CNN's Fareed Zakaria: Obama 'Failing' as Leader of Free World

NewsBusters.org ^ | 4/3/2009 | Matthew Balan

[Pyro7480]

In an interview on CNN.com on Friday titled “Zakaria: Obama disappoints as world leader,” author and CNN anchor Fareed Zakaria threw cold water on the media’s laudatory coverage of President Obama’s trip to Europe: “Although he brought a lot of star power -- the talk of the week -- at least in certain circles in Washington, New York and London -- has been that President Obama is failing in his role as leader of the free world.” He cited a columnist overseas to support his opinion, something that hasn’t really been done in the media’s coverage of the trip. Zakaria also plugged the central thesis of his book, “The Post-American World” -- that the “rest of the world is rising to meet the United States’ position -- economically, politically and culturally.”

The unnamed correspondent who interviewed Zakaria began by asking what the anchor/author thought about the president’s trip. After dropping the “failing” word, he cited a recent column by British columnist Jonathan Freedland in The Guardian, that “President Obama looks neither like JFK nor FDR but rather JEC -- that’s James Earl Carter -- better known here as Jimmy Carter.” The interviewer countered, “But it appears everyone is fawning over him.” Zakaria answered, “President Obama has encountered a Europe that is more resistant to his policy proposals. The French and Germans have their own proposals. The Chinese and Russians have come with their own demands. And everyone expects him to apologize for having caused this mess in the first place.”

[Pyro7480]

No one's in the MSM is going to make a big deal out of Fareed's thought.

[GreatDaggar]

wasn’t this the guy that said Obama had highly nuanced, intelligent and sophisticated foreign policy views prior the election?

wasn’t he also the one who said that middle eastern terrorism should just be accepted as a way of life?

[Eddings]

Fareed Zakaria is a member of the MSM. He writes for TIME.

I’m actually really surprised by this.

[lewisglad]

the bloom is coming off the MSM rose!

[alecqss]

“President Obama looks neither like JFK nor FDR but rather JEC -- that’s James Earl Carter -- better known here as Jimmy Carter.”

I think he is way worse. Today Politico reported that he told Bank CEOs - "My administration is the only thing between you and the pitchforks."

Not that his administration wouldn't engineer "the pitchforks" when needed, but for now he is a petty blackmailer.

[Califreak]

He also wrote “The Post American World”.

Maybe Obama will throw that book away now instead of reading it again.

[carcraft]

I wonder just how much of what Obama gave away at the summit trying to be loved and to get his ego stroked?

[Veto!]

Don’t underestimate Zacharia’s influence. He’s a smart and apparently centrist guy often seen on the Sunday morning talkies and in other places too—editor for Newsweek International, a CNN analyst, etc etc. There’s a picture floating around FR of al’0bama walking around with his latest book, The Post-American World.

If Zacharia is dissing BoyBarak, look for the circle of weewee to widen.

Zacharia is a muslim born in India, a naturalized US citizen, and was a Reagan supporter. look him up at wikipedia.

[lewisglad]

Fareed is full blooded Council on Foreign Relations and MSM hypeman, is this a signal that the drive bys will slowly turn on Bambi?

[KansasGirl]

“And everyone expects him to apologize for having caused this mess in the first place.”

And Obama is more than happy to oblige. Not to mention, his grovelling at the feet of the Saudi king.

[dr_who]

Fareed taught precisely how to fail.

[dr_who]

In other words, he’s like one of those Somali pirates.

[Diogenesis]

[manc]

still waiting for them to mention the bow to the saudi king and the letter he sent to France addressed to Chirac amongst other things.

question

Could you tell me please as to why the president felt the need to bow to the king and yet he felt not to do this with any other leader?

I could think of many more questions too

though one thing keeps nagging at me here .
We known the media is biased, of course we do, sure do don’t we but saying they have class and that his wife is stylish is going a bit far.
She put the buttons in the wrong holes, her sense of dress is that of curtains and she certainly cannot carry her self. One only has to look at what she wears to see she is not stylish nor sexy.

The saying goes
a picture is a thousand words then look at the pictures of his wife and anyone tell me she really is stylish

NO WAY

Still maybe this is a start that the tide is turning and that people are waking up from the cult of obama.

Yes he is a great reader of someone else speeches, but he is a blabbering fool when he does not have one and he certainly does not seem to bright on this trip or even before this trip.

OK all those elected tell lies and avoid questions which are hard but has anyone noticed when obama is asked on anything he goes into campaign mode and refers to climate change, ozone, pollution and saving on green houses gases.
It is lie he is a robot with only a few things he knows what to say

sorry for the long rant

[LS]

Me too. I do think that a LOT of these people are saying “Oh s#$t!”

[brownsfan]

“the bloom is coming off the MSM rose!”

NEVER!!!!

There will be minor, isolated defections. They will be mocked, and marginalized.

[exist]

We shoulda nuked the whole rest of the world while he had the chance.

[Winstons Julia]

That’s because he has no intention of leading a “free” world.