The Czechs want out of our missile defense plans:
They see the Obama administration as more concerned with appeasing Russia — at their expense…
There’s going to be a lot of necessary bridge rebuilding (and “resetting”) with our real allies after this disastrous administration. Let’s hope it won’t have to wait another five and a half years — it may be too late.
Those bridges wil be incredibly difficult to rebuild. Decades of work will be necessary, over many Administrations.
A betrayal from a person is difficult to forgive, but at least a person can try to credibly claim “… and I won’t do it again.” An elected official has no such power, since the American people could one day in the future do something just as foolish as they did in 2008. The British, Czechs, Poles, Israelis, Saudis, etc. aren’t just taking in Obama’s character, they are reconsidering the character of the American electorate who put him in office. One election in 2012 won’t convince them that 2008 was an anomaly.
Thankfully there is one relationship Obama has managed to not entirely ruin so far, and it’s important one – Japan. Let’s hope he doesn’t try to offer China something really stupid, like territorial rights to various islands in the Sea of Japan, in the next year.
Also, he has the chance, however unlikely, to forge a very strong and meaningful relationship with the most important multi-ethnic democracy in the world after the USA, and of course I mean India (Brazil is #3). The way Pakistan is falling so clearly into the enemy camp an alliance with India to contain and control their animosity is the only long-term solution on the playboard that doesn’t involve just wiping the country off the map with nukes. Let’s wish him luck in that department, however unlikely decisive action in this regard may be.
There’s nothing wrong with the American electorate. Obama didn’t win because people voted for him, he won because they voted against the GOP’s bank bailout. Solution: stop bailing out banks.
And if you ever decide you have to, the company was demonstrably too big-> so split it into five pieces before you appoint five separate bankruptcy trustees who are paid in stock-options of the ‘slice’ they’re in charge of. Sorry if I’m a broken record on this subject.
I vaguely recall GWB being very good on India, Brock.
Carl,
GWB was very good on India. But Indian-US relations have a long way to go from their Cold War nadir, and forming an affirmative anti-Pakistan alliance would be hugely imporant in improving our standing with the Indian people.
I have a hard time seeing Democrats supporting deepening relations with India since they are always the left’s whipping boy for outsourcing. “Dey took ar jauwbs”