I have to admit that I like(d) Colin Powell; he'd have made a better President that GW Bush..... I think he was in the news a few days ago though for having been shown to have lied over something or other.
Good point! Blowing up a few allies is one thing, blowing up a whole aircraft carrier when returning 'home' from an unsuccessful mission would be really inexcusable!
Well, let's agree that we all make mistakes.........it's gone midnight here, and I have a lot to do tomorrow as a certain young lady is flying out to see me here on Good Friday (for 9 days woohoo!) and I'll be in trouble if the villa isn't spotless when she gets here!
You're not proud of the fact that he is giving your country good PR?
Oh well, I am sure you can justify your stance to yourself and that's all that really matters, isn't it?
By the way I supported Bush re. Iraq; even after there were no WMD found I still believed he'd done the right thing.......... just the post war planiing was total crap and I was 'crying' when I saw troops being shipped out so soon after the invasion phase succeeded when you actually needed at least five times more troops to win the peace after the short conventional war was over.
Bush wasn't all bad, but he was not a good communicator and he lacked charisma. He was elected not once but twice by the USA electorate and his unpopularity did your country a lot of damage on the world stage.
I believe he did what he thought was right; the fact that he made mistakes kinda eluded his conscious mind - he was humble enough to say he'd made mistakes but when asked in an interview he couldn't think of a single example!
I'd say that if you are indeed one of those patriotic Americans you should give your democratically elected President a chance even if your wealth of experience and knowledge makes you feel cynical about his ability to change anything.
Heck - he already has changed opinions of millions of people about the USA!..............
Literally millions of people have opened up their hearts and minds to your country because your new President has changed perceptions - how can you knock a man who has put your country in a higher world standing that it was just a few weeks ago?
Yes - it's an almost universal feeling (not sure about Russia and China and North Korea and........ never mind) but certainly a phenomena in western Europe.
The USA and Europe should be genuine partners - we have drifted ideologically apart for too long and maybe 'we' need a little more US style 'get up and go' and the USA needs to learn a little more compassion (as in universal free health care and such 'socialist' stuff) from us!
I care about your attitude though, as I perceive it as a problem to the future relationship of our two countries if your attitude is representative of a negative minority determined to cut off their collective noses to spite the USA's face.
You're an intelligent young man, and you saw through my cunning plan.
You are right that in NATO we try and standardise equipment............... my cunning and evil plan was to get Russia into NATO and rearm them with NATO weapons but have all the ammunition made in Brussels.......... and, secretly, we'd send them all Belgium chocolates instead of ammunition and then we could attack them at will.
However, you saw through my plan and it is now doomed to failure.
Don't forget you killed plenty of my countrymen in Iraq with your 'friendly fire' and your guys didn't even get disciplined - what's a few British lives to you?
We've been your staunchest allies (the Brits) often at the expense of being EU citizens and taken YOUR side when we maybe should have been more pro Europe.
How dare you snear at me or other Europeans when we have died for you and your folk have also died for us.
Get off your high horse old man - your attitude is 'history' and stinks!
Never say Never - truth and history are often stranger than fiction............ who thought the USA would have either a woman as President or a guy whose dad was born in Kenya as ther next President?
Would you have thought 20 years ago that Poland would now be a member of NATO? Totally crazy idea...... Russia would never let that happen!
However, I was born in Uganda and lots of strange things happened there.............I am getting more and more suspicious that I am indeed an alien and do not really belong on this planet!
Good post above - a real test of Obama's diplomatic skills qwhen faced with leaders who certainly don't have the same motivations........... he needs to reassert common interests and also show that the expansion of NATO doesn't have to be a bad thing for the former dictating power of the Warsaw Pact.
We'd have never imagined some of the countries being NATO members who are now NATO members - maybe Russia could be persuaded to join, but I believe that there is something so proud in the Russian culture that they'd never accept being anything but being top dog in any military alliance.
I don't think he is............. he has clearly stated to us Europeans when asked that he believes that he will always put the interests of the USA above those of any other country - obvious, but well stated.
He is NOT trying to be all things to all people just clearly stating his objectives and also the reality that he is unlikely to succeed (e.g. he'd like a nuclear free world but doesn't see that happening in his lifetime).
What he DOES do is show that he realises that his view and his country's view (i.e. the USA) does NOT coincide with all the needs of all other countries but that we CAN have a decent working relationship where we recognise conflicting interests but have respect for each other and do our best to prevent those conflicting interests cause any major problems.
That's NOT 'trying to be all things to all people'!
Well, Obama certainly embraced modern technology (i.e. the internet) on his campaign trail - and if he's clever he'll use it to get some feedback from his 'customers' rather than risk getting a little isolated by a close fraternity of advisers who might be tempted to shield him from the realities of life!
I don't think the power has gone to his head (not yet anyway)....... he comes across as a genuinely decent kind of guy and doesn't have to pretend to be interested in people - no fake 'glad-handing with the ignorant peasants as a chore one has to do now and again' - no, he's either genuine or a better actor than those in the movies!
Like Obama said 'I am not naive' but the man is an optimistic realist and he has a brain that, for whatever reason, is capable of seeing the other person's point of view.
He hasn't given us Europeans crap - he has quite firmly said that his country (the USA) is his priority and 'Yes' to the question when posed that the USA still has a LEADERSHIP role to play but he is prepared to do it in a style that isn't bullying and coercion!
He acknowledges that we are all different and that we all have different agendas and priorities.
Shame on the Republican for knocking him down on being ineffectual over North Korea - Obama clearly and firmly said that the international community should make very clear that North Korea should be condemned for going against the UN missile resolution even though it is also a right of every nation to use space exploration peacefully.
Shame on both Russia and China for grabbing the opportunity to undermine Obama immediately by calling for North Korea to be treated with kid gloves - they (Russia & China) have their own agenda and it will be a real test of Obama's character and determination and diplomatic skills to reach an accord and decent 'working relationship' with these two powers that pose a far greater potential threat than a few thousand dedicated terrorists.
University was Heaven - even as a mature student......... two grants and a part-time job so I paid off a $15,000 debt in my first year, I started and ran a society voted 'best society 19xx'.
I loved the freedom that you don't get in 'real life' as either an employee or employer and it was just a wonderful experience!
rusty_knight Forum Posts (6,840)
RE: President Obama's trip......did it accomplish any thing?
I have to admit that I like(d) Colin Powell; he'd have made a better President that GW Bush..... I think he was in the news a few days ago though for having been shown to have lied over something or other.