Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Barack Obama makes Falklands gaffe by calling Malvinas the Maldives
Telegraph (UK) ^ | 3:50PM BST 16 Apr 2012 | By Jonathan Gilbert in Buenos Aires

Posted on 04/16/2012 5:58:10 PM PDT by DeaconBenjamin

President Obama erred during a speech at the Summit of the Americas in Cartagena, Colombia, when attempting to call the disputed archipelago by its Spanish name.

Instead of saying Malvinas, however, Mr Obama referred to the islands as the Maldives, a group of 26 atolls off that lie off the South coast of India.

Cristina Kirchner, the Argentine president, has renewed her country's sovereignty claim to the Falklands in the build-up to the 30th anniversary of the Argentine invasion of the islands, which triggered the Falklands War, on April 2.

She has accused David Cameron of maintaining a "colonial enclave" in the South Atlantic and taken Argentina's claim to the UN.

Colombian press reported Mrs Kirchner was unhappy that a declaration of support for the Argentine claim to the British-controlled territory was not included in the summit's final document, which went unsigned after the USA and Canada used their vetoes.

Mrs Kirchner, to whom the Mercosur trade-bloc and the Union of South American Nations had previously confirmed their support in the diplomatic dispute over the islands, was seeking further backing from the Americas.

During the summit, she said Cartagena was an ideal place to talk about the Falklands since the wall that surrounds the city's historic centre was built by the Spanish crown to protect it from "English pirates".

Mrs Kirchner also reprimanded Juan Manuel Santos, the Colombian president, for failing to mention the islands in his speech.

Mr Obama maintained the USA's stance of neutrality over the Falklands, saying he wanted to ensure good relations with both Argentina and Britain.

"This is something in which we would not typically intervene," he said, adding that there should be dialogue between the UK and Argentina even though the Coalition refuses to negotiate sovereignty of the Falklands with Mrs Kirchner's government.

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


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Government; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS: 20120402; argentina; cartagena; colombia; cristinakirchner; davidcameron; falklands; falklandswar; gaffes; incompetent; juanmanuelsantos; juansantos; kenyanbornmuzzie; kirchner; maldives; malvinas; mercosur; mercosurtradebloc; obama; obamabloopers; obamagraffes; santos; soa; sockpuppet; sota; summitoftheamericas; unitedkingdom; usan
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-49 next last
To: All

TOTUS (HAL 9000) says, “It’s all according to plan Dave.”


21 posted on 04/16/2012 6:29:46 PM PDT by ak267
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: DeaconBenjamin

Free the Maldives!
Maldavia for the Maldavians!


22 posted on 04/16/2012 6:34:37 PM PDT by tet68 ( " We would not die in that man's company, that fears his fellowship to die with us...." Henry V.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DeaconBenjamin

To quote that great statesman, Bugs Bunny: Whatta Maroon!


23 posted on 04/16/2012 6:35:20 PM PDT by Feckless (I was trained by the US << This Tagline Censored by FR >> ain't that irOnic?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: tanknetter
"Games of military chicken can lead to real shooting wars. Another war over the Falklands will be messier than the first. The fact that the RN could deploy two light carriers with fixed wing fighter and attack aircraft (a capability it’s lacked since getting rid of the Ark Royal and the Harrier GR.9s) and mount a credible threat against the Argentine mainland by demonstrating the ability to hit Stanley using Vulcans based on Ascension Island (the Black Buck raids) helped keep the war contained to the islands.

Another go-round given the current Brit OOB would probably require the RN to actually start popping off Tomahawks from its SSNs against mainland Argentine targets to deliver the “It was a bad idea, a VERY bad idea, to try this again” message. And the Brits would have to do that knowing full well that they’d have to wait for the next GOP administration before they could replenish their Tomahawk stocks ..."

"RN" "GR 9s" "OOB" "SSN's" "GOP"

Decent points in your post, mind you, but if there's an award given for "Most Use of Abbreviations in a Post", you win......hands down. :)

24 posted on 04/16/2012 6:39:08 PM PDT by RightOnline (I am Andrew Breitbart!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]

To: tanknetter

I was in Argentina a few weeks ago and there were no free Malvinas posters.

I believe Obama is trying to stir up problems in South America so as to deflect from his incompetency here in America.

I was in Argentina in 2008 and 2009 and there were many Malvinas posters then.


25 posted on 04/16/2012 6:39:20 PM PDT by Presbyterian Reporter
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]

To: DeaconBenjamin

Amazing how often he makes a gaffe, and disturbing how MSM covers for him. There must be enough for a humor book.


26 posted on 04/16/2012 6:47:46 PM PDT by Dante3
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DeaconBenjamin
In my best Winston Churchill voice:

Argentina. A nation run by former Nazis and their Italian lackeys.

27 posted on 04/16/2012 6:53:34 PM PDT by reg45 (Barack 0bama: Implementing class warfare by having no class!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Don Corleone

It makes no sense to me that he is viewed as intelligent. He can’t spell the word Syracuse, he can’t pronounce the word corpsman, he misuses the word enormity, he has poor grammar (Michelle and I) and he can’t even hold his wine glass correctly.

I won’t even get into the embarrassment of a first lady who is unable to dress appropriately for any occasion.


28 posted on 04/16/2012 6:54:38 PM PDT by ladyjane
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: DeaconBenjamin

Next time that he tries to speak on the topic, it will be Moldovia. What a friggin arrogant dumbass.


29 posted on 04/16/2012 6:59:07 PM PDT by festusbanjo (Planning my escape regardless of which party is in charge.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ladyjane

Last year he gave a speech in Hawaii and said it was good to be in Asia. Maybe they didn’t teach geography in Indonesia.


30 posted on 04/16/2012 7:02:06 PM PDT by shelterguy
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 28 | View Replies]

To: Eva
I know that Obama means, survival of the fittest, but survival of the fittest wasn’t Darwin’s theory, it was Herbert Spencer’s theory

Also a century after the founding if the United States. It's like claiming Moses was a Mohammeden.

31 posted on 04/16/2012 7:08:40 PM PDT by Oztrich Boy (This world is a comedy to those that think, a tragedy to those that feel - Horace Walpole)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: ladyjane
Lacks gravitas

32 posted on 04/16/2012 7:21:59 PM PDT by Oztrich Boy (This world is a comedy to those that think, a tragedy to those that feel - Horace Walpole)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 28 | View Replies]

To: RightOnline
"RN" "GR 9s" "OOB" "SSN's" "GOP"

Decent points in your post, mind you, but if there's an award given for "Most Use of Abbreviations in a Post", you win......hands down. :)


This is FR (Free Republic); it has an educated lurker and participantship. IMHO (In My Humble Opinion), if I want to use acronyms to talk about the Royal Navy, the Harrier Ground-attack and Recce version #9, Order(s) Of Battle, Nuclear-powered Attack Submarines (ok, that's not an exact acronym, but I digress) or the Grand Old Party (that would be the Republicans - which I know can be a dirty word around here) people should be able to go look them up.

I mean, if I wanted to dumb-down my postings by spelling everything out so a 3rd grader would understand, I'd just go over to DU (that would be Democrat Underground) ...



(JOKING!)
33 posted on 04/16/2012 7:33:17 PM PDT by tanknetter
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: DeaconBenjamin

maybe he mistracked conversations with aides.

he remembered “Maldives” from another briefing, so what is happening in the Maldives that we should know about?


34 posted on 04/16/2012 8:00:39 PM PDT by RitchieAprile
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DeaconBenjamin

Check out the commments at the Telegraph link. Brutal on Obama. Sounds like FR.


35 posted on 04/16/2012 8:22:56 PM PDT by far sider
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DeaconBenjamin

And they are NOT the Malvinas they are properly called the Falklands....


36 posted on 04/16/2012 8:36:21 PM PDT by Nifster
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

Whatshisname couldn’t be a bigger jerk, even if he tried harder.


37 posted on 04/16/2012 8:41:28 PM PDT by Jenny217
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 35 | View Replies]

To: DeaconBenjamin
This would only be an issue if a Republican said it.

Nowadays, Republicans are given credit for things people that impersonate them have said. Tina Fey, where are you?

38 posted on 04/16/2012 8:53:04 PM PDT by Kickass Conservative (A day without Obama is like a day without a Tsunami.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: reg45
Argentina. A nation run by former Nazis and their Italian lackeys.

Obama thinks they speak Austrian in Argentina.

39 posted on 04/16/2012 10:17:49 PM PDT by seowulf ("If you write a whole line of zeroes, it's still---nothing"...Kira Alexandrovna Argounova)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]

To: DeaconBenjamin

Argentina has absolutely no claim to the Falklands. They have always been British - even before there was an Argentina. A war was fought over this and Argentina lost. That’s the end of the story. This is nothing but a false history being presented to the people of Argentina by their government to stir up domestic support for the government that it doesn’t deserve.


40 posted on 04/16/2012 10:34:01 PM PDT by Republican Wildcat
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-49 next last

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.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson