While the observation may have some truth to it, as our CEO, Obama should not be the one publicly making the statement.  It seems to be his way of distancing himself from the "erroneous path" he feels his predecessors have taken.  And now, with Obama in office, he will right the ship and save the day.  Just ask him.  All at the cost of our Constitutionally protected freedoms and God-given rights.  What he fails to realize is that the Constitution is all that stands between him and the pitchforks!  If he attempts to take it away, he deserves what will happen.........

Anyone who tries to kiss up other countries like that or bow to a Saudi king in a manner "unbecoming of a U.S. president"  is a complete skunk not worthy of our respect and should be read the riot act. Maybe then he will be exposed once and for all as the conniving, perhaps even criminally fraudulent, usurper of the presidency that I believe he is. Even if the original birth certificate that he refuses to make available to us as part of his sworn oath to uphold the Constitution shows that he indeed was born in Honolulu, I'll then take that as a smokescreen aimed at deflecting attention away from the inconvenient fact that his Kenyan father's British citizenship makes Barry Soetoro aka Barack Obama a British subject according to British law.

A complete weasel, he is. And I detest weasels.

[censored. by admin. because blacks can call each other the N word but god forbid you use it.  How do they know I'm not black and entitled to that word?  I'm entitled to call myself a fag, a piece of burning wood, and I call my cousin's social group Dykes on Bikes because that's its name.  I feel I can use the N word because I have black in me.  Well, not right now, but I have in the past, and they say once you are black you never go back so I feel I should still be entitled to it, and reparations as well.]

Where were your pitchforks when the previous administration was chipping away at the Constitution Horatio? Or is it okay to toss the 4th and 6th Amendments out the window as long as it's to fight terrorism, be the targets actual terrorists or not... Maybe you'd like to toss the whole Bill of Rights as long as the 2nd Amendment is retained. Wouldn't that be fun.

I don't recall the troops captured from Germany and Japan getting the same constitutional rights as US citizens during WWII.  In fact, the Japanese who were here legally were rounded up by the Democrat Roosevelt and thrown in to concentration camps...

I don't know where or how President O gets his information.  I can tell you that as a frequent visitor to many areas of Europe I have never experienced any of this “insidious” anti-Americanism of which he speaks.   I was in France for the 50th anniversary of D-day.  I was there with senior citizens who were former members of the 1st infantry "The Big Red One".  You would be impressed to see the way every where we went the people of the towns could not do enough to honor those veterans. Everyone wanted to shake their hands and there were banquets and celebrations at every place we visited.  The same warm reception was given this group in the other European countries we visited during this trip. But I don't suppose any of those happy sights made the nightly news.  Bad news and news of people behaving badly gets all of the attention.  The powers that be in the News Industry only dole out to the citizens the news that suits their agenda. OMG I sound like Infowar.  Yes there are demonstrations against the various wars the US participates in. And yes we get to hear all about those demonstrations.  Gee the same thing happens here.  I can assure you that in the 24 years that I have been traveling to Europe not one person has ever treated me as an Ugly American.  IMHO the average person in Europe does not hate the average American.  They may disagree about the policies of our government and they may abhor the financial upheaval that has resulted almost worldwide because of the greed of American Financial Experts and their shenanigans but they DO NOT hate Americans.

A President who knows the truth and speaks it?

Yeah, I'm all for it.

Best thing is, he can change that unfortunate episode in 'cross the pond' relations.

<edit> "They may disagree about the policies of our government and they may abhor the financial upheaval that has resulted almost worldwide because of the greed of American Financial Experts and their shenanigans but they DO NOT hate Americans."

Exactly. I think if you read the President's words and compare it with this sentence, you will see how closely in agreement you are with him.

Perhaps The Big Zero may be viewed as spreading his own "insidious" anti-Americanism if he fails to appoint an ambassador acceptable to the Vatican. How embarrassing that would be for his administration. Perhaps my fellow Catholic, Dirtyshirt, can enlighten us on the ramifications of that. On the plus side for the Usurper-in-Chief and his supportive illegitimizers, it would avoid the prospect of him showing the kind of reverence that he lavished on the Saudi king.

spam code: IZFOE (O is a foe, all right)

Nancy:  When I heard of that, the first thing I thought was that he should speak for himself.  It's certainly refreshing that he can be objective enough to see that he is arrogant and dismissive and, I believe he said, "divisive."  However, he should have kept those particular comments as coming from him personally.  He's certainly not speaking for me.  In general, I think he needs to get some crash courses in etiquette. 

Funny Ron, most people see the detention camps of WWII as a bad thing... a violation of the Constitution that should not have happened and that should never happen again. You just see it as justification for doing more of the same then?

 ...appoint an ambassador acceptable to the Vatican.

??? Why not one to Disney World while he's at it.

Nancy

I believe he was speaking of the last administration and their lack of foreign policy finesse.

The real America is US.  You, me, Witters, Cat and so on.     And that's where the power of America lies too.   As soon as the average American realizes this the sooner we'll make positive changes in how America's viewed by our own leaders as well as those abroad.   We need to flex our collective muscle.

I don't know where or how President O gets his information.  I can tell you that as a frequent visitor to many areas of Europe I have never experienced any of this “insidious” anti-Americanism of which he speaks. 

How soon we forget Vice President Cheney's smarmy use of the word "freedom fries".  That  word exemplifies the last administrations total lack of foreign policy understanding.    And, he lived to regret it.

The theme of this post, and the comments added on later by our Conservative friends, is a grand example of confusing whole for part.

Here we have a President clearly and coherently talking about the foreign policies of his predecessor and using the term "America" to rightly represent the administration and its supporters. 

You DO remember "Freedom Fries", don't you?

Obama didn't say you refused to say "French Fries", but he is recognizing, correctly, that it happened.

Why do you insist on taking it personally? Is it because you actually were one of those who spouted anti-European blather for the last 8 years, but hoped to duck behind the anonymity of numbers?

If you weren't one of those, as I wasn't, then this commentary is very easy to listen to. It wasn't me. Really wasn't.

This is NOT how I see America.

It is however America as seen through the eyes of the company BHO keeps: (Bernardine Dohrn, Bill Ayres etc) .  Honestly folks, this is what he was saying all along during his campaign!   How on earth can anyone be surprised?  

Hang on to your hats folks while we continue riding the "Obama Express to Socialism".   Funny, even the Dems in Congress are starting to stare in wonder at his wholesale sell-out of American principles.   The indebtedness he is incurring will not be paid off by your grandchildren's grandchildren and in fifteen years we will be an impotent banana republic unable to influence world affairs.  

WoW!  Child abuse of generations yet to be born.  Whatta legacy for Obama and the Democratic Party!

curtdalton: I'm thinking you know very little about the company BHO keeps - what you have listed (2 names of passing acquaintances by all responsible sources and the all-important "etc" which in this case refers to a list of .... what?.... White House guards? members of Congress? his famously bipartisan Cabinet?)

Then the reference to possible dissent by Dems (suddenly not a monolithic force with a single mind, thank God) but no reference, so who knows what you're talking about here...

The fact of debt is true enough. Shall I look for your howls of protest in the archives of bako.com for the unprecedented growth of that debt under Bush?

The legacy being formed in our time is the one of the final days of the Republican Party and its followers who lost interest in rational thought and the truth.

I hope this doesn't include you.

Again: history, proportion, references.

While the Democrats managed to hang this financial nightmare around the neck of Republicans during the last election cycle, the truth of the matter is much different than the Democratic talking points....

When the call for reform came out in 2004 (BY THE REPUBLICANS) the Democrats Pooh-Poo'd it as a non-problem (probably due to a clear conflict of interest).  Well, the Republicans were right and it was the willful malfaesence by the Democrats that caused this financial melt-down.

See for yourself in the Democrats own words:  http://www.youtube.com/watc... 

CurtDalton: any responsible student of history would allow that there were huge mistakes made on both sides of the aisle. The deregulation movement, however, is the bread and butter of the Republican Party.

As a test of this truth: put your fingers under your jaw until you can feel your pulse.

Then read this sentence out loud: "if it weren't for government regulations and oversight, food safety would have been non-existent; construction would have been hazardous; the rich would have emptied the treasury; there would be oilfields instead of national parks and infant mortality rates would be higher."

I don't know, I just threw a few ideas into one sentence, but I suspect that ought to do it.

So: tell me - what is the TRUTH about Republicans and Conservatives and government regulation?

The theme of this post, and the comments added on later by our Conservative friends, is a grand example of confusing whole for part.

I agree, here are Obama's words in a slightly enhanced contex, I've hightlighted the words arrogance, dismissive, insidious, and anti-Americanism: 


"We take for granted the peace of a Europe that's united, but for centuries Strasbourg has been attacked and occupied and claimed by the warring nations of this continent. Now, today in this city, the presence of the European Parliament and the Council of Europe stand as symbols of a Europe that is united, peaceful and free. (Applause.)

Now, we take this peace and prosperity for granted, but this destination was not easily reached, nor was it predestined. The buildings that are now living monuments to European union -- unity were not drawn from simple blueprints. They were born out of the blood of the first half of the 20th century and the resolve of the second. Men and women had to have the imagination to see a better future and the courage to reach for it. Europeans and Americans had to have the sense of common purpose to join one another, and the patience and the persistence to see a long twilight struggle through.

It was 61 years ago this April that a Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe helped to deliver hope to a continent that had been decimated by war. Amid the ashes and the rubble that surrounded so many cities like this one, America joined with you in an unprecedented effort that secured a lasting prosperity not just in Europe but around the world, on both sides of the Atlantic.

One year later, exactly 60 years ago tomorrow, we ensured our shared security when 12 of our nations signed a treaty in Washington that spelled out a simple agreement: an attack on one would be viewed as an attack on all.

Without firing a single shot, this alliance would prevent the Iron Curtain from descending on the free nations of Western Europe. It would lead eventually to the crumbling of a wall in Berlin and the end of the communist threat.

Two decades later, with 28 member nations that stretch from the Baltic to the Mediterranean, NATO remains the strongest alliance that the world has ever known.

At the crossroads where we stand today, this shared history gives us hope, but it must not give us rest. This generation cannot stand still. We cannot be content merely to celebrate the achievements of the 20th century or enjoy the comforts of the 21st century. We must learn from the past to build on its success. We must renew our institutions, our alliances. We must seek the solutions to the challenges of this young century. This is our generation. This is our time. And I am confident that we can meet any challenge, as long as we are together. (Applause.)

Now, such an effort is never easy. It's always harder to forge true partnerships and sturdy alliances than to act alone, or to wait for the action of somebody else. It's more difficult to break down walls of division than to simply allow our differences to build and our resentments to fester.

So we must be honest with ourselves. In recent years, we've allowed our alliance to drift. I know that there have been honest disagreements over policy, but we also know that there's something more that has crept into our relationship.

In America, there's a failure to appreciate Europe's leading role in the world. Instead of celebrating your dynamic union and seeking to partner with you to meet common challenges, there have been times where America has shown arrogance and been dismissive, even derisive.

But in Europe, there is an anti-Americanism that is at once casual but can also be insidious. Instead of recognizing the good that America so often does in the world, there have been times where Europeans choose to blame America for much of what's bad.

On both sides of the Atlantic, these attitudes have become all too common. They are not wise. They do not represent the truth. They threaten to widen the divide across the Atlantic and leave us both more isolated. They fail to acknowledge the fundamental truth that America cannot confront the challenges of this century alone, but that Europe cannot confront them without America.

So I've come to Europe this week to renew our partnership, one in which America listens and learns from our friends and allies, but where our friends and allies bear their share of the burden. Together, we must forge common solutions to our common problems.

So let me say this as clearly as I can: America is changing, but it cannot be America alone that changes. We are confronting the greatest economic crisis since World War II. The only way to confront this unprecedented crisis is through unprecedented coordination.

Over the last few days, I believe that we have begun that effort. The G-20 summit in London was a success of nations coming together, working out their differences and moving boldly forward.

All of us are moving aggressively to restore growth and lending. All of us have agreed to the most substantial overhaul of our international financial system in a generation. No one is exempt. No more will the world's financial players be able to make risky bets at the expense of ordinary people. Those days are over. We are ushering a new era of responsibility. (Applause.) And that is something we should all be proud of. (Applause continues.)

As we take these steps, we also affirm that we must not erect new barriers to commerce, that trade wars have no victors. We can't give up on open markets, even as we work to ensure that trade is both free and fair. We cannot forget how many millions that trade have -- has lifted out of poverty and into the middle class. We can't forget that part of the freedom that our nation stood for throughout the Cold War was the opportunity that comes from free enterprise and individual liberty."

 

The deregulation movement?? Democrats controlled congress beginning in 2006.  It was the regulations promulgated by the democrats that was the catalyst of this mess.  And their complete lack of oversight over the last 3 years, which continues today.   At least their friends at Fanny Mae and Freddie Mac will get their retention bonuses, which will then be converted to Democrat donations...

Sometimes friendships are strained and tested when people don't see eye to eye.  Being sovereign nations, one can hardly expect us to agree on everything another country does behind its own borders.

Personally, I approved of Bush's cowboy diplomacy.  It made me feel good to be an American again and not some trendsetter trying to follow a politically correct model of European powers that is far from perfect.  Ethnic violence flares up even in France, one of the most welcoming and liberal of countries.

I think the European hegemony forgets how much they owe to the US after our involvement in the successful conclusion of WWII.  And what about our pact with NATO and the dismantling of the threat against the Soviet Union.  We could just have easily have left these countries to suffer their respected fates against tyrants like Hitler & Mussolini but we didn't - we risked American lives and commited significant resources in protecting them and restructuring Europe after the war.  I find the Europeans to be somewhat ungrateful in their attitude toward us.  We're regard as the uncivilized red headed step children on the block and we're not welcome or applauded by their people or their leaders unless we're succumbing to their demands on our money, military and time.  Ask yourself -what has Europe down for us except given us some rather bland food, art and fashions.  Their heyday is over, and nothing they offer is worth Americans dying for.

The next time Europe is in trouble we should let them fend for themselves while we enjoy periods of prolonged isolationism or, better yet, an economic boom when we start to sell arms to their enemies.  Maybe then they'll wish they had treated us with a little more respect as their decadent culture starts to collapse around them.