Feeling The Euro Love
Obama woos Europe, tells Europe what it has been longing to hear. AP:
STRASBOURG, France (AP) — Welcomed with thunderous cheers, President Barack Obama pledged on Friday to work repair damaged relations with Europe, saying the world came together following the 2001 terrorist attacks but then “we got sidetracked by Iraq.”
…
Speaking before a French and German audience at a town-hall style gathering, Obama encouraged skeptical Europe to support his retooled strategy for rooting out terrorism suspects in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
“We got sidetracked by Iraq and we have not fully recovered that initial insight that we have a mutual interest in ensuring that organizations like al-Qaida cannot operate,” he said. “I think it is important for Europe to understand that even though I am president and George Bush is not president, al-Qaida is still a threat.”
Europe responds. Times of London:
Barack Obama made an impassioned plea to America’s allies to send more troops to Afghanistan, warning that failure to do so would leave Europe vulnerable to more terrorist atrocities.
But though he continued to dazzle Europeans on his debut international tour, the Continent’s leaders turned their backs on the US President.
Gordon Brown was the only one to offer substantial help. He offered to send several hundred extra British soldiers to provide security during the August election, but even that fell short of the thousands of combat troops that the US was hoping to prise from the Prime Minister.
Hey, remember Old Europe? That one actually coughed up tens of thousands of troops. For Bush. Parts of it, anyway.
Maybe a little more backbone, a little less bowing and scraping. That and some manners … oh yeah, and stop writing so many sappy letters that end up being passed around in class. Maybe try being … I dunno … presidential. Sure, the Euros love to be dazzled. Doesn’t mean they don’t need to be lead around by the nose.
Meanwhile, some friendly fire from the UK Guardian. OK, it’s kind of unfriendly.
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Topics: Afghanistan, Europe, Obama
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 8:11 am Comments (5) on Saturday, April 4, 2009
5 Responses to “Feeling The Euro Love”
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April 4th, 2009 at 8:41 am
The politicians may be leftish, but they are not stupid.
April 4th, 2009 at 8:53 am
“Sidetracked.”
Words fail.
April 4th, 2009 at 11:15 am
[...] a cybersecurity measure, to keep us safe. But the GWOT’s over, and the world likes us better, so it isn’t clear what he needs this for. To save the bankers from all the peasants with the [...]
April 4th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
My thoughts exactly, sarah rolph. Everything that comes out of that man’s mouth anymore simply infuriates me, and I honestly thought by this time I’d be giving him at least some grudging respect. I’ve always had a few bones to pick with every president since Kennedy, when I discovered politics, but I have never, ever despised one so thoroughly (not even Jimmy Carter).
April 4th, 2009 at 4:53 pm
When can we get a “do-over” of this past election? Do we really have to wait until 2012?
Sigh…..