Obama aides seemed unfamiliar with the expectations that surround a major visit by a British prime minister.
Same people that ran across the Rose Garden lawn in the snow to see "the helicopter".
Posted on 03/07/2009 12:16:38 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
Barack Obama's offhand approach to Gordon Brown's Washington visit last week came about because the president has facing exhaustion over America's economic crisis and is unable to focus on foreign affairs, the Sunday Telegraph has been told.
Sources close to the White House say Mr Obama and his staff have been "overwhelmed" by the economic meltdown and have voiced concerns that the new president is not getting enough rest.
British officials, meanwhile, admit that the White House and US State Department staff were utterly bemused by complaints that the Prime Minister should have been granted full-blown press conference and a formal dinner, as has been customary. They concede that Obama aides seemed unfamiliar with the expectations that surround a major visit by a British prime minister.
But Washington figures with access to Mr Obama's inner circle explained the slight by saying that those high up in the administration have had little time to deal with international matters, let alone the diplomatic niceties of the special relationship.
Allies of Mr Obama say his weary appearance in the Oval Office with Mr Brown illustrates the strain he is now under, and the president's surprise at the sheer volume of business that crosses his desk.
A well-connected Washington figure, who is close to members of Mr Obama's inner circle, expressed concern that Mr Obama had failed so far to "even fake an interest in foreign policy".
A British official conceded that the furore surrounding the apparent snub to Mr Brown had come as a shock to the White House. "I think it's right to say that their focus is elsewhere, on domestic affairs. A number of our US interlocutors said they couldn't quite understand the British concerns and didn't get what that was all about."
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
The idea that some Foggy Bottom flunky would say Britain has the same significance to America as, say, Zaire, makes my blood boil. That’s even worse than the screwup with the Browns’ visit.
Too tired or too high? Or maybe it’s just that he did not have a teleprompter.
The Nixon White House was brought down by an "unnamed source".
That's the way Washington works.
"Deep Throat" is willing to talk to the media as long as "Deep Throat", not "F.B.I. Deputy Director William Mark Felt, Sr.", is quoted in print.
A column by Thomas Sowell is an opinion, and, like belly buttons, everybody has one. It's not news.
Having a State Department official in the Obama Administration tell one of the major newspapers in Great Britain, "There's nothing special about Britain. You're just the same as the other 190 countries in the world. You shouldn't expect special treatment." ......
Having one of the major newspapers in Great Britain know exactly who that State Department official in the Obama Administration is ......
Having that quote printed in one of the major newspapers in Great Britain printed for all of Great Britain to know what the Obama Administration thinks of them and the horse they rode in on after British blood has been spilled to support their American ally ......
Having every other nation in the World know that the Obama Administration is so abysmally naive that it considers all nations, from Great Britain to France, to Russia, to Japan to China the equal equivalent of Kenya and Uruguay .....
THAT is news.
THAT turns public opinion around in Great Britain.
THAT turns public opinion around in the rest of Europe.
THAT turns public opinion around in the rest of the World.
THAT illustrates the abysmally unqualified nature of the Obama Administration.
THAT eventually makes the American Sheeple realize they have made a horrible mistake.
THAT affects the outcome of the next American election.
Hillary, is that you???
Biden would suck, but a guy who’s wrong on issues but has actually been around the block beats a guy who’s wrong on isues and hasn’t even run a little league team.
You know, I had that thought for a fleeting moment, then decided President Bush is probably as horrified and terrified as we are.
Obama aides seemed unfamiliar with the expectations that surround a major visit by a British prime minister.
Same people that ran across the Rose Garden lawn in the snow to see "the helicopter".
Whatever would we do without you, Laz?
Right...thanks much. I enjoy every little bit of salt in a wound.
It’s a tough call.
Let's say you want to make a reporter your lap dog. Feed him some info (false or real) that's impossible to check and makes your boss look bad. Do that a few times and he'll think of you as "that guy who'll give me the real goods instead of the White House party line."
Reagan was 70 at this point in his presidency, and faced a worse economy.
Those short-term, high-interest loans from the Chemical Bank surely do come due in a big-*** hurry...
Wonder what time Barry saunters in?
Then again, we must remember that one of the greatest allies that Hitler had was Stalin's incompetence as a war leader and one of the greatest allies that Stalin had was Hitler's incompetence as a war leader.
“spending his time on an enemies list.”
There’s a thought. I hadn’t really thought of 0bama in the Oval Office going through line by line of people’s names to authorize those to execute. Uncle Joe and Benito must be yucking it up.
What a wuss.
What did he expect? A walk in the park?
What's he going to do when there's a real catastrophe, like a terrorist attack?
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