Obama's No Good Very Bad Day in London

The President and I have something in common.  I point this out because, like British PM Gordon Brown, I need all the magic dust I can get.  We are both traveling at the moment.  I am in Chicago, attending the Midwest Political Science Convention.  He is in Europe.  For some strange reason, he is attracting more attention than I am. 

On the other hand, so far not a single protester has shown up to blame me for anything.  Our President is not so lucky.  While he tries to smooth talk the Chinese and the Russians, thousands of anti-capitalist protesters (dressed, one suspects, in clothes that were not produced by any government) made mayhem in the streets of London.  Well, one should not be surprised that the forces of noxious numbskullery are alive in Europe.  One need merely watch a televised soccer game. 

But President Obama has not been getting a much better reception from the Eurocrats, let alone the aforementioned more easterly gangster princes.  Apparently they want the U.S. to take full blame for the current international economic krapola.  Obama seems to have obliged them with a mea culpa, but that did what it always did: it whetted their appetites for more.  The French and Germans want global financial regulations that put the American finance system at least partially under international control.  I can’t wait to see how that plays out in the Senate. 

If you are expecting me to blame all this on Barack Obama, prepare for a disappointment.  Presidents McCain, or Clinton, or Huckabee or Kucinich would have been in the same situation.  It was a lot of fun to blame friction between our allies and not-allies-so-much on George W. Bush’s arrogance, but maybe the basic problem was always, as the President likes to say, “structural”. 

The only thing unusual about Barack Obama was the Messianic glow that surrounded him when went abroad during the campaign.  Clearly the European Left, and Center, was pulling for the American Messiah.  Obama clearly enjoyed and exploited that glow.  Perhaps he should have considered what happens to the Messiah later on in the story. 

Comments

[Mac]

Ken, this story gives me quite a chuckle...however, I firmly disagree with you. The President has had a very successful time at the London Conference and it is based on several things we have not seen for leadership for quite sometime of course, so, I'm going to reinterate what I told both Mr. Sibson and Mr. Smylie: As the President’s budget reaches Congress, may I add some interesting insights into the G-20 London Summit that has taken place in the past couple of days: I find that the President has a great plan that in time may prove to help shorten this already deep recession. It’s quite admirable of him to stress the importance of listening and how that has been lacking in leadership for quite sometime as we’ve witnessed from the many failed business leaders and former political leaders. These issues will take time to solve since the mess took decades in the making. So, I’m going to let time be the decider in all of this. After all, the President is involving our allies around the world in a way we have not seen for quite sometime. Instead of dictating the terms of a failed unilateral policy of the past, the President is taking an approach that will require us all to work together and be committed to the success. We all have an investment in this endeavor whether we choose to or not to participate.
We'll talk later Ken. Have a great evening.

[connie conservative]

While I'm all for international cooperation, I'm also for sticking up for America, maintaining our nationalism, and not taking the blame for everything going on in the world. The rest of the world still looks to the US for bailouts, for protecton, for rescue from natural catastrophes, and we have always obliged.

The world is as entrhalled with the self-proclaimed Messiah as the voters were this past election. And I have news for them. Obama is simply human like the rest of us, but the problem is that he does nto realize this. He is acting like a god, dictator, or whatever with the way he has run his office from day one. And he is leading our nation into bankruptcy and worse.

[Mac]

Please, come on...let's face reality. The President is not "acting like God." He is simply approaching this from the perspective of involving the world community and really that's the way it's been going. You can't be an isolationist and expect success. Kudos to the President and his excellent team.

[KB]

Mac:

I agree with you that the President is not "acting like God." I said that he was treated like a Messiah by many of his admirers at home and abroad. I am not sure he did anything to diminish that treatment. After all, he is a politician. But my post contained almost no criticism of the President. I just pointed out that he is a President like any other President, and Europe is still Europe.

Connie: thanks for the comment. I am more in agreement with you than Mac about the consequences of the President's economic policies.

[Mac]

KB, I really don't see where his "so-called admirers" worship him like Jesus as you assert all the time!?! I think you should just stick to the issues and stop trying to immitate Rush Limbaugh. He's the last person I would try to be like anyway. Besides, he lost most of his objectivity years ago. Anyway, I'm getting tired and we'll discuss this when you post your next story on the President. I'm looking forward to reading a positive one eventually, but, I will not hold my breath. Have a great evening...out...