Obama Attempts To Cool Down Angered Brits By Telling Them He’s Overwhelmed
Amateur hour continues.
First, Obama ticked off the Brits by removing a bust of Churchill from the Oval Office. Then he snubbed the British Prime Minister at the airport, saying there was too much snow to be there to greet him. Then Obama sent the Prime Minister back to his country with an embarrassingly lame gift of DVD movies.
Now Obama is trying to cool down angered Britons by asking them to excuse him because he’s overwhelmed.
Because nothing inspires confidence in a leader’s competence by claiming that a simple state visit is too much for him and his staff.
Sources close to the White House say Mr Obama and his staff have been “overwhelmed” by the economic meltdown and have voiced concerns that the new president is not getting enough rest.
British officials, meanwhile, admit that the White House and US State Department staff were utterly bemused by complaints that the Prime Minister should have been granted full-blown press conference and a formal dinner, as has been customary. They concede that Obama aides seemed unfamiliar with the expectations that surround a major visit by a British prime minister. . . .
Allies of Mr Obama say his weary appearance in the Oval Office with Mr Brown illustrates the strain he is now under, and the president’s surprise at the sheer volume of business that crosses his desk.
A well-connected Washington figure, who is close to members of Mr Obama’s inner circle, expressed concern that Mr Obama had failed so far to “even fake an interest in foreign policy”. . . .
The American source said: “Obama is overwhelmed. There is a zero sum tension between his ability to attend to the economic issues and his ability to be a proactive sculptor of the national security agenda.
“That was the gamble these guys made at the front end of this presidency and I think they’re finding it a hard thing to do everything.”
A breech of protocol here, an incidental diplomatic snub there, can be shrugged off or chuckled away. But having a leader whose resources are taxed by a simple state visit is downright scary.
What’s more, Obama is just two months into his administration. We’ve got four years yet to go.
Again and again we were assured by Obama and his apologists that he was ready to lead. That he’s had more than enough experience to render him ready for this job. And yet, here we are two months into his administration and already it’s getting to him.
When he was elected I and many others pointed out that Obama was about to learn that actually being President is a lot harder than campaigning to be President. It appears as though someone is learning that lesson the hard way right now.
