Friday, November 13, 2009
Something special in the air
An unusually harsh column from the WaPo's Dana Milbank:
It sounds tailor-made for a GOP ad:
Unemployment hits 9.4 percent. President Obama flies to France.
Joblessness reaches 9.7 percent. Obama jets off to Denmark.
The rate of those out of work soars to 10.2 percent. Obama packs his bags for Japan, Singapore, China and South Korea.
Faced with the worst domestic economy in decades, the president has responded -- by setting a record for foreign travel. An Asian swing that began Thursday will bring his total this year to 20 countries in eight trips, according to CBS News's Mark Knoller, official statistician of the White House press corps.
That easily bests the previous record-holder, George H.W. Bush, who hit 14 countries in his first year. By the time he returns next week, Obama will have spent more than 12 percent of his presidency overseas -- and he still has another trip or two in the works for this year.
[Lots of stuff about how popular Obama is among foreigners, how the Republicans have not attacked Obama for his globe-trotting because it would remind people how unpopular George W. Bush was overseas, and how the foreign media has sucked up to him.]
As he prepared to leave the White House on Thursday morning, Obama first stopped to address the cameras in the Diplomatic Reception Room. "Before departing for Asia this morning, I'd like to make a brief statement about the economy," he said, assuring Americans that he'll "be meeting with leaders abroad to discuss a strategy for growth" and to make sure "Asian and Pacific markets are open to our exports."
Nineteen minutes later, Marine One and the peripatetic president were airborne again.
Four hours after that, Obama was safely over Canada when his Treasury Department announced another record monthly budget deficit.
Ouch.
8 Comments:
By 
, at
Fri Nov 13, 06:07:00 AM:
I'm not sure exactly what the writer's point is. She seems to be complaining about his globe-trotting and not being focused on the economy while also noting that the President explicitly stated that he is going abroad to discuss business growth strategies. Does she not think that discussing these issues with the international body is relevant to the success of our economy?
-david
By , at
Fri Nov 13, 06:24:00 AM:
Dude! Dana Milbank is a dude, not a dudette.
By , at
Fri Nov 13, 06:26:00 AM:
By 
JPMcT, at
Fri Nov 13, 06:46:00 AM:
Outside of Public Speaking, the man seems to have no apparrent skills...so I guess he looks at the job as an opportunity to travel around from podium to podium and give speeches.
Face it...that's pretty much all he has done over the past year.
Perhaps in the big game plan of men like George Soros, that's all he was ever meant to do.
By , at
Fri Nov 13, 08:57:00 AM:
Politicians discussing business growth strategies? Like two wolves and the sheep discussing what to have for lunch?
Buwhahahaha!
Barack Obama: International man of mystery!
As a real international business man (as is Tigerhawk), I wonder what DEC would think of this one?
By , at
Fri Nov 13, 12:33:00 PM:
While he's in Asia perhaps he can address that trade war with China he's on the verge of starting.
By Greg Hlatky, at
Fri Nov 13, 03:48:00 PM:
By the time he returns next week, Obama will have spent more than 12 percent of his presidency overseas -- and he still has another trip or two in the works for this year.
He's appealing to his base constituency.
By Stephen Monteith, at
Sat Nov 14, 10:34:00 PM:
You'd think Dana Milbank was starting to get tired of consistently harassing only Republicans. Must have been killing him to not report on the president's stumbles up to this point.
