The response from our “liberal media” on the President’s historic stance on marriage equality? An AP Drudge bait piece on how Barack Obama has killed all the rainbow-farting ponycorns on the entire planet.
In Europe, where more than 200,000 people thronged a Berlin rally in 2008 to hear Barack Obama speak, there’s disappointment that he hasn’t kept his promise to close the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, and perceptions that he’s shunting blame for the financial crisis across the Atlantic.
In Mogadishu, a former teacher wishes he had sent more economic assistance and fewer armed drones to fix Somalia’s problems. And many in the Middle East wonder what became of Obama’s vow, in a landmark 2009 speech at the University of Cairo, to forge a closer relationship with the Muslim world.
In a world weary of war and economic crises, and concerned about global climate change, the consensus is that Obama has not lived up to the lofty expectations that surrounded his 2008 election and Nobel Peace Prize a year later. Many in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America were also taken aback by his support for gay marriage, a taboo subject among religious conservatives.
Whee! Firebagging is an international sport these days. Why hasn’t President Obama used BULLY PULPIT to make Congress fix Europe’s economy and close Gitmo and end all the wars and dammit he’s going to lose the vote in Rio and Dakar and Riyadh because he’s handing Republicans there a wedge issue!
This must be excellent news for Mitt Romney! Of course, the next paragraph is the kicker.
But the Democrat still enjoys broad international support. In large part, it’s because of unfavorable memories of his Republican predecessor, George W. Bush, and many people would still prefer Obama over his presumptive Republican challenger Mitt Romney.
That part of course is left out of the Drudge bait.
Baud
WHY CAN’T OBAMA PLEASE EVERYBODY?! WHAT’S WRONG WITH HIM?
ETA: Zandar, you left out the best part – the title:
JPL
I mentioned this in the lower thread.. The NYTimes has an article about Romney’s views on Russia…link
I don’t understand why the World view of Romney is poor. Of course Romney is also going after China and Iran, too.
Fun Times.
GregB
So let me get this straight, the Republicans and Drudge are now concerned about world opinion?
Could these fucking clowns pick a belief and stick with it for more than 6 months?
David Fud
Wow, president of the world is a new title we need to add to the list of American achievements.
Corner Stone
Well, I can see where people not named Zandar actually give a shit about DRONES in their EEEERRRRYYYWWHERE.
The Gitmo stuff is at least debatable. The financial crisis is global in scope, obviously, even though most of the beneficiaries somehow have MNCs based in the US.
ETA, which is to say, times are tough in a lot of spots both domestically and around the world. A sense of hopelessness and disillusionment is not unexpected.
Frankensteinbeck
Last I checked, the international community thinks Obama is fucking awesome, but they’re really worried that we have such a strong crazy element in our population that there might be a teabag president.
EDIT – He IS pretty controversial in Israel, because they know he won’t side with them if they launch a unilateral attack on anyone they feel like.
texascowgirl
Positive news for President Obama is not allowed ever. Must keep the negative going. Got to have a horse race no matter what.
The MSM and the 1% want President Romney so we must get used to this.
Calouste
About a month or so before every US presidential election, some international polling organization polls thousands of people around the world about who they would vote for. The Democratic candidate tends get about three times the percentage of the Republican candidate and the only places where the Republican gets a majority are typically not considered shining examples of democracy.
Brachiator
Odd. I cannot recall a single story about the recent elections in France and Greece which mentioned Obama at all in the voters’ stinging rebuke of austerity. Must have got edited out somehow.
The shit about world “opinion” on gay marriage is a hoot. I had forgot that the AP could out faux Fox News when it can to right wing propaganda pretending to be journalism.
Roger Moore
@GregB:
Only if Obama shuts up for that long so there are no new liberal positions they have to oppose.
Jennifer
If I was somewhere else in the world looking in, I’m sure I’d be disgusted with the US though perhaps not with Obama. It was US (and European) banksters that fucked the economy, though not on Obama’s watch (though they’re still at their old ways). The bad European economy at this point is more the result of bad European policies, which the Republicans were not allowed to inflict on the US. I’m sure if I were a middle easterner, I wouldn’t be too happy with the drones, but I was even less happy with the war in Iraq. As far as Gitmo, if I had any knowledge of internal US politics, I wouldn’t be blaming that on Obama – I’d be blaming the Republicans. Most of all, I’d just be thankful that the US wasn’t being “led” by GW Bush.
I think what I’d mostly be upset about is the notion that the nation rapidly devolving into the world’s dumbest country is also the nation with the biggest military and nuclear stockpile. As horrifying as that is to me, living here, it’s got to be much worse for a sentient person in another country, knowing that that military and arsenal just might be put to work by the stupid against ME.
The Dangerman
@texascowgirl:
When I’m in a foul mood, I fear it just HAS to be a horse race to keep it within “cheating distance”. It would be shit to have all the polls predicting an Obama win and Romney somehow squeaking out a victory (recall, Kerry looked like the winner in Ohio in 2004, so much so a Republican friend of mine was looking for a nice high ledge).
Clime Acts
I suggest this as the overriding theme to our Democratic presidential campaign: ” Vote Obama: Because his brand of craven looks really awesome next to the broken down, scum fart that is Mitt Romney.”
Ben Franklin
@The Dangerman:
Kerry looked like the winner in Ohio in 2004
With Obama’s campaign dollar advantage, they’re gonna haveta go to war with a bigger swiftboat than they have…
JPL
@Clime Acts: Make sure you buy your made in china USA flags now because after Romney is elected, they might be hard to find.
Bubba Dave
In the defense of the Euros, in any European country I can think of their parliamentary system means their head of government COULD make (their) Congress do what he wanted. It’s hard to explain to somebody who’s used to a rational system that over here it takes 60 votes in the House of Lords to name a @$%^& post office these days.
Neldob
In Hollywood, A Billboard In Support Of WikiLeaks, put there by Epic Steps.com, says “Wikileaks-giving us the truth when everybody else refuses to”.
Amir Khalid
When Obama makes his re-election campaign stop in Kuala Lumpur, I’ll be at the rally just to tell him how disappointed I am with him, and that I’m seriously thinking about voting for Mitt this time.
Kidding aside, I think that much of the disappointment with Obama, if it’s really that, is just the natural let-down after his election. Obama was a big international celebrity during the 2008 campaign, for much the same reasons that he was in America. He had (and still has) tons of personal appeal, a fascinating life story and a tremendous talent for campaigning.
As a statesman, Obama’s had to deal with the world situation as it was, as it would have been for any anyone on the Oval Office. He was never going to be perfect. On the whole, he hasn’t been anywhere near as egregious as George Walker Bush, either; from out here, I figure Obama’s been good enough to earn his second term, especially when compared to the alternative.
I suspect that the rest of Earth would have been at least as disappointed with a President McCain by now — probably even more so. As for Mitt, he can’t even convince Americans that he’s on their side. If Mitt does win the presidency this November, that sound you hear around the world isn’t going to be rejoicing.
Chyron HR
@Clime Acts:
I’m sure it will be of great comfort at the mandatory gay-curing camp to know that Republicans never said anything about their views “evolving”
NobodySpecial
So, which of the quoted people are your dreaded ‘Firebaggers’?
You know, the REAL ones who were right wing moles looking to prop up HRC against his Royal Blackness?
Baud
Why can’t Obama close the deal with working-class Germans?
Davis X. Machina
You may add long-running Digby/Hullaballo sideman David Atkins to the list of not-really-progressives.
Brachiator
@Clime Acts:
Fixt.
Great slogan. Thanks for the suggestion. Keep up the good work.
Corner Stone
Zandar, who else can you pull out of that Harry Potter grab bag when you need to make poutrage against the hated firebaggers?
Bobbo
Interntional acclaim is bad! Much better to be hated by foreigners!
Tonal Crow
With apologies to Tolkien:
Troll sat alone with his brains of stone,
And munched and mumbled a bare old bone;
For many a year he had gnawed it near,
For insight was hard to come by.
Done by! Gum by!
Under a bridge on the ‘net he dwelt alone,
And insight was hard to come by.
Anoniminous
Unless Romney can carry both Ohio and Florida Obama will be re-elected. With Obama carrying, at this date, the Woman vote by double digits, with Women projected to be fifty two to fifty three percent of the vote in 2012, with the GOP male vote concentrated in states Obama has no hope of taking, e.g., Alabama, RomBot faces an impossible task.
Now add he will have to shift hard to the Right to continue to hold the GOP
dumbfucksBase and it gets even harder.Plus, unseating a sitting President is the hardest task in US politics.
Will it take work, money, organization, & yadda-yadda to re-elect Obama? Of course. If all that is accomplished the chance of re-elect is somewhere around 80%.
EvolutionaryDesign
@Clime Acts: Keep fucking that chicken!
Just Some Fuckhead
This could be the thread where we solve the eternal conundrum, Obama, Biggest Disappointment Ever or Obama, Best President Ever.
What makes this so tricky to solve is at least half the folks involved will be be trying to solve the Obot conundrum of Obama, Best President Ever or Obama, Most Amazing President Ever.
So I propose we start with the first scenario and ONLY after it is solved, progress to the second scenario.
Julia Grey
Her Royal Clintoness?
Just Some Fuckhead
People, roles!
Zandar, get off the floor and stop crying. Obama will be okay.
Corner Stone
May I be the first to congratulate the AP for their induction into the Professional Left.
Milt Shook sends you his regards.
Ben Franklin
Her Royal Clintoness?
I believe the sentiment is ‘more Muhammed Ali, less Jackie Robinson’.
Clime Acts
@Chyron HR:
I’m sure you miswrote here, and actually meant to be more accurate in saying that they never LIED about their views evolving.
myiq2xu
I’m not disappointed. Obama has exceeded my expectations.
Just Some Fuckhead
@Corner Stone:
I knew this was coming. The AP has been acting like a bunch of fucking retards since I can remember.
Clime Acts
@EvolutionaryDesign:
That is really clever! Did you just make up that widely used internet meme yourself?
Jeff Spender
@Clime Acts:
Oh, Saint Clime Acts, one who has never lied for personal gain, please tell us how to live our lives, that we may please the Lord God of Purity.
Please, O Sainted One, tell us of our transgressions that we may live up to the expectations and mores which you deem to be wholly decent and right.
Please, O One Who Speaks to God, tell us about how to delude ourselves into thinking a politician isn’t going to play politics and win an election that we may be as blind as you.
Long story short: dude, yeah, he probably lied. But we don’t exactly live in a wholly decent society, do we?
My good friend and I had a conversation recently in which she recounted how her father, who was a crusader in the civil rights movement, said that the conservatives are using the exact same tricks and phrases (“special rights” instead of “equal rights”) for the gay rights movement that they used for the civil rights movement.
Now is not the time for your bitching and moaning. Now is the time to win this god damn fight.
Stop being a whiny bitch.
You need to get over it.
Mike in NC
Another quote from the article:
Because foreigners just love dumbass American politicians who see Axes of Evil around every bend and insist on “you are with us or against us” type shit.
EvolutionaryDesign
@Clime Acts: Thank you for saying I’m clever! I was pretty sure I was going to get a homophobic tag from you!
Mathias
Take a deep breath, Zandar. What, besides the irrelevant add-on about religious conservatives, do you find incorrect? Gitmo is open, Wall Street still operates and thieves with impunity, he has murdered innocents with his drone strikes, including in Somalia, he has a horrible approval rating throughout the Muslim world, and much of the world has grown weary of our wars and our refusal to acknowledge and address climate change. Which one of those listed grievances do you find to be untrue? This reflexive Obama defending is really quite unbecoming. And the whiny, juvenile habit of responding to every criticism of Obama by suggesting that those who point out Obama’s shortcomings are somehow suggesting that he is worse than Bush is intellectually callow. If you are unable to maintain a level head when reading about Obama criticism, you should probably spend your free time doing something less emotionally stressful and mentally taxing. Otherwise we’ll have to take up a fund to get you a fainting couch.
Ben Franklin
Man. This thread truly died a death of neglect.
The Sheriff's A Ni-
Amazing, isn’t it? Obama puts more space between his policies and Rmoney’s, and suddenly its a derpstorm of ‘both sides are still bad’ bullshit.
Firebaggery is not a cause, its a purpose that gives its followers’ meaning. I also hear it pays well.
FlipYrWhig
@The Sheriff’s A Ni-: At least we don’t hear as much anymore about Donnie McClurkin.
Rafer Janders
Oh no! He’s lost the Mogadishu vote! All of Somalia’s electoral votes will go to Romney instead!
Brachiator
@Mathias:
Pretty much all of them. Why do you insist on omitting context, pretending that Obama governs by himself?
Congress ferociously fought back against attempts to close Gitmo, almost as ferociously as they fought to kill financial reform. The last time I looked, our participation in the war in Iraq had ended, and the world was very much concerned with wars all over the place. Also, don’t you see it as odd that a world so weary with our wars would encourage us to get involved in a war in Libya and are seeking to get us involved in the war in Syria?
You need to talk to China and India about climate change.
Drones are problematic, but it is a Big Lie to imply that drones have only killed innocents. And don’t push this off on “the world.” if you want to make a case that the US should not be involved in military action anywhere in the world, and that terrorists should only be pursued by the use of police investigation and intelligence work, go ahead and do so.
There is Obama criticism. And there are lies. What you are regurgitating is not criticism.
Corner Stone
Drone strikes in Yemen: US expert warns of anti-western sentiment
Yep, always a mystery why the firebaggers in MENA may have different opinions than Zandar.
“The former head of the CIA’s counter-terrorism centre has warned that the use of drone strikes in Yemen risks turning militants into “dedicated enemies of the west”.”
…
“His comments came after the resignation of the US ambassador to Pakistan, Cameron Munter, who is said to have clashed with the CIA over its drone programme. On Sunday, a US drone attack in Yemen killed a top al-Qaida leader who was on the FBI’s most wanted list.”
AA+ Bonds
Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh all of those things are true though; polls of the international community show that people are pissed that Obama hasn’t done those things, but also that they all dislike and distrust the Republicans more
Why is this a surprise – the world is to the left of U.S. liberals and so the people in it behave like people to the left of U.S. liberals
Don’t bury your goddamned head in the sand
AA+ Bonds
And even if you think the left in America has an obligation to be browbeaten and shushed into stopping all criticism of Obama from the left (which will be bad for the Democrats and bad for you as a liberal)
. . . well, why don’t you just go ahead and try to convince the REST of the world that their opinions should be withheld until OUR election is done, really, have fun with that, I bet it will go over great!
SMH at American supremacism – we can’t back it up yall
Jay
“International House Of Pain Cakes”
Is that a Terry Tate reference?
lawguy
@Brachiator: Well if and that is a big IF you are right then it doesn’t matter who is president, cause he just can’t do much.
As far as “the world” wanting to get us involved in various wars, I think you might be referring to those who rule the world.
Finally, in all probability drones don’t only kill innocents, but they sure kill more of them then terrorists.
Brachiator
@AA+ Bonds:
The rest of the world has been consumed with their own elections and other issues. And Greece is not only struggling with austerity, but also trying to form a new government. I don’t get the sense that what is happening in the US right now is ranking very high on their agenda.
Corner Stone
Fucking firebaggers.
Ben Franklin
One of the reasons we’re fucked in Assghanistan is the Night Raid idiocy.
Obama kept McChrystal, one of the architects of this stupidity, on board until he finally fired the fucker’s ass.
It created more animus than the drones, IMO. Pat Tillmans’ Ghost attests to it.
Citizen_X
So…we made the German banks make all those sleazy loans in Greece? Hokay…
Brachiator
@Corner Stone:
How would you prefer that this leader have been dealt with?
Another article in the same issue of the Guardian notes the following.
Crippling US drone attacks forced Osama bin Laden to consider withdrawing his fighters from what had previously been safe havens in Pakistan, according to newly released documents seized at the compound where the al-Qaida leader was killed a year ago.
Memorandums between Bin Laden and his subordinates, made public by the US military’s Combating Terrorism Center on Thursday, also revealed that with support eroding in the Muslim world because of the large number of civilians killed by al-Qaida and its affiliates, he wanted to focus “every bow and arrow” at US targets even at the expense of attacks on other countries, such as Britain, and Nato forces. Bin Laden said it would be a good idea to kill Barack Obama because then an “utterly unprepared” Joe Biden would become president.
But while the al-Qaida leader plotted the downfall of the US, he was forced to acknowledge that American drone attacks were taking a toll on his followers in Afghanistan and Pakistan’s Waziristan region, and to contemplate withdrawing forces. He wrote:
Bin Laden said the air attacks made it necessary to keep reserves back from the “front line”.
“The reserves will not, for the most part, be effective in such conflicts. Basically, we could lose the reserves to enemy’s air strikes. We cannot fight air strikes with explosives!” he said.
He also said that commanders with experience needed to be got out of the area.
ETA. Still, let’s say that the use of drones is unacceptable, even when they achieve the objective of weakening Al Qaeda. What alternative do you suggest?
Frankensteinbeck
@Corner Stone:
Why, yes, a former Bush official DOES think Obama is doing it wrong, in an article that somehow leaves out that the people being bombed are rebels in rebel-held areas who already actively support anti-US terrorism and that there are only two ways to strike at – bombing (in which case, why not a drone?) or troops-on-the-ground military action. Egads. This is certainly proof that drones are evil and ruining our international political position.
Corner Stone
First of all, I utterly reject any suggestion that OBL had any relevant operational role in modern AQ or AQAP units.
So the mutterings and silly ass aspirations of a senile shut-in don’t really stack too high for me, IMO.
Downfall of the US? Death of our elected leader? Sounds like he’d been reading too many Tom Clancy novels.
But, wrt drones. Oh, sorry Zandar. With respect to DRONES in my EEEERRRRYYYWWHERE, I suggest there is some type of oversight into these programs, primarily. There has been report after report that private contractors are under cost and time pressure to authorize attacks, and there is no counter to balance these outcomes. Therefore, they are a rapidly growing industry with a mercenary motive, not justice. Or any other slogan.
I’d also like it if we were a little more transparent on why we’re killing the targets we’re killing. Just telling me someone is linked to the USS Cole bombing is not good enough. I don’t need sources and methods but the USG spokesperson is way too thin for someone to tell me to just swallow it and go.
Corner Stone
@Frankensteinbeck: A little naive, aren’t you?
Or are you seriously suggesting that people in Yemen and Pakistan, Afghanistan don’t resent drone strikes that pulp out wedding parties and 40 civilians to get one named target that Saudi Arabian “intelligence” fingered for us?
Ben Franklin
@Frankensteinbeck:
No need to shat yerself. Try not to double-down when your defense includes the rejection of offensive rebounds ala Phil Jackson.
JWL
“In large part, it’s because of unfavorable memories of his Republican predecessor, George W. Bush, and many people would still prefer Obama over his presumptive Republican challenger Mitt Romney”.
Europeans- hell, everyone on the planet- should memorize one of Hunter Thompson’s final, primal wisdom/good words.. It should be taught in schools.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the Good Doctor:
“We have become a Nazi monster in the eyes of the whole world, a nation of bullies and bastards who would rather kill than live peacefully. We are not just Whores for power and oil, but killer whores with hate and fear in our hearts. We are human scum, and that is how history will judge us. No redeeming social value. Just whores. Get out of our way, or we’ll kill you. Who does vote for these dishonest shitheads? Who among us can be happy and proud of having all this innocent blood on our hands? Who are these swine? These flag-sucking half-wits who get fleeced and fooled by stupid little rich kids like George Bush? They are the same ones who wanted to have Muhammad Ali locked up for refusing to kill gooks. They speak for all that is cruel and stupid and vicious in the American character. They are the racists and hate mongers among us; they are the Ku Klux Klan. I piss down the throats of these Nazis. And I am too old to worry about whether they like it or not. Fuck them.” 2004
Binky Bear
@lawguy: Nope, all we have to do is declare them all terrorists. Problem solved.
Corner Stone
@Frankensteinbeck: I guess these guys are former GWB officials too?
Or maybe they aren’t to be trusted because they live amongst the people getting blown to bits. I’m sure you’ll have a perfectly apologetic response at the ready shortly.
Just for Cameron Munter
“Whatever US is doing in the name of global war on terror is simply adding more to the number of enemies. When a blind drone runs after a target, though it succeeds in hitting that target but along with that it takes lives of so many innocent children and women also. This brutality gives birth to a long row of those who are always eager to take revenge of their innocent loved ones and the names of such people are ultimately added to the long list of those who are a grave threat to the US security and survival. Things must be reviewed and revised. It is never wise to make more enemies by generating more hostility and nurturing more hatred.”
General Stuck
Very puny firebagger counter attack, but a pittance of what it once was.
This is good news
Fo ME!!
Ben Franklin
Fo ME!!
..of the verklempt ‘Posse”, eh pard’ner?
General Stuck
@Ben Franklin:
Speaking in tongues again, Franklin? You sound like a mouthful of corner stone.
Egg Berry
@Corner Stone:
Are drones blind? I thought they had pilots in a room somewhere.
Corner Stone
@Egg Berry: No, they just have a little longer white stick when they run in country.
Nathanael
Oh, Obama’s Presidency is a disappointment… but as you point out, the main alternatives (Bush? McCain? Romney?) are UTTER FLAMING CATASTROPHE UPON CATASTROPHE, Book of Revelation style.
Given those options, disappointment seems pretty good.
Corner Stone
DRONES up in mah EEEERRRRYYYWWHHERE!!
U.S. drone strikes kill 10 suspected militants in Yemen
“Two air strikes destroyed three vehicles and killed 10 militants in the eastern oil-producing Maarib province and near the border of the southeastern Shabwa province, the Defense Ministry website said, without elaborating.”
Hmmm. Somehow the number of dead “militants” keeps changing. Not unusual, I guess. And the Defense Ministry doesn’t elaborate on what happened. Not unusual, I guess.
Maybe it should strike someone as unusual that none of this is unusual?
Ah, probably not, I guess.