Posted on 11/22/2009 2:57:06 PM PST by La Enchiladita
Barack Obama's first visit to Asia since his inauguration was one of the most disappointing trips by any U.S. president to the region in decades, especially given media-generated expectations that "Obamamania" would make it yet another triumphal progression. It was a journey of startlingly few concrete accomplishments, demonstrable proof that neither personal popularity nor media deference really means much in the hard world of international affairs.
The contrast between Asia's reception for Obama and Europe's is significant. Although considered a global phenomenon, Obamamania's real center is Europe. There, Mr. Obama reigns as a "post-American" president, a multilateralist carbon copy of a European social democrat. Asians operate under no such illusions, notwithstanding the "Oba-Mao" T shirts briefly on sale in China. ...
What the president lacked in popular adulation, however, he more than made up for in self-adulation. In Asia, he labeled himself "America's first Pacific president," ignoring over a century of contrary evidence. The Pacific has been important to America since the Empress of China became the first trading ship from the newly independent country to reach the Far East in 1784. Theodore Roosevelt created a new Pacific country (Panama) and started construction on the Panama Canal to ensure that America's navy could move rapidly from its traditional Atlantic bases to meet Pacific challenges. William Howard Taft did not merely live on Pacific islands as a boy, like Obama, but actually governed several thousand of them as Governor-General of the Philippines in 1901-1903. Dwight Eisenhower served in Manila from 1935 to 1939, and five other presidents wore their country's uniform in the Pacific theater during World War II—two of whom, John F. Kennedy and George H.W. Bush, very nearly perished in the effort.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
That rates right up there with Algore inventing the Internet.
“You know, as I listen to you I am noticing that each of your plans to save money involve psending even more money. This does not inspire confidence.”
“And just so there is no misunderstanding — you are not allowed to pay us back with clunkers.”
Right offhand, I don’t know anyone that Obama impresses.
Anyone who pays lawyers to hide his records when his public record of performance is abysmal has got to be the limp-wristed nitwit that he appears to be.
(No gay bashing here, any of my gay associates and friends could beat the heck out of that little creep.)
“America’s first Pacific president,”
Not hardly.
Obama is Americas First Failed Black Pres-dent.....
Did he take the Premier out to dinner and a movie?
Another John Bolton bullseye.
i would propose a slightly different headline.
President 0bama Didn’t POSITIVELY Impress Asia
he did impress them though...as he’s impressing more and more day by day
Nope, America's paramount pacifist president.
Leni
While he is very unimpressive to the rest of the world, I can’t understand why his approval ratings still hover around 48% here... Are there that many stupid people here?
Ok, don’t answer that - we all know that about 30% of the people are idiots - but where is the other 18% coming from?
He doesn’t impress me all that much, either...
Don’t miss this article, folks—enjoy the dry humor in the writer’s tone.
Well join the crowd Asia, he doesn’t impress most Americans either!
I think you call it F A I L U R E especially when you have never done anything in your life that would qualify you for President!!
Where are the fawning media elites who got him elected by trying to make him a rock star when he was nothing but ghetto trash with political connections?!
America’s first failed Commander and Chief of General Motors.
He’s just the latest “no-Specifics” President...
Here is the Obama-Mao t-shirt, known locally as the “Oba-Mao” which is a raging seller in China as their communist public sees parallels between socialist U.S. President Barack Obama and Chairman Mao, the first communist head of state in China.
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