Maybe it has something to do with leading the free world again
Conservatives, of course, were unlikely to praise Barack Obama’s speech before 200,000 in Berlin today. But I found some of the criticism to be more misguided than usual. Here’s Ross Douthat, for example:
Yes, of course the Hitler comparisons are absurd, but I’d really like to know which genius on the Obama campaign thought it would be a good idea to have their candidate conduct a major campaign rally in Europe with three months to go till [sic] the election and their candidate, despite an incredibly favorable climate and a fumbling opponent, still clinging to a 2-4 point lead in the polls?
Overall, the overseas tour has been good to Obama, both for the obvious reasons and because making joint appearances with foreign leaders is a solid-enough way to build up his credibility as a potential Commander-in-Chief. But photo ops are one thing, Beatlemania-style rallies are quite another…. The Berlin rally probably won’t hurt Obama — voters aren’t really paying attention to anything election-related right about now, and it’ll be forgotten by the time the fall campaign begins in earnest. But it could do some minor damage, and it certainly won’t help him.
I think the photo-op point is largely backwards. When Obama shakes hands with Chancellor Merkel, U.S. voters get to see a candidate smiling alongside a world leader. It tells us that a German head of state is willing to politely greet a U.S. presidential candidate, which is to say, it doesn’t tell us much.
When Obama delivers a powerful speech about global cooperation on everything from counter-terrorism to climate change, and does so in front of 200,000 enthusiastic Germans, many of whom were waving American flags, it tells voters in the U.S. quite a bit. Specifically, that our allies are ready for the United States to lead again, and they’re captivated and inspired by one of the candidates seeking the job of leader of the free world.
Is it so hard to appreciate the notion that having an American president who enjoys respect and admiration abroad can help our standing in the world?
Byron York added this analysis:
It’s a small passage from Obama’s Berlin speech, but this formulation, common in some circles, grates on some ears, like mine: “The terrorists of September 11th plotted in Hamburg and trained in Kandahar and Karachi before killing thousands from all over the globe on American soil.”
Yes, the victims were from all over the globe — places like Brooklyn, and the Bronx, and Manhattan, and Queens, and Staten Island, and New Jersey — all over. And most were Americans, weren’t they?
Maybe York was being facetious, but I thought Obama’s point was obvious. Much of the speech was about the common interests of the United States and Europe. Our challenges are their challenges. The dangers we face are the dangers they face. He was in Germany, and trying to remind them that terrorism hit Americans on 9/11, but those terrorists, in the process, also struck a blow against the Western world.
Obama, in other words, was trying to explain to the people of Germany why 9/11, and the drive to combat terrorism, should matter to them too. Why this would “grate on some ears” is a mystery.
My hunch is the right just needs something to complain about today.
RentedMule
says:Pretty much as long as Obama didn’t try and give Merkel a shoulder massage the German part of the trip can be viewed as a success anyways.
sduffys (not JakeD)
says:This is all good; as far as the nutty right; a day without a complaint is a day wasted.
Racer X
says:Today?
Mark D
says:For the right, yes … yes it is.
They don’t want the rest of the world to respect and admire us, and they don’t give a damn about our standing the world.
They want the rest of the world to fear us and do what we say, and if that means a few countries hate us and won’t help with common causes, then we’ll just have to do it ourselves.
For them, it’s not about cooperation. It’s about domination.
MsJoanne
says:Right. As compared to Bush whose appearances have to be screened and protesters kept at bay.
Thank goodness Obama is a positive face for a once roundly respected nation!
RSA
says:Is it so hard to appreciate the notion that having an American president who enjoys respect and admiration abroad can help our standing in the world?
Insightful as usual, Steve. We’ve gotten used to pictures like this, when Bush visited Germany in 2005 to public protests. There’s a vast difference.
Steve Balboni
says:My hunch is the right just needs something to complain about today
That’s a fairly safe starting point.
Really what is Douthat’s point? He rants and then admits that no one is really paying attention and it won’t hurt Obama anyway. So then why write anything at all?
KM
says:The point that Obama was making with his “before killing thousands from all over the globe on American soil” statement was that many of those who died on 9/11 were from other countries. Does York think that no immigrants were killed that day and that every one who died was a native-born American?
Jeremy
says:Obama could cure cancer and end world hunger tomorrow, and there would still be nut jobs out there spinning it into oblivion.
danimal
says:“My hunch is the right just needs something to complain about today.” And how is today is different than every other day?
Conservatives might be wise to reconsider the permanent adoption of the GWB “either piss off or ignore the foreigners” value system. It contradicts a lot of conservative ideals such as free trade and military adventurism (which requires allies) and it is, at it’s base, a pretty juvenile way of looking at the world. As an American, I hope they learn the lesson soon. As a Dem, I hope they learn it after November.
DebbyeOh
says:Your hunch is right…like my mama says: “they’re just jealous!”. Like I heard one
pundit say the other day: “McCain couldn’t get a crowd like that if he was giving away flat screen TVs!”
Side note, saw my first McSame bumper sticker today–and this is Texas, ya’ll. Each and every entire freeway had those awful “W’04” stickers last time. They’re just not feeling it, I’m telling you!
SaintZak
says:Hillary Clinton threw everything she could find at Obama and it didn’t work out so well for her. That garbage has been spent. Now John McCain and the Republicans only have bitterness and bile to vomit. Have you noticed McCain’s pissy attitude during Obama’s overseas trip? Nothing insightfull or thought provoking. Just resentment and jealousy. Its only July several more months of this and people will really be turned off. Conversely, Obama’s trip and meeting with world leaders has been positive and engaging. His campaign has been positive and encouraging. IF we chose John McCain in November then we really will deserve the abysmal state were in (and sure to fall deeper into).
The Democratic convention will be electric. The Republican’s will be dour and negative. There will be an almost horrific contrast between these two candidates in the debates. Obama has a commet by the tail. He’s the rock star candidate. John McCain has nothing to offer. Nothing. That’s painfully clear. We’ve got too many problems for people to chose stiffeling negativity. I just don’t see McCain winning. People are ready for the cloud to be lifted.
Obama’s speech in Berlin was a proud moment for every American. It clearly shows the disaster and rancor of the last eight years can be fixed.
David W.
says:It’s absolutely clear to me that Europe will be far more receptive to Obama when it comes to giving additional military help than they will be for a third term of Bush. So it’s very much in the self-interest of the U.S. that we have a change of leadership in the White House that Obama represents.
Redrover
says:York seems to for get that it was the WORLD TRADE CENTER that was destroyed that day. Many of the people that worked there were indeed from all over the world. Yes the majority were Americans but not all. Not by a long shot. And the reason they picked those was in part to disrupt the economy ofd the whole free world even if it was mostly to distroy our economy.
Alex Hamilton
says:I’m unimpressed by a promo speech worthy of Rhetoric 101.
This guy is vapid.
Kenneth Fair
says:KM said:
The point that Obama was making with his “before killing thousands from all over the globe on American soil” statement was that many of those who died on 9/11 were from other countries. Does York think that no immigrants were killed that day and that every one who died was a native-born American?
In fact, a number of those who died in the World Trade Center were not just immigrants, but were actually citizens of other countries. For instance, Interpol lists 77 countries whose citizens died in the attack.
Even if Byron York didn’t remember that, he should have used “the Google” to figure it out. Apparently, he’s just too lazy to do so.
John Rumble
says:I believe it was said well by Desmond Tutu promoting his new book, God Has A Dream: A Vision of Hope For Our Time, on Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show a few years back, He was was incredibly compassionate, and downright adorable. Assessing the global perception of Americans abroad, he said:
Most people believe that you are wonderful people. But can’t understand what you’re doing. Export not bombs, but your compassion and your generosity.
This is what America should be about..not bully to the World
Obama is carrying forth that American spirit again
Winkandanod
says:When Obama shakes hands with Chancellor Merkel, U.S. voters get to see a candidate smiling alongside a world leader. It tells us that a German head of state is willing to politely greet a U.S. presidential candidate,
It also reminds us of the time shrub inappropriately tried to give Merkel a neck massage and she shrugged him off with obvious revulsion.
Gregory
says:It tells us one thing: He didn’t make her grimace by giving her an unwanted shoulder squeeze.
Gregory
says:As the US government itself took pains to point out in the aftermath of 9/11, nearly 10% of the victims of the World Trade Center were foreign nationals hailing from dozens of other nations.
What a tool York is.
Mathew
says:I find it amusing to hear right wing and conservatives circles whining about Obama’s trip overseas …
Can their chosen candidate draw 200000 people to a rally, anywhere?
Why not?
Is it the candidate?
Is it the message?
Is it their movement?
Is it the timing?
Perhaps all of the above …
Troy
says:Isn’t crazy that you get paid for calling out the b.s.?
But, you are keeping eachother in business
Troy
says:Isn’t crazy that you get paid for calling out the b.s.?
But, you are keeping eachother in business
2Manchu
says:“Yes, of course the Hitler comparisons are absurd,…” – Douthat
“But why let that stop me from mentioning it?”
Because when I see a tall African-American senator, the first image that pops in my head is a short, white, Austrian failed artist / drug addict / dictator.
My memory is a little foggy, but I don’t recall Reagan ever being compared to HItler when he spoke at the Berlin Wall, even if to point out the “absurdity” of such a comparison.
Georgette Orwell
says:While I’m very grateful to be an American, lately I haven’t been so proud. I’m an ex-pat for half the year, and cringe when neighbors and friends from other parts of the world express their total bewilderment, disgust, and concern about this administration. I get a lot of “What in heaven’s name is going *on* over there? Why are you people letting this happen?”
They look forward to a return to cooperation with the US, and are willing to write this off as a temporary aberration.
However, they don’t see much hope of that if Mr. McCain does become president. In that case, I think I’ll be an ex-pat a whole lot more than six months a year.
Angellight
says:Such a different message & vision than the one we had for the last 8 years built on greed, fear and war. Barack’s message is on the oneness of Humantiy and our shared and common goals — that we are all of us in this together and that we live in a Global Society. It was based on love and goodwill toward each other. That we are not alone and without hope. That there should be a freedom from fear and want everywhere in the world and that only united can we build a better world for all. What a great vision to aspire too, especially for the young adults and the children of the world. Gives them something to look forward to other than years of war and hate.
This is such an inspirational and great healer/teacher/leader! Is it not great that we are talking about peace and unity for a change? Our common humantiy? That speaks a lot in itself. It is unintelligent to think that we are not interdependent and that what goes on in one part of the world, effects us All! Barack generated a lot of powerful, healing engery today. We must not loose it.
timeoutofmind
says:wouldn’t you love to be a fly on the wall in any of the inner sanctums and salons that obama has toured on this trip — shortly after his departure ? how many of the world leaders he met would be thinking (or saying) what a treat it was to meet a US leader with a brain, with a vision … with some ideas; instead of some gin-addled clown who perpetually looked like he was giving a grade three book report to class after not bothering to read the grade three book. (My Pet Goat excepted).
contrast all this with his opponent who may actually be stupider than bush … and just as profoundly unqualified: why is he (obama) only ahead four points nationally ?
are you pinheads going to make the same mistake for the third consecutive time ? probably ….
hark
says:They just can’t stand being upstaged like this. A coup d’etat. It should symbolize the coup de grace of this campaign. And it would among any enlightened electorate.
But not ours, poisoned by thirty years of right wing brainwashing. Half the country is brain dead. It’s going to take a long time to rinse all the toxicity out.
I wonder if Obama will even get a temporary bump in the polls.
joey
says:Come on Steve, you can almost hear them going over Obama’s speech trying desperately to find anything they could poke a stick at. They were intent on finding a mistake, a gaffe, or something they could mock. They didn’t care what else was said or they would have made reference to some of the many grand points he made.
“I don’t care if he’s Jesus…find something on him even if you have to use the McCain method of total confusion but sternly pointing a finger while snarling”.
Lance
says:Byron York added this analysis: “Yes, the victims were from all over the globe — places like Brooklyn, and the Bronx, and Manhattan, and Queens, and Staten Island, and New Jersey — all over. And most were Americans, weren’t they?”
Yes, brilliant. Let’s NOT express a common interest in fighting terrorism with our potential allies.
Moron.
Ross Douthat: “Yes, of course the Hitler comparisons are absurd, but I’d really like to know which genius on the Obama campaign thought it would be a good idea to have their candidate conduct a major campaign rally in Europe with three months to go till [sic] the election…”
Actually, I think it was your boy John Sidney (5’9″) McC*nt who suggested that Obama had to go on a world tour. I see you couldn’t resist making the Hitler dig either.
Frank
says:Yeah Matthew. They respond by saying well their candidate’s words actually count, but inside they secretly really wish their candidate was this attractive and not so boring. They work with what they have which isn’t much right now.
Anyone have a picture of the germans waving a US flag? Saw one earlier but can’t find it anymore… pretty amazing. They really want to like us again. Great to have this potential good will if we have a leader that doesn’t squander it.
angry young man
says:“Is it so hard to appreciate the notion that having an American president who enjoys respect and admiration abroad can help our standing in the world?”
If you’re a Republican, yes. Here’s a question from deeper in the Fox News poll you note in a different post:
http://www.foxnews.com/projects/pdf/FoxPoll.pdf
31. Does Barack Obama’s popularity overseas make you more likely or less likely to vote for him for president?
Dems: 46% More likely, 12% Less likely, 40% No difference, 3% Don’t know
Reps: 11% 45 42 2
Inds: 26% 25 46 3
The more popular he is there, the more popular he is to Dems here and the less popular he is to Reps.
joey
says:Race for the WH with David “rap-dancing” Gregory…”Is it too much… too good for Obama..
“Balancing act in Berlin”…Wolf. “A high wirer act and he just about pulled it off”
See, I knew the MSM would work hard to minimize Obama efforts. Imagine if he’d made a mistake.
Over analysis of mental masturbation. AAR what were u thinking??? (MSNBC Money) Rachell, you’re sucking up too much.
joey
says:angry young man…wrong interpretation…45%repubs weren’t voting for him anyway so saying “less likely” really doesn’t apply.
Alex Hamilton
says:“Specifically, that our allies are ready for the United States to lead again, and they’re captivated and inspired by one of the candidates seeking the job of leader of the free world.”
Yes, I’m sure that’s exactly what the Germans see themselves as needing.
TR
says:Yes, I’m sure that’s exactly what the Germans see themselves as needing.
No, but they clearly realize that the preponderance of U.S. military, cultural and economic power means that the president of the United States is going to be the de facto leader of the free world for the foreseeable future, and given the choice between Obama and McCain, they’re siding with the former by an overwhelming margin. (64%-6% according to the UK’s Telegraph.)
President Lindsay
says:Steve, no need to put [sic] after “till.” That is the correct spelling, despite the prevalence of the commonly used “til.”
Steve
says:I don’t think it’s so much of America leading again, as it is America being the catalyst that empowers the rest of the world. As Obama said of himself: “…and a citizen of the world.”
McCain wants to keep everything in the old-school mindset of nationalism; the numbing “filthy-beast” mentality that led to the First World War, and the flaming desire for phoenix-like supreme racial mastery that led to the Second. It differs from the trenches of the former only in that not all the “bad” people are on the other side of one’s own national borders, and from the latter in that even the “master race” of Americans is rife with “untermenschen.”
Goldilocks
says:You ask, Steve, with uncharacteristically tautological redundancy, why “Is it so hard to appreciate the notion that having an American president who enjoys respect and admiration abroad can help our standing in the world?” The answer, of course, is obvious: people like nice guys.
What is a nice guy? A nice guy is some who is honest, kind-hearted, clear-minded, peaceful, and courageous. People sense these qualities in Mr Obama, and so naturally they are drawn to him.
— Maybe he’s just too good for America.
libra
says:Because when I see a tall African-American senator, the first image that pops in my head is a short, white, Austrian failed artist / drug addict / dictator. — 2Manchu, @24
Hitler wasn’t a “failed *artist*”. He was a painter, yes. But all he ever painted — before becoming a dictator — was *walls*. And not like Michelangelo, either. More along the lines of “5ft of light blue, then an inch of navy, then the rest of the wall and the ceiling white”.
And have to agree with President Lindsay, @37; no need for [sic]. “Till” has two ells, “until” has one. Took me *years* to memorise that (sometimes, *Polish* is easier than your language), but now I have it down pat.
stickler
says:2Manchu:
My memory is a little foggy, but I don’t recall Reagan ever being compared to HItler when he spoke at the Berlin Wall, even if to point out the “absurdity” of such a comparison.
Yeah, good catch. Reagan wasn’t even compared to AH when he gave a rather touching eulogy at the Bitburg cemetery, surrounded by the graves of Waffen-SS soldiers. (Awkward!)
Libra:
Hitler wasn’t a wall painter, he was a mediocre landscape artist. For a while he sustained himself in Vienna selling watercolor postcards. here’s a relatively safe site, the German Historical Institute, with an image Hitler painted of the ruins of Rheims during WWI. Not bad by any means, but it sure isn’t Picasso or Dürer.
citizen_pain
says:Sooner or later, when it becomes painfully obvious to even Jimmy Bob at Delilah’s I-95 Diner that Obama is going to win, you’ll start hearing the serious nut jobs come out and start talking about the anti-christ bullshit. The one who gives false world peace. I bet its already started down at Barry’s Baptist Bar and Grill.
Fast Eddie
says:I’m European – Irish to be precise – and I tell you in all seriousness now: If America elects McCain over Obama, it will be a global laughing-stock.
I’m not exaggerating in the slightest. Bush 2000: who knew what was coming? That it’d be that bad? Bush 2004: Kerry was wooden. The party of hawks always had an edge after 9/11.
But this time, Europeans look at McCain and see disaster waiting to happen. Let me say what it is not politic for Americans to say. The man’s stupid. He’s old. His grasp of fundamental facts is woeful. His judgements on international affairs are based on crass right-wing ideology and he seems blissfully unaware of the political landscapes of any other country than his own.
Obama on the other hand, comes across as smart, articulate, well-attuned to global perspectives and currents. We see a man who can re-make the relationships between the US and the rest of the world for the purposes of common interest and mutual benefit.
If there ever is a President McCain, not only will world leaders heave a heavy sigh, but many people will be left wondering why America has chosen two educationally sub-normal dolts in succession to lead the free world. I’ve been to America on a number of occasions and love the people and the culture. But a McCain presidency for me would call into question the basic sophistication and intelligence of the average American voter. He really is that bad.
libra
says:Libra:
Hitler wasn’t a wall painter, he was a mediocre landscape artist. For a while he sustained himself in Vienna selling watercolor postcards. — stickler, @41
I guess my (Polish) government lied to me… Surprise, surprise.
ObamaForUS
says:The most disconcerting part of the negative reaction is the realization that it is based on near total ignorance of the world that exists beyond the US borders and the significance of the repute in which the US is held beyond those borders on our survival and continued security.
slappy magoo
says:When America is at its best (and in turn Americans are at their best), it is when it realizes not that it is great, but that it can be great, be GREATER, and strives to be so.
That is as it should be.
However, within the Republican Party are bullying simpletons who not only believe that America is great, but that it is the greatest it can or will ever be. It is the alpha and omega, and thus they comport themselves with a cetain amount of “come before me son of Jor-EL, KNEEL BEFORE ZOD” mentality that turns off potential allies and anyone with a working brain. They will remember the Constitution and the Bill of RIghts only when it is convenient (like, say, when a Democrat occupies the White House), and the rights of others are realized only in direct comparison to their skin color and economic status. They need to be humbled.
Fingers crossed…
dan robinson
says:There was one line in Obama’s speech about heroin traffic to Europe.
What’s the current wisdom about using the fact that Afghanistan is the source of 99% of the heroin available in Europe?
Also, since most of it passes through Iran, is that a point of engagement with Iran? There are reports that 1 in 7 Iranians is a heroin addict. They have a vested interest in stemming the flow of heroin through their country.
JS
says:It was a good suggestion when McCain kept saying ‘senator Obama should take a foreign trip’ after he himself had done so. Now that Obama has made the trip -the McCain camp are beside themselves because it was a good trip. The truth is – McCain could never make a trip like this, in spite of the fact that he now says he would like to give a speech in Europe when he is president, he cannot. McCain suffers from memory loss, Europeans don’t. Although I am McCains age I well remember him calling Germany and France names, and saying they were not allies, mc nasty went all out with his vitriol about these countries.He may have forgotten not only did he make a trip to England,it was a fundraiser, if that is not a campaign trip I don’t know what is.
JS
says:A good comment from Ron Reagan Jr last night, on the right wing whining about Germans waving American flags and cheering – he said ‘would they rather go back to seeing other countries burning effigies of Bush?’
Tim
says:As a Canuck, I take good-natured umbrage with your depiction of Obama as ‘seeking the job of leader of the free world.’
The entire point of the ‘free world’ is to have a collection of nations each making their own decisions about governance. The USA is still the biggest monkey in the zoo, but we’re all possessed of our own agendas and priorities. Obama won’t be MY President, or my leader. Neither would McCain. There’s a big BIG difference between being a world leader among equals and being the CEO of Earth Inc.
You’re a great blogger, but like many Americans I don’t think you realize sometimes just how far the jingoism has sunk into you. The Germans are cheering because they hope for an end to the lurching violence of the past eight years, not because daddy’s coming home to teach them how to live.
Angellight
says:Barack’s speech is such a different message and vision than the one we have had for the last 8 years built on greed, fear, war and rumors of war. It is the complete opposite. It was a message for the 21st Century ; a message to the Soul of Humanity and for the survival of the Planet — of Earth. A world where we celebrate each other based on the fact that we are all on this planet together. And that as a species of planet earth, we will not survivie if we continue to war with each other, especially with the atomic and nuclear weapons available to us today!
Barack’s message and vision (for without a vision, a man/nation/world perishes) is based on the oneness of Humanity and our shared and common goals — that we are, all of earth’s people, in this together and that we live in a Global Society. And, it was based on the dynamic and healing energy of love and goodwill toward each other; that we are not alone and without hope for a better world in this country and around the world. And, it was based on the premise that there should be a freedom from fear and want everywhere in the world and that only united and an understanding of one another can we build a better world for all.
What a great vision for us as a people to aspire too, especially for the young teenagers and adults and the children around the world — It Gives them something to look forward to other than endless years of war and hate based on geological differences, color or religious affiliation — because no matter what the outward differences of color, inwardly, the blood of each of us is all One Color, red!
The large crowd in Germany and the other large crowds that Barack generates attests to the fact that people hunger for truth and for a message of hope and inspiration, for inspirational leaders! Again Barack shows that he is indeed inspirational, a great healer/teacher/leader! Is it not great that we are talking about peace and unity for a change? Our common humanity? That speaks a lot in itself.
It is unintelligent to think that we are not interdependent and that what goes on in one part of the world, effects us All! Barack generated a lot of powerful and healing energy throughout the world as he spoke to the heart and Soul of the World. The place where love and peace dwells. We must not loose it, because critics say he is not yet President. However, as a man of God and a servant of the world he ceased the Moment, and because he loves America and Peace, these things had to be said Now, to stimulate the vision — that we can have peace here, right here on earth!
Aaron
says:The problem is this: we don’t want to be Europe. Europe sucks. Yes, they have some beuatiful art, and some wonderful culture. They also have an economic system that has been thoroughly and completely dominated by our own. Do middle-class Americans want to have to hang their clothes on outdoor clotheslines to dry, or use public laundromats because owning your own washer and dryer is and “extravagance”, such as it is in almost all of Europe? No. Why do we aspire to be like those whom we are already superior to? Yes, America needs to lead. We need to lead by showing Europe that individual liberty and freedom are the way the world works, not by enabling their command and control structures that suffocate their citizens daily. Most countries in Europe do not honor something as simple and sacred in America as habeas corpus. Is that what we want? A society where government is the be-all and end-all? Because it has failed EVERY SINGLE TIME in the history of the world. We do need to lead, and we need to do that by encouraging self-reliance, independance, and freedom. We must forge ahead and drag Europe with us, not digress back to the place and society we broke free from a long time ago.
Georgette Orwell
says:Aaron @52–“They also have an economic system that has been thoroughly and completely dominated by our own. Do middle-class Americans want to have to hang their clothes on outdoor clotheslines to dry, or use public laundromats because owning your own washer and dryer is and “extravagance”, such as it is in almost all of Europe?”
You do realize, of course, that the euro is worth half again as much as the dollar? Today it’s $1 to $1.57. And it wouldn’t hurt middle-class Americans to use solar dryers (I do) to conserve resources, rather than feeling that we have to have every gadget–especially those that do simple work for us, electric can openers for one.
“Something as simple and sacred in America as habeas corpus” is something that it took the Supreme Court to force this administration to honor.
All in all, I see a great deal of self-reliance, independence, and freedom in Europe. We could use a whole lot more here.
Always hopeful
says:The RW and Republicans in general thought John Bolton (who was open about abolishing the U.N.) was a good choice as our representative to the U.N. Remember? When you don’t respect ALL the other kids on the playground, you don’t get any respect back. I think the Europeans are just happy that our potential CIC is HUMBLE in his approach to the rest of the world for a change. When did cooperation and respect become weakness? Oh yeah, when Republicans became ascendant…
FISA
says:Good thing news like this really shades his stance on giving immunity to telcos. Whew, I thought people might actually catch on to FISA. Hey Obama, got any other progressive actions we can take to bring corporations into the same realm as our government?