Our President Reaching Out

[Gaspar]

President Obama wrote a very kind letter to French President Jacques Chirac this week.  It's good to see him reaching out to foreign leaders in an attempt to repair the image of the United States.

Over the last 8 years we really suffered with a president that did a very poor job in international relations, especially with France and other important European countries.  I don't think Bush had a very strong grip on the importance of maintaining a close relationship with France. 

In his letter he expressed a new willingness for the two leaders to work together over the next four years. 

I hope he pushes this dialogue with other European leaders too. 

Unfortunately Chirac, and the European newspapers found the letter a little disturbing since Nicolas Sarkozy is actually the president of France now. 

Perhaps he could forward it.

[sgrizzle]

While I'm starting to wonder if Obama has any idea about anything in Europe, at least it wasn't written in crayon, like the stuff Bush used to send.

[Cats Cats Cats]

http://features.csmonitor.com/politics/2009/03/23/obama-writes-letter-to-chirac-blogosphere-goes-crazy/


"Our handy colleague, Laurent Belsie, who writes the New Economy blog here at the Monitor, speaks French.  (We don't hold that against him.)

With his help we found out that another French newspaper, the New Observer, explained that Obama was merely replying to a Chirac letter who was writing him as the head of his foundation — the Jacques Chirac Foundation for sustainable development and cultural dialogue.

The foundation is promoting access to water and medicines in west Africa, combating deforestation in the Congo Basin, and trying to save dying languages in Polynesia, according to a spokesman who helped set up the foundation."

Making stuff up is fun, lets do it some more!

[Gaspar]

http://features.csmonitor.com/politics/2009/03/23/obama-writes-letter-to-chirac-blogosphere-goes-crazy/


"Our handy colleague, Laurent Belsie, who writes the New Economy blog here at the Monitor, speaks French.  (We don't hold that against him.)

With his help we found out that another French newspaper, the New Observer, explained that Obama was merely replying to a Chirac letter who was writing him as the head of his foundation — the Jacques Chirac Foundation for sustainable development and cultural dialogue.

The foundation is promoting access to water and medicines in west Africa, combating deforestation in the Congo Basin, and trying to save dying languages in Polynesia, according to a spokesman who helped set up the foundation."

Making stuff up is fun, lets do it some more!

Well someone should tell the French papers:
http://www.lefigaro.fr/actualites/2009/03/19/01001-20090319ARTFIG00357-confidentiel-barack-obama-a-ecrit-a-jacques-chirac-.php

and the UK Telegraph:
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/toby_harnden/blog/2009/03/24/does_barack_obama_know_who_the_president_of_france_is

[Cats Cats Cats]

Well here is the problem.  You have two stories run from 1 source.  You then have the CS monitor story that will be rerun everywhere.  Considering that Obama met with the head of France (Not Chirac) I doubt very highly that he had no idea who was the leader of France.

Unfortunately we are dealing with 2 sources rerun 1000 times.

[Conan71]

Must...resist...must...not...say...

"I TOLD YOU SO!!!"

[Gaspar]

I see that the Telegraph article sites the CSM too.  Perhaps he was just writing a letter to Chirac as "president" of some foundation.  

That was certainly a kind gesture.

[nathanm]

I see that the Telegraph article sites the CSM too.  Perhaps he was just writing a letter to Chirac as "president" of some foundation.  

That was certainly a kind gesture.

If I wrote a letter to GWB, wouldn't I address it "President Bush?"

[rwarn17588]

It's weird to read the Telegraph story. First, it plays up the supposed gaffe, then near the very end of the story, it dismisses that the gaffe ever occurred and pokes fun at the "hair-trigger settings of the Obama gaffe detectors."

This is equivalent to stabbing yourself with your own knife.

[Red Arrow]

If I wrote a letter to GWB, wouldn't I address it "President Bush?"

Only if you were in a benevolent mood.

[nathanm]

Only if you were in a benevolent mood.

lol, I meant 'properly address.'

If I actually wrote a letter to W, it would be addressed much less graciously.