- President Obama snubbed the PM of our best ally, canceling a joint presser because of "snow." Which ended Monday at noon and was no issue yesterday. (In a way I don't mind. Gordon Brown was here to address Congress and bestow a knighthood on Ted Kennedy. Egad: snub away.) Update: The Obamas were plain rude to the Browns. Iain Martin blogs at The Telegraph
Obama's merely warmish words (one of our closest allies, said with little sincerity or passion) left a bitter taste with this Atlanticist. Especially after his team had made Number 10 beg for a mini press conference and then not even offered the PM lunch.
We get the point, sunshine: we're just one of many allies and you want fancy new friends. Well, the next time you need something doing, something which impinges on your national security, then try calling the French, or the Japanese, or best of all the Germans. The French will be able to offer you first rate support from their catering corps but beyond that you'll be on your own.
When it comes to men, munitions and commitment you'll soon find out why it pays to at least treat the Brits with some manners.
Quite. I'm ashamed of how my President treated you, Friend Britain, even if Brown did come here only to use Obama's image for his own purposes. You help a brother out, you know? One Lefty to another?
- In a single act of unprecedented incompetence and naivete, President Obama weakened us in the eyes of Iran, shamed us before Russia and betrayed two allies, Poland & the Czech Republic. He sent a "secret" letter to President Medvedev offering to "compromise" on missile defense if the Russkies would pretty-please help us with Iran. (Yeah, right.) In spite of the Formerly Gray Lady's happy-talk headline, the Russians dismissed us in contempt and exposed our shame. Krauthammer explains:
This is smart diplomacy? This is a debacle. The Russians dismissed it contemptuously.
Look, if we could get the Iranian nuclear program stopped with Russian's helping us in return for selling out the Poles and the Czechs on missile defense, I'm enough of a cynic and a realist to say we would do it the same way that Kissinger agreed to delegitimize and de-recognize Taiwan in return for a large strategic opening with China.
But Kissinger had it done. He had it wired. What happened here is it was leaked. The Russians have dismissed it. We end up being humiliated. We look weak in front of the Iranians, and we have left the Poles and Czechs out to dry in return for nothing.
(Poor babies. I don't recall any similar sympathy for judicial nominees who couldn't get a straight up or down vote. And you'll forgive me if I'm not impressed with a vetting process that lets through a bunch of tax cheats and thinks the head of our National Intelligence Council should be a Saudi stooge who thinks the Chinese weren't tough enough on the protesters at Tianamen Square. That story also not front page news for some reason.)
Update: Brett McS left this in comments.
