Our teleprompterless president would freeze like a side of beef in a Kansas City meat locker.
I'm going to bookmark Warren's site at the Telegraph. I have a feeling he will be a treat to read.
