This week’s Weekly White House Report Card has our grader, Jed Babbin, shaking his head at the snubs and missteps that tripped up President Obama’s week of international diplomacy in Asia.
Jed Babbin
This week probably wasn’t President Obama’s favorite of his last summer in the White House. He smiled when he signed the latest economy-killing global warming treaty. Both the BBC and the Washington Post incorrectly reported that as a U.S. ratification, but that, of course, can only be done by the Senate.
Arriving at the G20 summit, Mr. Obama was snubbed by the Chinese who didn’t roll out the red carpet or stairs for him to disembark Air Force One, which led to an ugly scene between Chinese officials and Obama’s staffers. His brief meeting with the glowering Vladimir Putin certainly didn’t improve things for U.S. diplomacy or in Syria. Mr. Obama’s mood couldn’t have been improved by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte calling him “son of a whore,” although Obama was sufficiently meek to still met with Duterte after the insult.
In Laos, Obama told a student audience that when the economy gets stressed, Americans turn to racism for someone to blame. He said [racism] “…especially becomes a problem when the economy is not doing well, and so people feel stressed,” he said. “Typically, when people feel stressed, they turn on others who don’t look like them.”
He also told the Laotian audience that Americans are too lazy to learn about the world because we think we’re too important to bother. Somewhere along the line, Obama defended the right of failing San Diego QB Colin Kaepernick to sit during the playing of the national anthem at pro football games. Further insults aimed at the American people will evidently have to wait for next week.
Iranian boats again buzzed U.S. boats in the Strait of Hormuz, one coming within one hundred yards. Not to be outdone, a Russian fighter buzzed an unarmed Navy P-8 Poseidon aircraft, reportedly coming within 10 feet. Neither the Russians nor the Iranians ever heard a discouraging word from our president. As the fly guys say, YGBSM.
Grade F
Jed Babbin is an Examiner contributor and former deputy undersecretary of defense in administration of former President George H.W. Bush. Follow him @jedbabbin
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected]
