Posted on 11/15/2010 7:09:05 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach
Coming off a marathon Asia trip where Obama often found himself rebuffed by fellow world leaders, he will head to Europe this week where the agenda will be clouded by a growing divide over economic strategy and a sense of neglect among traditional U.S. allies.
His challenge is to reassure European partners that, despite political weakness at home and embarrassing setbacks abroad, he remains committed to better cooperation on issues ranging from the war in Afghanistan to the fight against trade protectionism.
But it will not be easy for Obama, whose Democratic Party suffered heavy losses in this month's congressional elections, to dispel the impression that his stature has been diminished on the world stage. He will attend back-to-back NATO and European Union summits in Lisbon on Friday and Saturday.
"The tricky thing for Obama is to show the Europeans not only that he's still important to them but that they're still important to the U.S.," said Sally McNamara, a European affairs expert at the conservative Heritage Foundation in Washington.
Accustomed to being at the center of U.S. foreign policy, Europe may be feeling jilted.
Despite the European love affair with Obama when he was elected two years ago, he has let transatlantic ties slip down his priorities list while focusing on rising Asian powers like China and India and domestic concerns such as high unemployment and an anemic economy.
It will not be lost on his European hosts that Obama, who visited Europe six times in his first year, is dashing to Lisbon for little more than 24 hours on the ground after conducting a 10-day four-country tour of Asia.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
Hes not going to let his perks go to waste.
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BINGO! They will have to tear him away from AF!. I don’t think he will ever give it up willingly. That must be where he and iReggie get their alone time.
This EPIC FAIL president, nobama, must have quite a “carbon footprint”. Aren’t any of the usual-suspect eco-nut “nonprofits” complaining? How many crummy polar bear cubs did his travel kill today!?
- Barack, why don’t we just forget the “Pig-in-a-Poke” itinerary, and just play it by ear, like normal people?
- Honey, we’re not normal people. We’re the Obamas.
(but that is because polar bears are white racists..)
Except they already think he sucks.
I don’t think he can stay around DC. I think he is in melt down mode and they are doing everything they can to keep it from happening. Escaping on his favorite thing in the entire world, AF1 is what he does to escape reality... and have some private time with IReggie.
Is Wookie going? She would love to shop, but she might have to face Mrs. Sarkozy and that wouldn’t be fun.
Excerpt from the article:
The EU summit was originally scheduled for May in Madrid, but it was called off after Obama decided not to go. U.S. officials said it would have been little more than a photo-op.
Then the euro zone debt crisis erupted, with the near-collapse of Greece’s sovereign debt market and a spillover effect on U.S. financial markets and the economy.
That sent officials scrambling to reschedule the summit, which now is sure to discuss Ireland’s emerging debt woes.
Obama said last week at the G20 that he had developed “genuine friendship” with some foreign leaders, including Merkel. But European diplomats demurred, saying he had mostly forged working relationships, not close personal bonds.
Born in Hawaii and raised partly in Indonesia, Obama — who lacks the instinctive European focus of his predecessors — has declared he wants to be America’s first “Pacific president.” Europeans may be wondering where that leaves the Atlantic.
Traveling again? I wonder how many billion he’s going to drop this time!
The EU summit was originally scheduled for May in Madrid, but it was called off after Obama decided not to go. U.S. officials said it would have been little more than a photo-op.
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last time I checked, thats the only thing he will show up for.
I think you are right...
Oh please...... don’t be fooled by those 2 photos taken a long time ago:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2590512/posts
Indeed and lots has happened since those early photos were taken.
It’s normal for lame duck presidents to be usurping, lying, bisexual, (former?)cocaine using mental cases?
Do tell.
Is whats-her-face going too?
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