Is there nothing that Obama can't apologize for?
"Too often, the United States has not pursued and sustained engagement with our neighbors," he said. "We have been too easily distracted by other priorities and failed to see that our own progress is tied directly to progress through the Americas."
Having never set foot south of our border nor paid much attention to the region until this week, he should speak for himself.
A critical goal of the Summit of the Americas when it was founded in 1994 by President Clinton and other democratic leaders was a great free trade zone of the Americas, enabling America and its neighbors to move from Barrow, Alaska, all the way to Tierra del Fuego, Chile, in a great free exchange of people, trade and ideas.
Today, Obama is paying only lip service to that trade goal while two finished free-trade treaties with friendly American allies Panama and Colombia sit in his desk drawer, unvoted-on in Congress.
He speaks of the U.S. being "distracted by other priorities" but in reality he's only "distracted" by listening to Big Labor, which has tried to shut Colombia and Panama out of free trade.
In the same way, he's distracted by the Farm Lobby's campaign cash and won't think of ending the senseless tariffs on Brazil's ethanol — another major free-trade, and energy policy, issue.
He has yet to expend political capital to muscle Congress to put those tariffs and treaties to a vote. If he did, he would show leadership. It's not going unnoticed by democratic leaders of our hemisphere, who, from Brazil to Chile to Mexico to Peru, are urging him to take action. This is the one issue he should be showing strong leadership on. But he isn't.
Canada, by contrast, is taking the lead. Prime Minister Stephen Harper said his top priority at the Summit is to champion free trade, in line with the will of the region's real democracies.
It's become clearer with each speech he gives. The message has no substance, no policy, no details, the only message is, "USA has been bad, now pwease, pwetty pwease, like ME!"
Kate, note that the link has been archived.
Use this link to get to the article that puts our PM in a good light, and Obama, not so much:
http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=324863352475181
Obama is not a leader of the USA, not a champion of the American democracy and economy. He has no respect or love for either.
Remember, his 20 years of listening to the Rev. Wright's anti-Americanism without his saying a word of protest suggests that he agrees with such antipathy.
Obama is psychologically incapable of any emotional or intellectual commitment to anyone or anything other than himself. His European trip had one agenda - to separate Himself from America, because America has been disliked in Europe, and thus, promote himself as Someone To Love.
Economically and politically, Obama achieved zero, nothing, in Europe. He failed to achieve more economic stimulus, he failed to achieve more military help in Afghanistan.
And his apologizing for America, rather than acknowledging its generations of sacrifice in the warfields of Europe and its billions in aid money; his denigration of American human rights and other accomplishments; and his insults to European leaders - set up a power-gap that other countries, primarily Russia, have eagerly rushed in to fill.
His statements of moral equivalence between the US and such dictatorships as Iran and N. Korea has led directly to the result where both now claim their 'right' to nuclear weapons, where N. Korea says that any sanctions against it for such a development will be considered an 'act of war', and where Iran has made it clear that it will achieve not only the nuclear bomb but that 'no-one dares to threaten' them and obviously threatens the stability of the ME with its imperialist ambitions.
His similar behaviour in Latin/Central America, where he again, denigrated the USA, apologized for its behaviour, and equated democracy with dictatorships will have similar results - where dictatorships and brute force are given a 'green light' to act with impunity.
As for free trade - his alliance with unions, has led him to violate the Free Trade Act with Mexico, resulting in Mexico putting on high tariffs against American goods to Mexico. This damages the economy.
As for his 'stimulus package' which is primarily pork rather than infrastructure and, which was a barn dance for the Democrats, it has financially crippled the future of America.
His NewSpeak redefinition of the War on Terror to 'man-caused disasters' removes all intentionality to harm and suggests that whatever disasters occur, happen purely by accident. He has thus 'removed' al Qaeda and Islamic fascism from the world.
His DHS document, which he allowed to be made public, rejects the right of Americans to question, debate and dissent his policies. Question immigration, abortion, etc - and you are defined as a 'right wing extremeist prone to violence'.
He has said nothing, absolutely nothing, about the Tea Party protests against his enormous expansion of government intrusion into all areas of American life, and his trillion dollar deficits. Instead of openly asserting, even if he did not agree with their opinions, the right of Americans to disagree - he said nothing. Instead, he allowed his MSM acolytes, CNN and MSNBC to attack, denigrate, mock, and belittle these rallies.
Rather than take leadership over the public anger at the bonuses of AIG, which were legal, which were approved by his own administration, he took the populist role, and went on national TV, asserting his 'outrage' at these bonuses, his 'anger' at the wealthy people.... Obama was therefore directluy responsible for creating a lynch mob hysteria and death threats against these executives. But, those bonuses were not only legal, they were written up and approved by his administration!
I predict that Obama's inability and unwillingness to act on behalf of America and the American people, and his narcissistic need to control others - will result in a rapid rise in thug-style behaviour from dictatorship nations around the world, and from the left in America. Obama will set up class against class, 'race' against 'race....
Excellent assessement of what we're having to contend with. I can only hope Canada's papers are actually printing some truth -- American MSM is not. We are having to obtain our 'news' from around the world - piecing it together. Obama is wanting to slience any opposition to his policies. With an utter disregard for the U.S. Constitution, he's trying to subvert states rights using propaganda strategies reminiscent to Nazi Germany -- and if this isn't freakish enough, he's attempting to create his own "brown shirts" security force which he's said to equale in size, strengh and capacity of our combined armed forces. Why? Well, after his latest DHS 'memo' outlining patriotic Americans as "potentially dangerous extremists" it's understandable he'd be a little more than 'paranoid'. After humilating Americans on the world's stage, and doing nothing -- nothing whatsoever to protect this country or anywhere else from true 'terror', yet doing everything possible to destroy perhaps the greatest nation ever -- of course, he's going feel the need for a HUGE personal 'security force'. The very idea (thought) to include military veterans returning home from WAR as a "possible threat" in America is more than despicable -- it is criminal.
I'd like to direct you to some interesting reading: articles by Lynn Stuter -- google her name and have a read - Canada.
Know that the American patriot is not going to take this destruction lying down. Even though our SOFT "representatives" are.
Followup by Canadian MSM via National Newswatch.
NNW: Stuck on stupid.
NNW's lead "story" is :
"Tories: MacKay-Mulroney chat OK
Brief conversation didn’t break Harper directive, party says.."
Here is the BDS/HDS: the attempted linkage.
"Added Victor Baez, the Paraguay-born secretary general of the Trade Union Confederation of the Americas: “We see the foreign policy of Canada very similar to that of the Bush administration.”"
...-
"Harper’s 'Third Way' under attack at Summit of Americas
Mike Blanchfield , Canwest News Service
urlm.in/ccvo
Salbuchi - Obama: Things Are Not Always What They Seem - Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwkM4Ey4ph0
Salbuchi - Obama: Things Are Not Always What They Seem - Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYXCA2AvHGQ
*
meanwhile... over at "foreign affairs"...
that whole "forgiving Bill" thing
is suddenly becoming a lot clearer...
*
Note that Harper is acting as the PM of Canada - and doing what is best for Canada. He's focusing on free trade, arguing against protectionism.
Harper has been busy in the past weeks, as noted by FOX news, signing free trade deals with Costa Rica and Chile, and he has been arranging free trade treaties with Colombia and Peru.
Obama? He's set up a trade war with Mexico, aligning himself with the US Trucker's union to forbid Mexican trucks on US roads - they were allowed before. Mexico retaliated by setting up 2.4 billion (that's billion) in tariffs against US goods. That's during a recession.
As for other countries? Obama hasn't developed any free trade agrements.
What's he going? Allowing family members to go to Cuba and send money there, and shaking hands with Chavez. But - what about the economy?
As Harper noted, in his FOX interview, this summit ought to focus on trade issues, not the US-Cuban relations.
Oh - and notice that this was on FOX News. Our own Canadian MSM has utterly, totally, ignored Harper.
The Toronto Star? Headline on "Ignatieff shaping his brand: the passionate Canadian". yuck.
And "Obama extends hand at Summit of the Americas'.
Anything on Harper? Not a word.
Globe and Mail? Obama and Chavez. Oh, and they did refer to Harper and his focus on trade. But prefaced this 'dull talk' to say that Harper had had to wait in his plane on the tarmac for some time, so that Obama could land first and be welcomed first.
So, here we have a PM focused on the good of his country - and our MSM ignores what he is doing.
Barack is just the lead actor in a global play.
"Note that Harper is acting as the PM of Canada - and doing what is best for Canada"
That's his job.
Canadians aren't always so cute, cuddly and milquetoast when push comes to shove. Or so I like to think. Go JTF2!
Thanks for those very informative links Shawn. I don't know where that stranger in America, signing bills to plunge the people of America into ruin, hails from...apparently the Owe himself does not know since he has no valid birth certificate!!
Our Prime Minister is focused on the recuperation of the economy and the prosperity of Canada. Fox news always reports Canadian news...Canada's MSM always weaves webs of lies for the Liberano/Dipper thugs because they get better booze and food at the Liberano 'dos' when the Liberano's have the keys to the piggy bank housing Canadian tax money. The msm people like to party on our dollar so they support the beer and popcorn groupies.
The more astute people in Canada get their Canadian news right here at SDA.
ET - I agree with your appraisal of the new American President's actions at this America's summit. Horrifing.
Update from the Dinosaur TO/MSM/Globe-Mail:
O is a statesman, aka "pithy"; Harper is a predator wolf.
...-
O had a "pithy oration."
"The Prime Minsiter's free-trade refrain has made him appear a bit of a lone wolf at this summit".
urlm.in/ccyv
Harper has to be the best PM international wise we ever had. A clear voice amid the socialist fog.
Good for PMSH especially if he's the only one preaching free trade at the Summit.
It is always better to be RIGHT than to be a Crooked Party Liberal.
What would McCallum/Iggy be saying if he was at the Summit?
'I'm against free trade 'cause all you guys are'.
CTV story:
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090418/summit_americas_090418/20090418?hub=TopStories
Excerpt:
Prime Minister Stephen Harper is pushing for greater regional co-operation and better hemispheric trade relations at the Summit of the Americas, pledging $4 billion in loan guarantees for Latin American countries.
...Harper said on Saturday that loans to the Inter-American Development Bank will help nations in the region get access to credit and build their economies.
"Canada is taking the lead when it comes to ensuring that countries continue to trade during a time of economic contraction," said Harper in a statement. "This has not been done before and is a very significant contribution."
What would MacCallum be saying if he was at the summit?
FILL 'ER UP!!
I'm talking about his glass and not his Chevy.
The Book Club, aka El Y Librio Communismus. Si.
Send O your tips to the bestsellers in English in Canada.
Number 1: Ezra Levant's "Shakedown".
"A Canadian journalist asked Obama he had gotten any tips from Canada during the one-on-one with Harper. Obama was brief: "I always take tips from Canada."
"President Barack Obama's advisers cited a long reading list and the fact he doesn't read Spanish as reasons the U.S. leader might not read the book Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez gave him."
...-
"WHITE HOUSE NOTEBOOK: Obama may not read book gift
PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (AP) — Blame it on an overcrowded presidential nightstand.
President Barack Obama's advisers cited a long reading list and the fact he doesn't read Spanish as reasons the U.S. leader might not read the book Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez gave him. The socialist leader on Saturday offered Obama "Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent," by Uruguayan journalist Eduardo Galeano.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs wouldn't say if Obama planned to read the book, which argues Latin America "continues to work as a servant."
"It continues to exist to serve the needs of others as a fountain and reserve of petroleum and gold, copper and meat, fruits and coffee, raw materials and food destined for rich countries that benefit more from consuming them than Latin America does from producing them," according to the book.
Gibbs said the Spanish language would be a barrier to the president, who does not read the language.
"I think it's in Spanish, so that might be a tad on the difficult side," Gibbs said.
For his part, Obama said he was ready to reciprocate with one of own best-selling books.
"I thought it was one of Chavez's books," Obama said. "I was going to give him one of mine."
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hQQj1GgdfvdwS9QNnz2wJ2rq4TvgD97L6QO80
Canadians should all be more than just quietly thankful that we have a performer as a leader, not a vapid shallow gladhander
Week by week Obama doesn't fail to take the perception of the US lower and lower by international standards. He thinks that by apologizing for past US behaviour (read GWB), he is setting the stage so people can realize how great and transformative he is. He doesn't realize how it cheapens the reputation of the US overall.
He reminds of some lame focus group facilitator who by strange circumstance is suddenly thrust into the position of actually running the company, rather than just asking people to break into small groups and write on large sheets of paper taped to walls, and then blandly summarizing their findings before going back to his hotel room.
He is a stark exception to the Peter Principle - he has not only risen to his level of incompetence, he has eclipsed it.
"In the same way, he's distracted by the Farm Lobby's campaign cash and won't think of ending the senseless tariffs on Brazil's ethanol — another major free-trade, and energy policy, issue."
Not to be nitpicky or anything, but no American president would dare ignore America's farmers. Bush's administration presided over quite a few WTO talks that fell apart because of US agricultural subsidies. I recall that in one of those WTO failures, the representatives of China, India and the EU all blaned the US and its agricultural policies for failures.
To be fair, the author of this piece does note this by stating that Obama should end the policy which, apparently, he didn't put in place in the first place. Where was the outrage before Obama came?
Mr. ET, I would suggest calming down. Obama seems to be making you very angry. Anger gives one high blood pressure.
token - your argument against criticizing someone (because it will raise your blood pressure) is weak.
Equally, your attempt to trivialize the importance of free trade by suggesting that 'no-one complained before' and that 'Obama didn't do it' is equally irrelevant.
The point is that now, the world is in a recession, and protectionism will deepen that recession. Furthermore, to consider that a politician should only take responsibility for laws that he put in place, and should ignore the ones he didn't - is illogical.
Obama is a dangerous politician because his focus is only on himself. Period.
"Gibbs said the Spanish language would be a barrier to the president, who does not read the language."
Gibbs has the same problem with English so he would know.
As someone who is considered intelligent and articulate by many (sorry, just pushed Narcissus out from in front of the mirror), and after reading the above discourse about Balack Akbar Obama, I can only come up with the most rudimentary of comments.
F*ck Barry O
Mr. ET,
My argument is not against criticizing. It is about remaining calm. Go ahead and criticize him. Try to avoid angry rants. I am criticizing anger, not criticism. Re-read your own post. You sound like the deranged left.
It seems your anger is blurring your objectivity. You are missing the most important point of all - the farm lobby is far too strong for Obama, or Bush, to do anything about. That is the way it has always been. It managed to derail free trade in good economic times. It will also succeed in the bad times. Such is the nature of politics. I would suggest reading up (or reading anything about) the WTO talks in the 2000s and why they failed.
Obama is an American president who, like all Presidents, will be checked and balanced by the American political establishment. Then there is the small matter of the American bureaucracy. Obama is not an absolute leader. It is irrelevant how deranged he is because the American political system is designed to keep him in check. And it will.
Contrary to your belief, Obama has not managed to fool everyone except you. I don't doubt your intelligence; I just think others are equally intelligent. I think your anger and own strong confidence in your views about Obama make you think that he has duped the whole world except you. There is more than a hint of narcissism in your own stance. Calm down. Take a look around. Obama is one piece of a larger AMerican system.
token; I would not call you stupid or ignorant, just very naive. You would hide behind a door if a pack of knife wielding thugs broke into your house, thinking: "they will never find me here!" Do you work for msm?
ET, in contrast, had the Owe nailed months ago and her assessments of his 'empty suit' conduct has always been backed with logical and factual rational. You are blasting 'above your pay-grade' (to quote your pro abortion guy in the White house)by attempting to argue with ET; IMO.
Some one needs to remind Barry that the only thing the Demented Dominion is taking the "lead" on the global stage is in self destructive social policy based in the delusions of cultural utopianism.
The fact an American leader. sworn to constitutional fidelity, can openly "envy" the turgid mediocrity and primitive functionality of collectivist statism tells me all I need to know about his functional cognition.
"Note that Harper is acting as the PM of Canada - and doing what is best for Canada. He's focusing on free trade, arguing against protectionism."
-are you for real ET? We seldom forget that the farmers of Sotuh America are as human as we are. What is best for Canada is to be a elader, not a bully.
Any Ontarians in the house? What do you think about this plan? I wonder how McGuinty will take it.
http://www.abetterenergyplan.ca
I love it when someone takes on ET in a topic she well understands. Her verbose response should not be taken as a rant. Actually READ it not perform a word count - you might learn something...before you have "yours" handed to you.