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Barack Obama rejects Normandy trip to avoid offending Germany
Telegraph.co.uk ^ | April 2, 2009 | Toby Harnden, US Editor, and Henry Samuel in Paris

Posted on 04/06/2009 4:20:18 PM PDT by CitizenM

Barack Obama, concerned about offending Britain and Germany, rebuffed strenuous attempts by President Nicolas Sarkozy of France to persuade the new American president to make a trip to Normandy this week.

White House officials travelled to France at the start of March to discuss a visit by Mr Obama to Omaha Beach, the site of the American Cemetery, established in 1944 just after D-Day and where 9,387 American personnel are buried. Among them is Theodore Roosevelt Jr the eldest son of the 26th US President.

French officials and senior American military officers walked with White House staff through the cemetery discussing how the two presidents might follow the same route. But even before their trip, the White House had decided that Mr Obama would not travel there this week.

"It wasn't going to happen," said an American official in Washington. "We went through the motions to placate President Sarkozy but giving special treatment to France was not on our agenda.

"During this trip, we wanted to maintain a balance between the British, German and France". A White House spokesman in London declined to comment. Last month, White House officials briefed that a Normandy visit had been considered but it had not been logistically possible.

Mr Sarkozy is said by French officials to be piqued that Gordon Brown became the first European leader to meet Mr Obama and was then lavished with praise by him at a 50-minute joint press conference in London on Wednesday.

----snip----

According to French reports, Mr Obama was to visit the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial at Colleville-sur-mer, just north of Omaha Beach. The pair were apparently to have dined at the nearby chateau de Bénouville in Caen.

The White House rejected the offer....(see rest of story)

(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Extended News; Foreign Affairs; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: antiamericanism; antimilitary; disgrace; military; normandy; obama; obamagaffes; veterans
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To: Tax-chick

LOL!


81 posted on 04/06/2009 5:22:17 PM PDT by MS.BEHAVIN (Women who behave rarely make history)
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To: CitizenM

Get this POS American hater out of OUR White House. Have you had enough yet????? Is his agenda not clear enough yet?????


82 posted on 04/06/2009 5:24:02 PM PDT by mojitojoe ( Idiots elected a Marxist ideologue with narcissistic personality disorder & America is dying.)
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To: cubreporter; CitizenM
My father participated in D-Day also. He flew bombing missions over Normandy Beach. IIRC, 75% of these men lost their lives (daytime missions as opposed to night like the British, etc). If being reported accurately, this is just so sad and disappointing on so many levels.

For comparison purposes, I had a very interesting conversation some time ago, with Sen. George McGovern (as everyone knows, a Democrat) regarding his memories of WW-II - he talked about a good friend that he lost and still thought about 50+ years later like it was still YESTERDAY. It was extremely touching and totally sincere. Sen. McGovern really is a great American.(I "classify" myself as a conservative , Repub, btw)

83 posted on 04/06/2009 5:24:31 PM PDT by khnyny ("The demagogue is one who preaches doctrines he knows to be untrue to men he knows to be idiots.")
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To: Right_in_Virginia
Isn't that where Clinton's staff put some rocks on the beach where walked on the beach alone looking pensive, so that Clinton could put them in the shape of a cross?

Except I'd be worried that Uhh-bama would put the rocks in the shape of a Crescent, or a Hammer-and-Sickle.

84 posted on 04/06/2009 5:26:27 PM PDT by MuttTheHoople
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To: CitizenM
Even for a totally incompetent person like Obama this cannot be true, is it? Please tell me that this is a joke.
85 posted on 04/06/2009 5:27:59 PM PDT by jveritas (God Bless our brave troops)
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To: jveritas

I thought this was from Onion but no the POTUS is a narcissis fool....the silver lining if FR is an indication, this pos-er is a one termer at most!


86 posted on 04/06/2009 5:31:23 PM PDT by iopscusa (El Vaquero. (SC Lowcountry Cowboy))
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To: iopscusa
I guess he figured that the cross of stones couldn't be done again.

Of course he could make a crescent out of the stones on the beaches of Normandy.

87 posted on 04/06/2009 5:33:52 PM PDT by mware (F-R-E-E, that spells free. Free Republic.com baby.)
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To: lonevoice
Starting with his no-show at the Hero's Ball on Inauguration day, this clown has been trampling on the dignity of our vets and active duty forces. There are 11 living veterans in my family going back to Okinawa, Korea, Gulf of Tonkin right up to Iraq. We are all doing a slow burn over this clown. Our July 4th party will be very “spirited” this year.
88 posted on 04/06/2009 5:34:04 PM PDT by libertymaker
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To: CitizenM
White House officials travelled to France at the start of March to discuss a visit by Mr Obama to Omaha Beach, the site of the American Cemetery, established in 1944 just after D-Day and where 9,387 American personnel are buried. Among them is Theodore Roosevelt Jr the eldest son of the 26th US President.

French officials and senior American military officers walked with White House staff through the cemetery discussing how the two presidents might follow the same route. But even before their trip, the White House had decided that Mr Obama would not travel there this week.

"It wasn't going to happen," said an American official in Washington. "We went through the motions to placate President Sarkozy

Memo to all governments: The Obama regime cannot be trusted in negotiations.
89 posted on 04/06/2009 5:35:17 PM PDT by Oztrich Boy ( As for a future life, every man must judge for himself between conflicting vague probabilities. - D)
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To: jveritas

I really thought this was a joke.

I guess the second most unbelievable aspect of this behavior by zero is that he does not care what 45% of Americans think.

The most unbelievable aspect is that half of the body politic thinks (I means feels) that this is A-OK.

What has happened to our country?

I am so sad for my children. I had it so great for so long and didn’t even know it.


90 posted on 04/06/2009 5:39:25 PM PDT by BIV (typical white person)
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To: mware
A flash back to when we had a real president.

President Ronald Reagans Speech at Point-du-Hoc, Normandy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBeyZAmmJNg&feature=related

91 posted on 04/06/2009 5:39:55 PM PDT by mware (F-R-E-E, that spells free. Free Republic.com baby.)
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To: mware

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBeyZAmmJNg&feature=related


92 posted on 04/06/2009 5:40:25 PM PDT by mware (F-R-E-E, that spells free. Free Republic.com baby.)
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To: Tax-chick

Obama in those honored resting places of our American heros would be desecrating them.


93 posted on 04/06/2009 5:43:19 PM PDT by patriot08
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To: patriot08

Exactly - the perfect, concise statement.


94 posted on 04/06/2009 5:44:32 PM PDT by Tax-chick ("Never offend people with style when you can offend them with substance." ~Sam Brown)
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To: All

MY GOD, how in the name of everything holy could people in this country have been so f-ing stupid to elect this POS.


95 posted on 04/06/2009 5:45:37 PM PDT by Marathoner (The dream: 1-20-2013, hearing "I, Sarah Heath Palin, do solemnly swear...")
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To: TYVets
How many Kenyans came ashore at Normandy?

Not as many as there were of the good old American GI's.

If I ever get to France that's the first place I'm going.

My daughter even brought me back some sand from Omaha Beach. I treasure that very much.

96 posted on 04/06/2009 5:45:44 PM PDT by Northern Yankee (Freedom Needs A Soldier)
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To: All

Obama doesn’t deserve to be in the same graveyard as the WW2 dead, or on Omaha Beach. Saves us having to listen to him read mealymouthed, hypocritical platitudes while Michelle stands around, splaylegged, dressed in the hotel bedspread.
_________________________________-

Bravo.
Priceless


97 posted on 04/06/2009 5:46:00 PM PDT by patriot08
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To: CitizenM

The Germans can handle the truth. They know we kicked their ass, making the world a better place. If Zero was president during Hitler’s rule, he probably would have tried to find “common ground” with the Nazis.


98 posted on 04/06/2009 5:46:39 PM PDT by Redgirl (Quick, someone change the locks!)
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To: Tax-chick

Thats beautiful! Well said Madam!


99 posted on 04/06/2009 5:49:28 PM PDT by libs_kma (F.U.B.O.)
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To: Northern Yankee; TYVets
How many Kenyans came ashore at Normandy?

Probably a few British Kenyan settlers wound up, by 1945, in units assaulting Europe. Many more colonial units - white, black, Indian, and others - fought in the Middle East and North African theaters, and in the Pacific with ANZAC troops.

(/WW2 trivia ... I'm reading biographies of British generals currently ;-)

100 posted on 04/06/2009 5:51:30 PM PDT by Tax-chick ("Never offend people with style when you can offend them with substance." ~Sam Brown)
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