One sign of how this whole Snowden business has got under president Obama’s skin is that he seems to be losing his celebrated cool and becoming more peevish, as demonstrated in the way he spoke about Russian president Vladimir Putin at yesterday’s press conference.
At a White House news conference on Friday, Obama insisted that he does not have bad personal relations with Putin. The two men had a testy meeting in June in Northern Ireland and from the photos of them at the time, it looked as if they would both rather have been somewhere else.
“I know the press likes to focus on body language, and he’s got that kind of slouch, looking like the bored kid in the back of the classroom. But the truth is that when we’re in conversations together, oftentimes it’s very productive,” Obama said.
This is not the way that leaders on nations should speak of other leaders, at least in public. While there are no reports yet of whether Putin has responded to this slight, the news report says that “Putin’s sending of a telegram wishing former President George W. Bush well after a heart procedure this week was viewed by some Kremlin watchers as a sign that Putin was sending an implicit message to Obama” which prompts the immediate question: People still send telegrams?
But Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov may have been taking a swipe at Obama when he said at a meeting with John Kerry, “Let’s act as adults”.
Yes, let’s do that.
Unfortunately, US politicians no longer behave like adults. I am truly astonished at how childish our politicians are…I wonder if this is another reason why most of the world views us as very power and dangerous children.
May I add: US politicians never behaved like adults. Or at least, they never used the basic rules all other leaders have to play by.
First thing that comes to mind is Lyndon Johnson grabbing Canadian Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson by the collar in 1965. Johnson lifted Pearson *off the floor* and shouted “You pissed on my rug.” The reason? Pearson spoke in a university earlier and told the audience he was contemplating asking the US government for a partnership (I can’t recall for what, but I think it had to do with trade). Traditionally, Canadian PMs would call the White House before making such announcements, and Pearson had not. People later lauded Pearson as so moral for not making a big deal out of it. In fact, we all know Pearson could not make a big deal out of it.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/canada_us/pms-presidents.html
Now let’s pause and try to imagine the US reaction if any leader assaulted the President like that… Seriously, Americans need a good dose of humility.
Gee, the time early in the administration when Obama left Bibi cooling his heels while he went to dinner bothers Prof. Singham not at all. Of course, Bibi is the second coming of Frankenberger and Stalin to the lefties who infest this blog so who cares about him?
Changed your nick?
http://goo.gl/UBf4h2