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Europe is Obama's Next Target

Red Crow

Holy Crap!
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Europe is next test for weakened Obama



By Matt Spetalnick

WASHINGTON | Mon Nov 15, 2010 2:07pm EST

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - If President Barack Obama is not yet convinced that his international star power has faded, his next round of transatlantic summitry should clear up any lingering doubts.

Coming off a marathon Asia trip where Obama often found himself rebuffed by fellow world leaders, he will head to Europe this week where the agenda will be clouded by a growing divide over economic strategy and a sense of neglect among traditional U.S. allies.

His challenge is to reassure European partners that, despite political weakness at home and embarrassing setbacks abroad, he remains committed to better cooperation on issues ranging from the war in Afghanistan to the fight against trade protectionism.

But it will not be easy for Obama, whose Democratic Party suffered heavy losses in this month's congressional elections, to dispel the impression that his stature has been diminished on the world stage. He will attend back-to-back NATO and European Union summits in Lisbon on Friday and Saturday.

"The tricky thing for Obama is to show the Europeans not only that he's still important to them but that they're still important to the U.S.," said Sally McNamara, a European affairs expert at the conservative Heritage Foundation in Washington...............

Obama may also have to deal with fallout from last week's Group of 20 summit in Seoul, where he faced a backlash over U.S. monetary easing policy, resistance to his push for hard targets on global balanced growth and reluctance to join in pressuring China over its currency.

Reflecting a growing estrangement over economic policy, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister David Cameron have strongly opposed Obama's call for stimulating economic expansion with more government spending. They prefer to stress fiscal discipline.

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble took the rhetoric to a new level earlier this month when he said the Federal Reserve's decision to pump $600 billion into the U.S. economy was "clueless." Germany, China and other big exporters see it as a backdoor way to cheapen the dollar and give U.S. goods a trade advantage."

Analysis: Europe is next test for weakened Obama | Reuters


Our Nation is not that strong anymore and we are in debt up to our ears because of him. After the total lashing he got last week why doesn't he send someone with some competence, at least Hillary has demonstrated that much.
He's become an embarrassment. When will he ever learn???
 
Just to note


Where does everyone think the money to bail out greece, Ireland, and potentially portugal is going to come from. The european governments dont have the money, the european banks dont have the money. The ECB will do its own version of QE
 
I don't understand the constant railing against Barack Obama for these "failures" its no change that whats been going on since Bush was President.

For example both Presidents...
Sought more allied troops for Afghanistan
Sought to establish free trade agreements
Sought to ease Chinese currency value regulations
Faced problems defending unpopular polices
Faced issues regarding the rise of emerging economies

And neither Bush, Obama, or any President has been able to solve global problems. Yet for some reason every feels its fair to bash Obama for having to do things like "deal with unpopular American policies while abroad."

I also really like how it was noted there was a "sense of neglect among traditional allies" and its Obama's fault. That's ALWAYS been the case. Whether it was Bush and Iraq in 2003, or the Vietnam War, or the 80s increase in US military spending after the post-Vietnam drawdown.

For example European allies felt neglected when we drew down some troops in Europe to fight in Vietnam, because we were weakening our deterrent in Europe. Then as part of the Reagan build up some European allies felt their wishes were neglected because we were 'forcing' troops into their countries. Of course some people and politicians in those countries didn't feel neglect in either case.

Point being, its impossible to please everyone and criticizing Obama because everyone isn't pleased is unfair.
 
I don't understand the constant railing against Barack Obama for these "failures" its no change that whats been going on since Bush was President.

For example both Presidents...
Sought more allied troops for Afghanistan
Sought to establish free trade agreements
Sought to ease Chinese currency value regulations
Faced problems defending unpopular polices
Faced issues regarding the rise of emerging economies

And neither Bush, Obama, or any President has been able to solve global problems. Yet for some reason every feels its fair to bash Obama for having to do things like "deal with unpopular American policies while abroad."

I also really like how it was noted there was a "sense of neglect among traditional allies" and its Obama's fault. That's ALWAYS been the case. Whether it was Bush and Iraq in 2003, or the Vietnam War, or the 80s increase in US military spending after the post-Vietnam drawdown.

For example European allies felt neglected when we drew down some troops in Europe to fight in Vietnam, because we were weakening our deterrent in Europe. Then as part of the Reagan build up some European allies felt their wishes were neglected because we were 'forcing' troops into their countries. Of course some people and politicians in those countries didn't feel neglect in either case.

Point being, its impossible to please everyone and criticizing Obama because everyone isn't pleased is unfair.

I guess the people who voted the Democrat House out were very unfair and they should of been pleased with them and both presidents while this nation is close to 14 trillions Dlls. in debt. All presidents are subject to criticism and this is America where we have the right to do so whether people like it or not.
 
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