Posted on 11/22/2009 12:31:51 AM PST by American Dream 246
A magazine in Tokyo is reporting that President Obama's summit with Japanese Prime Minister Hatoyama was a frosty disaster, precipitated by incompetence on both sides and an entirely avoidable diplomatic slight to the Japanese side by Obama. The visit was abruptly re-scheduled, seriously inconveniencing the Emperor of Japan, as well as the Prime Minister, whose intricate schedules require meticulous planning and coordination.
Japanese weekly magazine Shukan Bunshun cites an unnamed insider at the Foreign Ministry, who delivers a devastating account of not merely a failure to agree, but figurative slaps in the face of the rude president, delivered in retaliation. If true, President Obama has demonstrated high-handed arrogance once again, and antagonized a key ally, weakening a relationship of critical security and economic importance to the United States.
"To tell you the truth, it had to have been the worst US-Japan Summit Meeting in history," a source of ours at the Foreign Ministry revealed to us.
A summary translation of the Japanese-only publication appears on Free Republic, posted by someone with the screen name American in Tokyo. Shukan Bunshun is one of the most prominent magazines in Japan. Although Japanese weeklies tend to be gossipy and not always completely reliable, the corporate parent of Bunshun (as it is familiarly known), Bungeishunju, is a very prestigious publishing company with a track record of exposing serious political scandal. It awards Japan's most important literary honor, the Akutagawa Prize.
It may well be that the magazine's source had some scores to settle within the ministry, for the Japanese side is also criticized for not having its act together. But the late schedule change, forcing the Japanese side to adjust for Obama's convenience, is the sort of slight that tends to anger the Japanese. Here is the meat of Obama's bungle, as reported in the weekly:
The plan was for Obama to arrive in Japan on the November 12th, have his summit meeting with Hatoyama on the 13th, and thereby jet out of Japan the following day, the 14th to Singapore for the APEC Summit meeting. The U.S. journalist also revealed that the Obama administration made the sudden request to change this schedule for Obama to the 13th (arrival in Japan), on November 7th. Said the same U.S. journalist source, "their excuse for the delay was the shooting at Fort Hood, Texas on the U.S. Army base on November 5th. But the fact of the matter is, the memorial service was on the November 10th and only took a day trip for Obama whereupon he returned immediately to Washington, D.C. After that, he had the National Security Council meeting on policy in Afghanistan on November 11th. However, he could have departed Washington, D.C. right after that and could have still landed in Japan as everyone agreed and planned on, for the 12th."
--Additional screw-ups that created a possible conflict with the Emperor's schedule and the entire Cabinet celebrating his 20 years on the throne, can be traced to the Japanese Foreign Ministry. A ruling Democratic Party of Japan spokesperson said "at any rate, with four days in China for Obama, the fact is China is the big thing for them."
--Obama was made to wait five minutes in a car at the entrance way to the Prime Minister's Official Residence, which as seen as not only a diplomatic discourtesy, but a breach of security procedures, and furthermore it would be recalled the Prime Minister and his wife had kept Obama waiting for a long time in Pittsburg at the G-20 dinner as well, says foreign affairs specialist Oyama.
--It may have been felt as a diplomatic slight to get back at the Americans because of the very sudden, troublesome last minute schedule change.
The American media aren't reporting the story, and so far Bunshun is the only Japanese source reporting it, so far as I know.
Either President Obama wants to anger America's traditional allies, as he is doing with the British, or he is simply a self-involved fool who can't imagine others aren't thrilled with everything he does. Considering his botched bow, I am going with the second hypothesis, for the moment. The bow made him appear to be a sophomoric bumpkin.
So far the first nine plus months of the Obama admin has been an unmitigated disaster in every area. Obama is absolutely the most arrogant, disrespectufl, clueless prez ever. Jimmy Carter, you’re not the worst anymore.
Posted by: Serfdumb
Nov 21, 03:56 PM
My thesis - Noone is this stupid, his hate for america makes him do this crap, he’s a one man wrecking ball
A very incomplete history of Obama so called ‘screw ups’
1. Butchers own oath of office, waits to corrrect, or did he?
2. 1st broadcast - Aljezeera lite
3. Glad-hands Chavez, accepts anti-US book
4. Goes on worldwide apology tour, skips Normandy visit
5. Bows to Saudi King
6. Sends Bust of Churchill back to UK
7. Gives Russia a Red Reset Button reading ‘overcharge’ (see 11)
8. Gives UK’s Brown an unusable DVD player
9. Shows sole of shoes for photo-op of talking to Israel P.M.
10. Abruptly has Sotomayor wisked to private room for the swearing in to uphold constitution - in private
11. Rescinds Poland/Czech defense agreement On the Anniversary of Russian Invasion!
12. Backs dictator Zelaya on Honduras, ignoring Honduran Supreme ourt and their Constitution
13. Proposes that 9/11 becomes ‘National Service Day’
14. Decides commenting on Ft. Hood massacre should be the 3rd order of business
15. Tries the fat terrorist bastard ‘mastermind’ of 9/11,
I copied this from a poster comment on American Thinker.
bookmark list
Says police acted “stupidly” in the Gates-gate affair and generally smears Bush at every opportunity. I’m sure there are others, but what he’s done so far has been enough bonehead actions for ten presidents.
THAT IS AWESOME!!!!!!
Kudos for all your off continent reporting for us!
Perhaps the only man who could make Jimmy Carter look competent.
BUMP
Pray for AMerica’s Freedom
First president to skip the "Salute to Heroes" Medal of Honor recipients' ball at his inauguration.
-PJ
Obama tones down National Day of Prayer observance
No white tent observance
Geography lesson to the amateurs in the National Security Council: INDIA is the largest free, multi-party, open media democracy in Asia and in fact the WORLD.
“The bow made him appear to be a sophomoric bumpkin.”
BINGO!
17. Scared the bejeezus out of New Yorkers by buzzing the city with Air Force One repeatedly, stirring memories of the horrors of 9/11.
SHwwwwannnnngggginnnnnnggg! KUDOS TO YOU AIT!!
Looks real good on yah!!!!
Gambate o ku desai!
Ping to article citng Free Republic. And in Japan TOO!
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