Love triangle: “The people of India deeply love you,” Singh had once told Bush, now headed to Delhi. Obama has been quoted as saying he considers India and Singh part of his family, but was that before he knew of Bush’s visit?
Posted on 10/29/2009 10:32:32 PM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
Bush dinner tastes sour for Obama
- PMO decision to entertain former President causes hurt in Washington
K.P. NAYAR
Washington, Oct. 24: Preparations for Manmohan Singh’s visit to Washington on November 24 have begun on a negative signal to the Obama administration with a decision by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to host former President George W. Bush for dinner at Singh’s residence at the end of this month.
Bush is visiting New Delhi on October 30 and 31 at the invitation of an Indian newspaper and will speak at a conference organised in New Delhi on October 31 on “America Re-engaging with the World: Challenges, Opportunities and Risks”.
Arguably stung by the PMO’s insensitivity in ostentatiously receiving the bete noir of the Democratic establishment here just over three weeks before Singh’s arrival at the White House, the Obama administration announced yesterday that US secretary of state Hillary Clinton will make her first trip to Islamabad.
Clinton, a long-time friend of India, has tried her best to prevent a return to hyphenated Indo-Pakistan relations under the Obama administration and had refused to include Pakistan in the 229,528km that she has flown in her nine months in office.
Despite the strategic importance of Pakistan in the Afghan conundrum that is confronting President Barack Obama, Clinton has so far left it to her minions to deal with the broad leadership in Islamabad.
But that will change with her first trip, which was significantly announced at a briefing by Richard Holbrooke, Obama’s special envoy on Pakistan and Afghanistan, whose prickly equations with New Delhi are well publicised here.
On the record, of course, no one in the Obama administration will say anything negative about the Bush trip to India because civility in political discourse is valued in the US. Nor will they suggest a Bush-India link in Clinton’s sudden decision to travel to Islamabad “soon”.
A source close to Clinton, however, said she recalled being kept hanging in her Senate office in 2001 while Sonia Gandhi repeatedly changed plans to meet her. The Indian embassy here had advised the Congress president that the Bush administration would not look favourably on a meeting with the former First Lady-turned-Democratic Senator from New York.
Instructions have gone out from the state department to the US embassy in New Delhi to extend all the courtesies that are due to a former American head of state and the ambassador in New Delhi, Timothy Roemer, will be correct, but not effusive in dealing with Bush.
But in private conversations, officials of the Obama administration, especially Democratic political appointees, make no secret of their sense of hurt over New Delhi’s decision.
This sense of hurt is shared by liberal Democrats on Capitol Hill, where enthusiasm about the Prime Minister’s visit was palpable until it became widely known here that the man whom many of them consider to be a war criminal is being needlessly feted in New Delhi at this time.
“We are rolling out the red carpet for your Prime Minister,” pointed out one Obama administration official. “Singh’s is the first state visit to be organised by the Obama administration. And what do you do? Invite the man who triggered the end of my country’s superpower status and brought shame to America worldwide.”
Said a Congressional aide: “In New Delhi people have been complaining for nine months, quite mistakenly, that Obama has downgraded the relationship with India. You have complaints about Obama’s nuclear policy, his climate policy and his trade policy.
“So the President decides to organise a grand show of bonhomie with your Prime Minister in the White House. Instead of making the most of this opportunity by both sides, your response is to slap us in the face by inviting the one man who is responsible for most of the problems on Obama’s shoulders.”
The wide-ranging sense of betrayal in hosting Bush little over three weeks before Singh travels to Washington is partly the result of a feeling here — perhaps mistaken — that it was the PMO which organised the invitation to Bush to visit New Delhi.
Some Americans insist that the US embassy in New Delhi had sent cables earlier, reporting government feelers to think tanks and non-government institutions to invite Bush to give a lecture in India as an excuse for the UPA government to thank him for what he did for Indo-US relations.
Sources who have seen these cables said such feelers began after Bush made his first trip outside North America in April to attend the Boao Forum in China, which is similar to the conference the former President will address in New Delhi on October 31.
In March, Bush made a feeble attempt to enter the lucrative lecture circuit by making a test trip to Calgary, Canada, where 1,500 people paid $400 per person to hear the former President. But protesters outnumbered listeners, media were kept out of the hall and the trip was deemed a disaster.
The only other known overseas trip made by Bush since relinquishing office was to South Korea in August to speak at an economic forum organised by the Federation of Korean Industries. But in this case, Korean industries had been working with him to overcome Republican opposition in the US Congress to the ratification of a Korea-US free trade agreement.
Love triangle: “The people of India deeply love you,” Singh had once told Bush, now headed to Delhi. Obama has been quoted as saying he considers India and Singh part of his family, but was that before he knew of Bush’s visit?
Obama needs to grow up!!
What a jerk. No...Obama Messiah...it is not all about you!
Obama’s a jerk. What else can one say?
That would be obama who ended our country's superpower status and brought shame to America worldwide, NOT President Bush!!
So, Obama doesn’t like it that President Bush actually has some international friends who are kind enough to invite him to their house for dinner?
baby Obama. Take the thumb out of thy mouth.
India knows that Bummer policy is far more likely to be a disaster for it than Bush policy would. India can see Bummer being dethroned before long, and us getting a president like Sarah Palin whose foreign policy would be more like Bush’s than Bummer’s.
“We are rolling out the red carpet for your Prime Minister,” pointed out one Obama administration official. “Singh’s is the first state visit to be organised by the Obama administration. And what do you do? Invite the man who triggered the end of my country’s superpower status and brought shame to America worldwide.”
BIG smile, here. Proof there’s still much ongoing
strident political effort to debase Pres. Bush
personally and directly by the Obots. Boo on
these arrogant adolescent jerks.
Bless you, Prime Minister Singh ... I remember
well your regard for our President: “The people
of India deeply love you.”
Looks to me like we should pay closer attention to the foreign press to see what Obama’s staffers are saying behind America’s back. Could make for good campaign material.
“So the President decides to organise a grand show of bonhomie with your Prime Minister in the White House. Instead of making the most of this opportunity by both sides, your response is to slap us in the face by inviting the one man who is responsible for most of the problems on Obama’s shoulders.”
These classless morons have no idea how this makes them look to the average decent, well-bred person.
These people are unbelievable.
Despite what we're repeatedly told, Bush had quite a few friends in other countries. When they say he wasn't popular internationally, they mean in Western Europe, and a handful of South American countries. Bush is well-liked in many Eastern European countries, many African countries (ironic, huh) and in some Asian countries as well.
Yeah, send them Hillary. They’ll really love you for that Obama. Hahahahaha.
Hint to Obama, don’t serve beef.
Bush established good relations with India while in office. They like him. They benefited from the relationship. Obama thinks one dinner changes everything? LOL
What a _______ ... I can’t come up with a word nasty enough for the Bummer administration.
Disgusting behavior on the part of this administration,
He never misses a chance to bash Bush in every way he can.
Inept, clumsy, it’s all about Obama all the time.
A grand show of bonhomie indeed, just another photo Op
for the One, but the natives should be grateful and
make the most of the opportunity of being in his presence.
Makes me ashamed to think we are allegedly
from the same country.
All the Bummer gang can do is make excuses.
It is very clear India's Prime Minister doesn't trust Obama. Maybe that's the passive-resistance message behind the dinner invitation. It was an upper-class cut, and very deliberate in my view.
Let them be steamed.
Changed my tagline, after the newest Federal “gay hate crime” legislation and now this. It was always true because I am a Christian, but I want to point out that the debauchery of this land has no claim upon me.
Can you believe these idiots?
In our White House ??
I keep trying to pinch myself and
awaken from this nightmare.
“We respect Obama but we love Bush.”
Unfortunately my post did not convey my comment was tongue-in-cheek (forgot /sarc tag). I get international news, and am well aware of the difference in MSM reporting and news from Israel and Germany.
And they continue to whine....poor pathetic people.
Obamao’s ego is exploding.
The media won't tell you this; in fact, they'll do everything they can to misrepresent it, but President Bush is very popular and quite admired in Iraq.
I’m so glad to hear that! I figured you’d know, since you’ve been over there a lot. I’d read where some Iraqi general recently said that they should build a statue of GWB in Iraq. He said a man like Bush came around every 300 years or so! I can’t remember who the general’s was, or the exact quote. But it was very admiring!
But yes, there was a lot of good-will for him there, for what I’ve read from various sources! It’s much like the feeling of many in Kuwait toward his Dad, and in Eastern Europe toward R.Reagan, Bush Sr. and Bush Jr.!
...as Chris Wallace so accurately pointed out, “This WH has the biggest bunch of crybabies I have ever seen!”
this is sick
Good point!
Namaste ping!
Love how HolyO is being snubbed for being a maroon all over the world now! Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy, LOL.
“end of my country’s superpower status and brought shame to America worldwide.”
Projection.
That’s also akin to prolaiming that you didnt break the cookie jar, before mom even got into the kitchen....
“you is busted”...
Our country is being run by infants.
Infants who never miss a chance to favor Muslims over non-Muslims.
I’m trying to keep track of which conspiracy theory to follow...that Hillary Clinton’s trip is a long-planned plot to “find” the Said Bahaji and Raquel Burgos Garcia passports, or that it’s a hastily thrown-together reaction to GWB’s India dinner.
I suppose I could take the lead of some, and push them both! ;-)
The story about Bibi a few days ago and now this gives me hope for the world. The next 3 years can not go fast enough.
That is one of the things I really respect President Bush for - really establishing good relations with a country that, in the coming decades, will be one of the most important allies that the United States will have. I really never thought I’d say this (particularly after some of the spending near the end of his term), but I REALLY miss President Bush. It felt like a grown up was actually in control, rather than the present situation where there is the constant feeling that anytime the train may jump the rails. Also, President Bush is far classier than Obama.
The person who wrote that article seems full of sour grapes. I am not saying it is untrue at any part, but the wording makes me think he is not a fan of President Bush.
haha ping
Looks like New Delhi is quietly calling a spade a spade. It’s not surprising that emergent democracies are either hesitant or are downright shunning zero when they see how he has treated our old allies and is embracing Marxist dictators.
His administration is so arrogant and ignorant at the same time, they probably WILL serve beef, either to be deliberately rude or because they just don’t know and don’t think they should have to know.
Hi, Allegra! Thanks for your comment about Iraq.
Does anyone really think Bush tried to keep Clinton from being greeted in India? He spent 8 years putting up with Clinton, Carter, and Gore sniping at him from the sidelines, and he patiently watched as these three and other democrat apparatchiks tooled around the wold, sowing discord wherever they could. Remember John Kerry in Western Europe? Remember Obama in the Middle East?
It is patently ridiculous to think that the Bush administration ignored all of these yahoos yet worked mightily to keep Hillary from visiting India.
Either Hillary is making up tales again, or someone in the administration is leaking faux excuses in order to justify their own whining.
I would like it if Singh gave zero the finger and just didn’t show up - cancels at the last minute due to being “under the weather; another time perhaps.”
If his skin gets any thinner, nobody’s even going to believe he’s even half black.
Not only sick, tacky and infantile, but it’s also threatening and thuggish. It perfectly captures the essence of zero, mrs. zero, his administration and his followers.
He has been getting a bit of the bum’s rush here and there. But it’s not enough to satisfy me.
He is having him over for dinner, it’s not like he is giving a national speech in TV for all of India. Grow up Obama and the same to your press sycophants.
Whole bunch of us share that sentiment indeed. Seems the crowd is getting larger as more people open their eyes to reality.
New Delhi would be wise to steer clear of zero altogether as much as possible. One thing zero hasn’t considered as he advances the destruction of our economy and the dollar. He couldn’t care less about jobs for Americans. As our productivity diminishes and our buying power dissipates, trade treaties with the U.S. become less valuable. That decreases zero’s wiggle room - his hammer - when dealing with highly productive countries such as India. China, too. He’s backing himself into a corner (and us with him) in which it becomes easier and easier for other countries to give us the finger as they pass by.
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