The limits of BO-mania: Why can't Pres BO get our allies to follow him?

Here is a headline from The NY Times: Traveling in Asia, Obama’s Glow Dims

"Foreign leaders could not seem to get enough of President Obama when he arrived on the world stage two years ago.

They brought copies of his memoir to global conferences seeking his autograph. They angled for handshakes and “bilats” — or bilaterals, diplomatic jargon for one-on-one meetings.

They maneuvered to get next to him in photo opportunities.

Now the glow has worn off. So when the Group of 20 conference wrapped up here on Friday — amid disputes over currency and global trade imbalances between the United States and its allies — the heads of state who had gathered here did not seem shy about putting Mr. Obama on the defensive.

“It’s not just a function of personal charm,” Mr. Obama said Friday, at a news conference wrapping up the session.

“It’s a function of countries’ interests and seeing if we can work through to align them.”"

Wow!

Here is another headline from the same NY Times: Obama’s economic view is rejected on world stage

Wow again!

So what's going on? Why can't Pres BO live up to all of the hype that he would change our relations with allies?

The answer is complex.

First, we have deep differences with some of our allies, specially over sending troops to Afghanistan. Our allies have gotten used to having the US do all of the "heavy lifting"!

Second, some countries have huge concerns about Pres BO's economic policies.

They think that we are spending too much money....and they are right!

Third, the world loves free trade and Pres BO & Dems do not!

I agree with Jeniffer Rubin that Pres BO is very weak on "free trade".

This is the most protectionist presidency in recent memory. Unfortunately, we need a "free trade president" not the "anti-NAFTA" populist that campaigned in the Dem primaries of 2008!

Fourth, the G-20 countries are no in mood to join the US against China:

"Leaders of 20 major economies on Friday refused to endorse a U.S. push to get China to let its currency rise, keeping alive a dispute that has raised the specter of a global trade war amid criticism that cheap Chinese exports are costing American jobs." (AP)

At the end of the day, we live in a complicated world and countries always act in their self interest.

And BO's smile and charm can't change that!