An absence that speaks volumes

I understand that President Obama is now too busy to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, which signaled the end of the Cold War. So, he can head to Copenhagen to pitch the Olympics, he can stump in VA and NJ, but can't represent his country as the primary force in the victory over totalitarianism? For shame.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2009/11/03/behind_obamas_berlin_wall_snub_98993.html

You can bet your ass Presidents Clinton, Carter, Johnson, Kennedy and Truman would have made the trip.

 

And yet Obama has already recieved more global respect than the last president did in two terms.

Internationally(outside the middle east), Obama is doing alright.

 

It's easy to be loved abroad: apologize.

I prefer that someone stand strongly as an advocate for our country, the beacon of freedom for the rest of the world. We fought a 34 year war with over 100,000 casualties (Korea + Vietnam). Those people deserve to be honored for their sacrifice.

 

There's a reason why Obama is popular outside the United States. It's because he is actively weakening the power, influence, and credibility of the United States abroad.

 

We know that because Bush's fuck the world attitude gained the more influence and credibility abroad?

 

The world is a rough neighborhood. You project influence and credibility through willingness to act. Apologizing for your predecessor is the surest way to make sure the rest of the world treats you like the bitch of Cell Block H.

 

Maybe he doesn't wanna celebrate the nazi's escaping from the clutches of their communist overlords.

 

If Bush is Obama's measuring stick, then many of you have set your expectations extremely low.

 

I don't see why Obama needs to go to this thing at all. It's been 20 years. Send the VP or Sec of State and tell them to place a wreath or something.

 

Yeah, they loved him in Copenhagen. That's why they gave Chicago the Olympics.

 

You're right shooter . . . the world hates Obama.

 

An advocate for our country??? Oh, c'mon, maxiep. Asking Obama to be an "advocate" for the United States is like asking him to go against every instinct in his body. It just ain't gonna happen.

On the other hand, if you need someone to slam our businesses, call us racists, and apoligize for all the "evil" we have done in the world--Obama's your man!!

 

The world doesn't know Obama like we know Obama.

 

Agreed, If the world got to know Obama they'd see that he's an asshole that is actively weakening the power, influence, and credibility of the United States abroad. I mean, why even become president if that's what your goal is??!?!?!?

On the other hand, if they'd just spent a little more time getting to know George W. Bush, they'd see that he's an alright guy. He's really friendly and fun to hang out with.

 

Neither do you.

 

The cold war never ended at all, and the whole tear the wall down propaganda show was perhaps the emptiest symbolic event of the 20th Century.

Much ado about nothing.

 

what does the vietnam war (helping france) and the korean police action (ending up even) have to do with the fall of the berlin wall? If you say communism, I say failing at colonialism.

 

Read about George Kennan and the theory of containment. Communism was viewed as monolithic, meaning Soviet communism and Chinese communism were considered to be the same (something later disproved). The key was to stop the spread of communism. We cared about Indochina, not becuase of the French, but because we didn't want Thailand and the Philippines going communist.

Vietnam and Korea were the primary areas where the Cold War became hot. There were also proxy conflicts in the Third World.

As for colonialism, which countries did we try to colonize? What America does is spill our blood for the freedom of other peoples. We don't try to build an empire. That's what makes America different--and better--than other nations.

 

and I'm calling "protecting the world from communism" another form of colonialism. They are afraid those "dumb natives" will think communism is okay! We went in there and tried to stop them and failed.

 

And that's silly. What do you think communism is? If you don't think "client state" is another term for "Soviet or Chinese colony", then I don't know what else to say to you. You don't think Poland, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, etc. were colonies of the USSR? In contrast, South Korea is one of Asia's strongest democracies. So is Japan. Let's head over to Europe and look at Italy, West Germany and Austria. Did any of those become single party states?

As for failure, we did exactly what we meant to do: stop communism from spreading. I've recommended the book before in the past few days, but read Leslie Gelb's "The Irony of Vietnam: The System Worked".