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¿Como Estás?
That's what President Obama asked Hugo Chavez during a brief but cordial exchange at the Summit of the Americas yesterday. Politicians are used to two-faced talk, so I'll put on my optimist hat and assume that Obama just wanted to get his initial greeting with Chavez out of the way. The AP article linked here described Obama's approach as having "modesty and a touch of humor". OK. Whatever.
Of greater importance is what Obama said yesterday at the Summit, according to the AP piece:
Here's some more of that classic Obama humor:
Of course, the biggest news was the "thawing of relations" between the U.S. and Cuba. I put that in quotation marks because it doesn't take a genius to realize that when the Cuban regime promises to "put everything on the table", you have to be extremely careful of what they're doing UNDER the table. Talk is talk, and the castros are great at it. Color me a skeptic in this case.
Of course, if President Obama goes too far with this frame of mind:
Of greater importance is what Obama said yesterday at the Summit, according to the AP piece:
"We have at times been disengaged, and at times we sought to dictate our terms," Obama said to loud applause. "But I pledge to you that we seek an equal partnership. There is no senior partner and junior partner in our relations."Is this more of the apologizing that has marked Obama's foreign meet-and-greets? Kind of sounds like it. And about this "equal partnership" thing, Mr. President: you're not using a one-size-fits-all approach, are you? Because not all those leaders down there are exactly on equal footing with us, you know?
Here's some more of that classic Obama humor:
"I'm grateful that President Ortega did not blame me for things that happened when I was three months old," Obama said, to laughter and applause from the other leaders.Yuckity yuk. Bill Ayers must have gotten a real kick out of that one.
Of course, the biggest news was the "thawing of relations" between the U.S. and Cuba. I put that in quotation marks because it doesn't take a genius to realize that when the Cuban regime promises to "put everything on the table", you have to be extremely careful of what they're doing UNDER the table. Talk is talk, and the castros are great at it. Color me a skeptic in this case.
Of course, if President Obama goes too far with this frame of mind:
"I didn't come here to debate the past," Obama said. "I came here to deal with the future ... We must learn from history. But we can't be trapped by it."then I'm afraid anything is possible.
posted by Robert at 7:58 AM
4 Comments:
you write:
"Is this more of the apologizing that has marked Obama's foreign meet-and-greets? "
hombre, are you serious? there is no apoligizing in that statement , just stating reality. You are getting paranoid , like other GOP brothers. Its not apoligizing to state reality. I like this blog, but you have become so weird , knee-jerk Palin-esque these days.
And very anti-latin, although aren't you latin? At least where I live, in the northeast, and among the educated classes, there is no view of Obama as 'apologizer', whether you are right or left. Save that for the Hannity weirdos (represeting 10 percent non-educated, non passport holding vote).
The biggest problem we have with latin america is historically treating them like subjects, whether from right or left. This is not ideology, but just fact. We do this hegomony, in part, b/c Latin American countries are not as powerful or important as big countries we can't push around like china, etc.
Stating the obvious is not apoligizing, the sooner the john birch society types realize this , the sooner we GOPers can get national power again, instead of being some regional southern party forever appealing to only the non-passport holding types. !
Jose,
It sounded like an apology, whether it really was one or not. That's what I wrote.
Geez, Jose...for a "GOPer" you sure sound very liberal. First, you go PC on us stating that my remarks were "anti-Latin". You know what, I'm very proud of my Hispanic roots, but I'm not blind enough to realize that many Latin American countries suffer from severe corruption and leaders who would rather cozy up to people such as fidel castro and blame the U.S. for all their problems than admit that the majority of their ills are self-inflicted. That's why Miami is full of Latin Americans, to seek a better life than what they had in their home countries. I'm sorry if that sounds like I'm thumping my chest in favor of Americans and the USA, but hey I can't help but report the truth.
I've become "Palin-esque", huh? Give me examples, please. Because I would feel proud to be associated with someone who believes in conservative American values the way Mrs. Palin does.
The more I read your comment, the more I get the feeling you're a self-loathing Republican, an arrepentido of sorts. Don't get me wrong, it's OK to be critical of certain things the party says or does, and I certainly do here from time to time. But when you make comments such as "non-passport holding types" and non-educated types" to describe some conservatives, you end up sounding like the "educated" uber-liberal folks you're surrounded by in the Northeast. Sorry, but that's the impression I get.
And the Republican party most certainly wouldn't be well served if it started sounding like that, either.
An addendum: Obama was right when he stated that Latin America needs to stop blaming the U.S. for everything. On that, I agree with him wholeheartedly.
God, even my Chilean husband knows that, putting aside the US meddling, the problems of Latin American countries are its governments and in many cases some of its people.
We Hispanics can have serious cultural problems that anglo-germans obviously did not have.
Does that make my Chilean husband anti-Latin or me for that matter? Hell no, it makes us hones to be able to admit why our countries for the most part are all still neatly in the third world country arena.
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