If elected, BO will learn what Bush and Clinton learned the hard way.
The Europeans are not serious about dealing with difficult problems.
Clinton couldn't get the UN to do anything about Iraq, even after Saddam had kicked out the UN inspectors in 1998, violated the 1991 cease fire, laughed at a dozen UN resolutions and even shot at US-UK planes enforcing them!
Clinton bombed Iraq in Dec '98 for 4 days and couldn't get anyone, except the very reliable PM Blair of the UK, to go along with him!
On Bosnia, Clinton learned that the Europeans couldn't even get their act together on a problem in their own backyard. Eventually, Clinton had to go around the UN and send a NATO force made up primarily of US troops!
The Dems love to "fantasize" about the pre-Bush days when Europe and the US used to work together. It didn't happen during the Clinton years. In fact, Clinton couldn't get anymore cooperation out of the UN or the Europeans either.
The Europeans want to talk about "progressive things" like global warming and same sex marriage.
They don't want to talk about terrorism! That's for American cowboys!
They think that they can protect themselves against terrorism by hating Bush!
I would recommend everyone in that crowd to read this:
Yesterday, they cheered every line except the one about sending troops to Afghanistan.
Why is that important? Because Pres BO is going to have to repeat that line over and over again. It won't be long before they start seeing Bush in Obama:
What about the trip? I love David Brooks:
"Obama has benefited from a week of good images. But substantively, optimism without reality isn’t eloquence. It’s just Disney."
STEVEN ERLANGER nails it in Obama, Vague on Issues, Pleases Crowd in Europe!
He went over and told them what they wanted to hear.
How will it play with US voters? How will Americans react to a continent that does not want to send troops to Afghanistan?
Not well, just you wait!
"Obama has benefited from a week of good images. But substantively, optimism without reality isn’t eloquence. It’s just Disney."
STEVEN ERLANGER nails it in Obama, Vague on Issues, Pleases Crowd in Europe!
He went over and told them what they wanted to hear.
How will it play with US voters? How will Americans react to a continent that does not want to send troops to Afghanistan?
Not well, just you wait!
Last, but not least, how in the world didn't BO make the time to visit troops at a hospital?
That's not going to play well over here either!
P.S. The WSJ brings it all back to reality:
"Reagan's speech is a lesson in the difference between popularity and statesmanship.
Watching Mr. Obama yesterday in Berlin, and throughout his foreign tour, was a reminder of how far the presumptive Democratic nominee has to go to reassure people he is capable of the latter -- "people," that is, who will actually get to cast a ballot in November."
