Obama bungles Asia tour

[_bcspace]

Diplomacy: So amid all the colorful and flirty photos from President Obama's first tour of Southeast Asia, what did he actually accomplish? As usual, he served himself politically in what was largely a Potemkin mission abroad.

It was obvious enough from the rubelike gaffes that the president hasn't been particularly interested or attentive to the affairs of Thailand, Burma or Cambodia as he made his first trip since his re-election. It was pretty much all style over substance.

In his tour of Burma, billed as a historic first visit since Burma's 2007 move to democracy, it was clear he was in way over his head, even on small things. Obama repeatedly referred to the country's Nobel Peace Prize-winning leader Aung San Suu Kyi as Aung Yan Suu Kyi, an astonishing error given her global fame.

He also bungled the norms of Burmese polite address, calling Thein Sein, the nation's leader "President Sein," an error comparable to addressing Cambodia's Pol Pot as Mr. Pot.

But he also undermined his supposed democracy mission, first by telling the Burmese leaders that he too wished he could govern without opposition, calling into question whether he himself believed in the representative government he was advocating.

It didn't help that he ignored the real heroes who helped push Burma toward a more open system — President and Mrs. Bush, as well as Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, Sens. John McCain and Mitch McConnell, seeming to take credit for it himself.

That emptiness of purpose left showy photo-ops in all three countries, with the president flirting around with Thailand's photogenic Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and visiting the Buddha statues, effectively trivializing Thailand as a tourist trap instead of a major trading partner and the U.S.'s oldest ally in Asia.

Neither trade nor military matters were addressed substantively. Obama's lecture to Thailand about its democracy needing "improvement" was a fairly strong signal that he had no intention of restoring free-trade talks with the Thais, who lost their access to that a few years ago after a military coup that has since restored democracy.

The other cornerstone of the U.S.-Thai relationship — the military — wasn't advanced either, given Obama's efforts to cut the U.S. Navy to 1918 levels even as he talks of a "strategic pivot" to Asia.

No substance, no influence. Nothing underlined this quite like the lack of crowds greeting Obama in all three nations. When a leader's visit is cause for hope and a catalyst for change — think Pope John Paul II's 1978 Poland visit — crowds turn out. Obama, supposedly representing the greatest nation on earth, couldn't draw so much as an Occupy-sized crowd. Nor did he draw respect.

On his trip to Cambodia, a country he claimed didn't deserve a visit due to its strongman government, first lady Bun Rany greeted Obama with a traditional "sampeah" pressed-hands greeting reserved for servants, a little dig that was probably lost on him but not to Asians.

So what is really Obama's tour about? Apparently a get-out-of-town photo-op all about himself as a means of avoiding pressing problems back home. The Asians deserve better — and so do the Americans.

http://news.investors.com/ibd-editorial ... z2CsnmLciF

[_Everybody Wang Chung]

bcspace,

We all get it. The President of the United States happens to be black and that bothers you.

[_bcspace]

He's not black. Not in any sense many blacks themselves, in typical NAACP racist fashion, often determine who is "black". Would have loved to have seen Condie Rice in the mix. Mia Love garnered my financial support (rare for me to donate to any campaign), though not being in her state, I couldn't vote for her. Your claim is analogous to the logical fallacy of calling someone a closet homosexual if they are opposed to the homosexual agenda and is typical of someone who has no intelligent answer to the facts at hand.

[_Everybody Wang Chung]

bcspace,

Your guy Mitt lost. Get over it and stop constantly spewing forth your hatred for the President of the United States. It's not healthy or conducive to the Spirit. And, franklly it's getting tiresome. You have been doing this for years and years....

Here's the reality. America is going to be just fine. Over the next four years our economy will continue its slow climb out of the mess that Bush gave us. We will get out of the horrible and counter-productive wars that Bush gave us. We will continue to prosper and will be a much stonger country than Bush left us with.

It's time to show some support for our leader, bcspace. That is unless you have a problem showing your support for someone born in Kenya. You tea baggers are hilarious.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fm5IEWot ... re=related

[_Eric]

bcspace,

We all get it. The President of the United States happens to be black and that bothers you.

He's not black.

Well that settles it.

Your claim is analogous to the logical fallacy of calling someone a closet homosexual if they are opposed to the homosexual agenda and is typical of someone who has no intelligent answer to the facts at hand.

Homophobes Might Be Hidden Homosexuals

[_Brackite]

He's not black.

President Barack Obama is black.

From Wikipedia:

He is the first African American to hold the office.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama

[_subgenius]

President Barack Obama is black.

actually it is more accurate to state that he is "Mulatto".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulatto

but i suppose that does not carry the same political weight with Dems...they are so proud of their little Buckwheat, how they love to parade him around.

[_Everybody Wang Chung]

actually it is more accurate to state that he is "Mulatto".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulatto

but i suppose that does not carry the same political weight with Dems...they are so proud of their little Buckwheat, how they love to parade him around.

Congratulations, subgenius!

With your above post, I think you managed to convince the two or three posters here who didn't already know you were a racist. It's now safe to assume that 100% of the posters here now know.

Also, it's good to know that you harbor no ill feelings since getting spanked at the election.

God bless,

Uncle Wang

[_Eric]

actually it is more accurate to state that he is "Mulatto".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulatto

but i suppose that does not carry the same political weight with Dems...they are so proud of their little Buckwheat, how they love to parade him around.

WOW. I'd be damned ashamed if I wrote that. I didn't know Mormons were allowed to be Klansmen.



Post Script:

Where are the Outrage Police, like Pahoran and company? Why aren't they jumping at the chance to condemn this racist idiot?

[_Tarski]

they are so proud of their little Buckwheat, how they love to parade him around.

Subgenius? More like subhuman.

Since you obviously don't value respect let me match your tastes by pointing out that Mitt Romney is a liar who worships money, Gorden B. Hinkley was a cult leading troll and Joe Smith a lying souless manipulative sociopath that was never potty trained.
Oh and Thomas S. Monson is a smug and hideous penguin who never met an actual widow.

Then there is your mother......

lol