Advertisers:
advertise on this site


Sir Christopher Meyer on the West's Strategic Confusion

Former UK Ambassador to the United States and author of 'Getting OUr Way: 500 Years of Adventure and Intrigue: the Inside Story of British Diplomacy' discusses the lessons of history and America's wars.

Daniel Yergin on the Future of Global Energy

Cambridge Research Energy Associates Chairman and Pullitzer-Prize winning author Daniel Yergin discusses the prospects for renewable energy, the oil politics of the Middle East and the future of the hydrocarbon economy.

Jim Locher on Reforming the United States' National Security Architecture

Project on National Security Reform President & CEO Jim Locher discusses how to reform the national security council to focus more on long-term strategic thinking.

More videos are available on the Video Archives Page
The Washington Note is now a member of the Political Insiders advertising network:
Find out more...

VA Loan and VA Refinance
Information from VA Mortgage Center



ADVERTISE SEND FEEDBACK OR TIPS CONTACT DETAILS
Support The Washington Note

Using PayPal

Obama Has Done Some Europe

Share / Recommend - Comment - Print - Friday, Dec 21 2007, 5:04PM

obama iowa.jpg

Senator Obama's campaign has amended some of what it sent my way on his experience with Europe and with European leaders.

Before I post that, I should add that I'm not absolutely sure that having a light slate on Europe is such a bad thing -- as long as it comes packaged with a commitment to get to know Europe well enough to do the hard slogging ahead on any number of major global challenges. Sometimes, those with too much experience in any area get bogged down in the weeds. And those with less experience can possibly move the lines around in more creative ways. But we need to see some evidence of that kind of potential wizardry if we are to overlook some deficits in on the ground experience (or should it be in the air?)

I'm hoping that Senator Obama -- who has been right on target in US-Cuba relations and where they might go -- might respond by talking more about opportunities to leapfrog out of today's mess into a different arena of global institutional, bi-national and multinational arrangements. I still feel that Europe and Japan need to be brought into a re-energized, re-organized global structure -- but that we need to find places to build in Russia, China, Iran, Brazil, India, Nigeria, Indonesia -- and other of the world's major population and power centers.

But the new news is that Barack Obama has. . .

met with PM Blair three times, and Sarkozy once (who was Minister of the Interior at the time)

Senator Obama and Senator Lugar stopped in London on the CODEL to Eastern Europe and met with PM Blair

Thanks much to Senator Obama's campaign staff for sharing this information -- and please note that my information posted before about Senator Obama meeting PM Tony Blair on the way back from Moscow should now be replaced by the note above that he met Blair on the way to Russia and Ukraine.

More later.

-- Steve Clemons

« Previous Article - Good Guards and Bad Guards: John McCain's Holiday Message
» Next Article - Introducing Michael Schiffer Who Will Be TWN's Iowa Caucus Blogger

Reader Comments (1) - post a comment

Posted by JohnH, Dec 21 2007, 5:52PM - Link

And Obama showed imaginative leadership in Africa and made a lasting impression (and hopefully a big difference) by publicly taking an AIDS test to help combat the locally high incidence of AIDS and counter the stigma associated with testing. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5718887

(A Kenyan woman I know tipped me off to this story and to the enthusiastic welcome Obama received in the land of his paternal grandparents.)

Leave a comment:


(required)
(required)
- only for verification, not for display or any other use.

(required)

Type the characters you see in the picture above.


The Washington Note - Steven ClemonsHome - About - Archives - Published - Recommended - Advertise - Contact
THIS SITE IS COPYRIGHT © 2009 THE WASHINGTON NOTE. ALL RIGHTS ARE RESERVED.