Is Obama getting unfair criticism re his Cuba trip and world events?

Is Obama getting unfair criticism re his Cuba trip and world events?

Many people, primarily on the right, are criticizing President Obama for several things... 1) Not standing up to Castro during Castro's comments, 2) attending a baseball game, and 3) especially not cutting his trip short after the Belgium bombings yesterday. The last one seems to be gaining the most airplay.

Is this fair and correct?

I say 'no'. Take the Belgium bombings, for example: I do not mean to belittle them and their victims, but it wasn't on our soil, and it was relatively small when compared to something huge like a 9/11. That, coupled with the fact that these events seem to be increasing, when can a President leave the country?

IMO, there is absolutely nothing that could have been accomplished by him returning that couldn't have been accomplished while in Cuba. From a US perspective, and these trips are always working trips, anyway.

radcen said:

Is Obama getting unfair criticism re his Cuba trip and world events?

Many people, primarily on the right, are criticizing President Obama for several things... 1) Not standing up to Castro during Castro's comments, attending a baseball game, and especially not cutting his trip short after the Belgium bombings yesterday. The last one seems to be gaining the most airplay.

Is this fair and correct?

I say 'no'. Take the Belgium bombings, for example: I do not mean to belittle them and their victims, but it wasn't on our soil, and it was relatively small when compared to something huge like a 9/11. That, couple with the fact that these events seem to be increasing, when can a President leave the country?

IMO, there is absolutely nothing that could have been accomplished by him returning that couldn't have been accomplished while in Cuba. From a US perspective, and these trips are always working trips, anyway.

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I think there's nothing the President could and should have added at that point, especially with the lack of details we had at that point, that the Belgian authorities couldn't.

It's the Belgians I look to for comments about what occurred, not POTUS.

Obama was not gonna let himself get hot and bothered with Castro's whining, he handled it well.

His trip was extremely important for the Americas, wouldn't make sense to cut it short.

I don't like Obama.

I don't see what the big deal is, though. What would he have been able to do? Does he have a magic bring people back from the dead device in his pocket that only works after so many hours has passed after death? If so, he's a selfish jerk.

Second attempt since first didn't post.
The visit to Cuba was a just short a waste of time and taxpayer money.
We have lifted trade regs and made it easier on Cuba and even on the human rights issue...what did we accomplish or to the point "What did Cuba do for us"?
If the goal was human rights, and I give the President kudos for at least broaching the subject, then it was a failure.
• When asked about human rights and dissidents put in prison Castro was very confrontational and even smugly said "give me a list and I will release them all" to which the President just smiled and had nothing to say.
• Castro turned things around on the President and mentioned free healthcare and how can we not offer it...
•• Cubans typically wait at least 3X as long as Americans before receiving treatment
•• Communist officials are ALWAYS without exception treated before others and receive better healthcare
•• Among the worse paid doctors in the world. Though this is not always a factor, it obviously affects the treatment of Cuban citizens in this case
• Castro included education in his criticism...seriously?
Education Rankings by Country
The President's response? Agreement and head nodding...WTF????
Defend your country for chrissakes.
Castro then uses words like "Approaching human rights..." Approaching...
• Another limp weird friendship gesture. The President was caught between a handshake and whatever Cuban maneuver Castro was trying to accomplish resulting in Castro holding the President's arm by the wrist above his head...awkward. I don't usually give a crap about this kind of stuff but its happened enough that it is starting to say American leaders don't know anything about the friggin' countries they visit. But still the most minor thing about the visit to be sure.

The Brussels thing was a no brainer and is silly to complain about. He was in the middle of talks with Castro and cutting it short for an attack that had little information at the time would have been unnecessary and disrespectful.

radcen said:

IMO, there is absolutely nothing that could have been accomplished by him returning that couldn't have been accomplished while in Cuba.

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IMO there is absolutely nothing that can be accomplished by wearing shoes to a funeral than couldn't be accomplished by not wearing shoes to a funeral.

But one shows a certain degree of class, propriety, and respect for the dead.

Obama canceling the remainder of his trip and heading back to the Oval office in order to reach out to European, and especially Belgian, heads of state with words of concern and condolences, and to at least give the impression that he was going to direct and coordinate U.S. assistance in investigating the attacks, probably wouldn't have helped anyone catch any terrorists that are still at large any more quickly than they'd be caught with him in Cuba, but it demonstrates, class, respect for his peers in Europe, and gives the perception to the European people that the leader of their largest and most powerful ally takes their plight seriously.

And the reasoning he gave for not returning to the U.S. was almost more ****ed up than the fact that he couldn't be bothered to return:

President Obama said:

“It’s always a challenge when you have a terrorist attack anywhere in the world, particularly in this age of 24/7 news coverage. You want to be respectful and understand the gravity of the situation, but the whole premise of terrorism is to try to disrupt people’s ordinary lives.”

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You don't have an "ordinary life" you ****ing retard.

You're not some ordinary Joe out doing your gardening.

You're the leader of the free ****ing world.

You've got no business yucking it up with your horse-faced wife and a bunch of communist Cuban stooges at a baseball game all...day...long... when a European capital city is burning.

The attacks might have been:

radcen said:

...relatively small when compared to something huge like a 9/11...

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But they were still devastating to Belgium and to Europe more generally.

Rushing home might not have "solved the crime" any more quickly but some sense of urgency and involvement on his part would have shown the Belgians that we care, that our president is concerned, and that every rock was being turned over in an effort to get the people who'd done that to them.

President Obama might be a decent boss, but he's among the worst leaders this country has ever had.

radcen said:

Is Obama getting unfair criticism re his Cuba trip and world events?

Many people, primarily on the right, are criticizing President Obama for several things... 1) Not standing up to Castro during Castro's comments, 2) attending a baseball game, and 3) especially not cutting his trip short after the Belgium bombings yesterday. The last one seems to be gaining the most airplay.

Is this fair and correct?

I say 'no'. Take the Belgium bombings, for example: I do not mean to belittle them and their victims, but it wasn't on our soil, and it was relatively small when compared to something huge like a 9/11. That, coupled with the fact that these events seem to be increasing, when can a President leave the country?

IMO, there is absolutely nothing that could have been accomplished by him returning that couldn't have been accomplished while in Cuba. From a US perspective, and these trips are always working trips, anyway.

Click to expand...

There are thousands of actions for which criticism of Obama is valid. This isn't one of them.

Walking out of the game might be taken as a mistake. Staying might be taken as a mistake.

Not being controversial vis a vis Castro's comments might be taken as a mistake. So to could using this time and place to air differences.

Cutting his trip short. Why? Going to Brussels and taking out the terrorists with his bare hands? Coming home and anxiously awaiting news next to the Red phone? Continuing the trip could be taken as a slight to Belgium. Not continuing the trip a slight to Cuba.

President is wrong either way. Ask Bush. He stayed with the kiddies 7 minutes before winding down. After the bombs were bursting in air. That was either too long or not long enough.

MSNBC was dogging his ass this morning... even Mika.

radcen said:

Is Obama getting unfair criticism re his Cuba trip and world events?

Many people, primarily on the right, are criticizing President Obama for several things... 1) Not standing up to Castro during Castro's comments, 2) attending a baseball game, and 3) especially not cutting his trip short after the Belgium bombings yesterday. The last one seems to be gaining the most airplay.

Is this fair and correct?

I say 'no'. Take the Belgium bombings, for example: I do not mean to belittle them and their victims, but it wasn't on our soil, and it was relatively small when compared to something huge like a 9/11. That, coupled with the fact that these events seem to be increasing, when can a President leave the country?

IMO, there is absolutely nothing that could have been accomplished by him returning that couldn't have been accomplished while in Cuba. From a US perspective, and these trips are always working trips, anyway.

Click to expand...

It's unfair. I don't agree with the whole Castro thing, but that's okay. I don't always have to agree with POTUS. But criticizing him for going to a baseball game? That's petty bull****. And why should he have cut his trip short because of what happened in Belgium? He isn't President of Belgium. Just like when 9/11 happened, I wasn't terribly concerned with what the President of France said, or Tony Blair, or the Sultan of Brunei. Obama has a responsibility when the attacks are on his soil. These weren't.

radcen said:

Is Obama getting unfair criticism re his Cuba trip and world events?

Many people, primarily on the right, are criticizing President Obama for several things... 1) Not standing up to Castro during Castro's comments, 2) attending a baseball game, and 3) especially not cutting his trip short after the Belgium bombings yesterday. The last one seems to be gaining the most airplay.

Is this fair and correct?

I say 'no'. Take the Belgium bombings, for example: I do not mean to belittle them and their victims, but it wasn't on our soil, and it was relatively small when compared to something huge like a 9/11. That, coupled with the fact that these events seem to be increasing, when can a President leave the country?

IMO, there is absolutely nothing that could have been accomplished by him returning that couldn't have been accomplished while in Cuba. From a US perspective, and these trips are always working trips, anyway.

Click to expand...

Neither are the supporters nor the detractors fair. But to be fair, he was much less bad than I had feared. Also he has been really bad to the point of putting us on a path to almost certain major war.

radcen said:

I do not mean to belittle them and their victims, but it wasn't on our soil,...

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As world police Belgium falls under our jurisdiction so Obama totally should have went to investigate it.

Don't get why going back to the White House makes a lick of difference. Do they not have communication options in Cuba or something?

Give a speech about agencies helping, terrible event, etc. Let the CIA/FBI/DHS do work and have the info passed on to Obama wherever he is when it comes in. Not an expert, but I'd hazard a guess they could still send cables (etc) to the President if he decided to take a trip to Antarctica for some ice fishing.

radcen said:

Is Obama getting unfair criticism re his Cuba trip and world events?

Many people, primarily on the right, are criticizing President Obama for several things... 1) Not standing up to Castro during Castro's comments, 2) attending a baseball game, and 3) especially not cutting his trip short after the Belgium bombings yesterday. The last one seems to be gaining the most airplay.

Is this fair and correct?

I say 'no'. Take the Belgium bombings, for example: I do not mean to belittle them and their victims, but it wasn't on our soil, and it was relatively small when compared to something huge like a 9/11. That, coupled with the fact that these events seem to be increasing, when can a President leave the country?

IMO, there is absolutely nothing that could have been accomplished by him returning that couldn't have been accomplished while in Cuba. From a US perspective, and these trips are always working trips, anyway.

Click to expand...

I don't see that he needed to cut the trip short. Nor do I have a problem with him attending a baseball game. The first issue however I do have an issue with. I don't think he should have been there in the first place.
It was another badly brokered deal.