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.
“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
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.