Obama Decides the German Election
[Guest post by DRJ]
German Chancellor Angela Merkel is running for re-election in 3 months and according to Barack Obama she’s sure to be re-elected:
“Walking to a joint press conference on June 26, Merkel told Obama that she “was preparing her election campaign”, according to news magazine Spiegel, citing footage captured by public television channel ZDF but only partially released.
Turning to Merkel with a grin, Obama is quoted as saying: “Oh, you’ve already won. I don’t know you’re always worrying.”
According to Spiegel, a surprised-looking Merkel laughed briefly.”
Does this count as meddling? It might to Merkel’s opponent:
“But for her challenger in the September 27 election, Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the reported comments are no laughing matter.
Spiegel reports a source close to Steinmeier as saying the minister “thinks a great deal of Obama but even an American president is not a prophet”.
Diplomacy and flexibility regarding foreign affairs are not Obama’s strong suit. Supporting the status quo abroad is.
— DRJ
For an individual whom we were forever being told how smart, charming and gracious he was compared to the ignorant cowboy, this guy sure puts his foot firmly in his mouth – a lot. Keep in mind that this Presidency is not even 6 months in at this point, and yet teh One’s made so many faux pas that he’s making Bush look almost Churchilian by comparison.
Dmac (e6d1c2) — 7/12/2009 @ 1:49 pmSpiegel reports a source close to Steinmeier as saying the minister “thinks a great deal of Obama but even an American president is not a prophet”.
Oh yeah? Tell that to Newsweek, bub.
JVW (b0704d) — 7/12/2009 @ 1:49 pmHe never had a father to teach him how to behave.
nk (138b5c) — 7/12/2009 @ 1:52 pm“Diplomacy and flexibility regarding foreign affairs are not Obama’s strong suit”
DRJ – Remember that they added Biden to the ticket for his expertise in foreign affairs. Do you SERIOUSLY want Biden representing U.S. interests overseas instead? I mean what more could go wrong, except everything.
Heh!
daleyrocks (718861) — 7/12/2009 @ 2:00 pmUnless you are talking about “The One”. Of course there is then the issue of blasphemy. Or (in my best TV announcer voice), “It’s not the antichrist but an increadible facsimile!”
PatriotRider (37b91c) — 7/12/2009 @ 2:25 pmNowhere in the short article does it mention that Merkel was worried. She only stated that she was preparing for the campaign, so why did Obama assume that equates to worry?
In this case, perhaps less to do with meddling and more to do with cheap flattery.
Dana (57e332) — 7/12/2009 @ 2:29 pmDana – If Merkel was worried, Obama could fix that simply by laying his hands upon her head to lift the anxiety and concern from her head. So it was written. So it shall be.
daleyrocks (718861) — 7/12/2009 @ 3:11 pmDo you get the feeling that the other heads of state are saying “is this guy really the one the crazy Americans chose to be their leader? I mean, c’mon. Such a maroon.”
steve miller (772b6e) — 7/12/2009 @ 3:14 pm#1. teh One’s made so many faux pas that he’s making Bush look almost Churchilian by comparison.
But not according to the MSM and late night comics. Teh One never says anything except the right thing, at the right time. Guess it’s all in the initial after the name.
PatAZ (9d1bb3) — 7/12/2009 @ 3:23 pm“Barack Obama is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I’ve ever known in my life. ” — The MSM
steve miller (772b6e) — 7/12/2009 @ 3:27 pmPat, I really do believe that if this economic situation does not improve markedly by the Fall, the comics will have no choice but to begin taking the gloves off. When media people are so severely in the tank for someone, if their candidate’s facade finally begins to wear off, their retribution could be quite intense. Something about the cult of personality.
Dmac (e6d1c2) — 7/12/2009 @ 3:28 pmNot going to hold my breath on that one, Dmac. We can only hope it happens.
PatAZ (9d1bb3) — 7/12/2009 @ 3:31 pmOf course, he’s not a prophet. Newsweek thinks he should be the Pope or something.
Techie (482700) — 7/12/2009 @ 3:55 pmObama is quoted as saying: “Oh, you’ve already won. I don’t know you’re always worrying.”
Another faux pas from Obama, but for purely political reasons, I’ll give him a pass on this one. That’s because Angela Merkel is sort of a German version of a Republican (centrist, squishy or otherwise) while her former and current opponent is more like a Democrat.
Mark (411533) — 7/12/2009 @ 4:43 pmWhatever. Cheney sucks.
Leviticus (1f2312) — 7/12/2009 @ 6:13 pmWhatever. Cheney sucks.
Damn. Leave it to Leviticus to bring in some of that Oxfordian-style debate. Stephen Douglas would be proud.
JVW (b0704d) — 7/12/2009 @ 6:15 pmChoo don know me, homes.
Leviticus (1f2312) — 7/12/2009 @ 6:44 pmBut seriously, how do you expect me to compete with the incisive wit displayed in #10, #5, or in your very own #2? Let’s not set the bar too high, now…
Leviticus (1f2312) — 7/12/2009 @ 6:48 pmHe never had a father to teach him how to behave.
Comment by nk
You know, this may be the most important observation of the thread. It’s well known that young male elephants become rogues if deprived of the discipline of older males. Obama is half African and had no father.
Sounds about right to me.
Mike K (2cf494) — 7/12/2009 @ 6:55 pmWhat does the fact that he’s half African have to do with that particular line of reasoning, again?
Is is because there are elephants in Africa? Or something?
Leviticus (1f2312) — 7/12/2009 @ 7:01 pmA half African whose biological father abandonded him before he knew him and who lost his adopted Indonesian father at age eleven. His mother too, I believe. To be raised by his “typical white person” grandparents. It’s something to wonder about that he brought his mother-in-law to the White House to raise his kids.
nk (d7a872) — 7/12/2009 @ 7:08 pmYou’re likeable enough, Leviticus.
steve miller (772b6e) — 7/12/2009 @ 7:09 pmA little boy, of half Kenyan Muslim ancestry and half Kansan hippie ancestry, goes up to his grandmother and asks, “Grandma, am I Kenyan Muslim or Kansan hippie”. His grandmother says, “Why do you ask, Barry?” And he says, “Because there’s a kid down the block with a bicycle that I want, and I don’t know whether to chop off his head with a panga and just take it or offer him a lid of pot for it.”
nk (d7a872) — 7/12/2009 @ 7:13 pmThere’s more than one meaning to “Je suis mon ancetre”.
nk (d7a872) — 7/12/2009 @ 7:21 pmWhat does “Je suis mon ancetre” mean, nk?
Leviticus (1f2312) — 7/12/2009 @ 7:59 pmI am my ancestors. Napoleon said it in a different context, with a different meaning, to some German king.
nk (d7a872) — 7/12/2009 @ 8:10 pmAh.
Leviticus (1f2312) — 7/12/2009 @ 8:11 pmMaybe it’s “Mois je suis mon ancetre”. My French, no that good is.
nk (d7a872) — 7/12/2009 @ 8:13 pmnk – That is racist on its face when describing Obama. You should denounce yourself.
daleyrocks (718861) — 7/12/2009 @ 8:18 pmI know you have a fairly skeptical attitude towards religion and the texts associated with it, but what about
“The son will not bear the punishment for the father’s iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son’s iniquity; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself.” – Ezekiel 18:20
?
Leviticus (1f2312) — 7/12/2009 @ 8:20 pmnk, that is.
Leviticus (1f2312) — 7/12/2009 @ 8:21 pmAt least, it’s seemed that way from comments you’ve made in the past (in re: religion).
Leviticus (1f2312) — 7/12/2009 @ 8:29 pmI intended more like “Every good tree brings forth good fruit …. Matthew 7-17
nk (d7a872) — 7/12/2009 @ 8:29 pmMy AT&T DSL connection totally sucks tonight, and most of the time lately, so please bear with me if I can even connect in the first place.
nk (d7a872) — 7/12/2009 @ 8:31 pmHmmm. Too many comments. One Samichlaus and I get all tipsy.
Leviticus (1f2312) — 7/12/2009 @ 8:31 pmI turned 20 today.
Leviticus (1f2312) — 7/12/2009 @ 8:32 pmLeviticus,
More Bible references regarding whether children suffer for the sins of their fathers.
DRJ (6f3f43) — 7/12/2009 @ 8:33 pmHappy Birthday! That’s actually more important than the discussion we’ve been having. So, whadja get?
nk (b988bc) — 7/12/2009 @ 8:36 pmCompletely off-topic, but I wanted to make sure that whoever would like to has the opportunity to …
There is a group of us meeting for dinner tomorrow night in the Chicagoland area. We are having dinner with happyfeet, daleyrocks, nk, myself, Karl, geoffb, and hopefully Dmac and carlitos as well. Anyone that would like to join us just let me know, and I will shoot you the info.
JD (bdcd86) — 7/12/2009 @ 8:44 pmDo you want me to put it in a post, JD?
DRJ (6f3f43) — 7/12/2009 @ 8:49 pmYou really want everybody to know where we’re all going to be, JD?
nk (b988bc) — 7/12/2009 @ 8:53 pmSure, DRJ. Does that mean you will be joining us?
JD (bdcd86) — 7/12/2009 @ 8:55 pmDRJ – The last get together was a lot of fun. Karl wrote a post about it.
daleyrocks (718861) — 7/12/2009 @ 8:56 pmI wouldn’t post on the details, just the fact of the dinner and that interested parties should contact JD. Although, come to think of it, I’m not sure how they would do that.
DRJ (6f3f43) — 7/12/2009 @ 8:57 pmYou can give them my email, DRJ, my sbcglobal one. The more the merrier, even the trollish types.
JD (bdcd86) — 7/12/2009 @ 8:58 pmDRJ – How could they resist JD’s promise to wear a summer kilt?
daleyrocks (718861) — 7/12/2009 @ 8:58 pmDRJ,
Yeah, I saw those – same site.
I’m a Christian, and I believe in Christ and his ways with every fiber of my being, but it certainly is an interesting thing, isn’t it: how difficult it can be for us to reconcile certain passages of scripture? It makes certain denominational claims that “scripture is completely literal/not open to interpretation” seem pretty silly (at least to me).
nk – thank you, sir.
What’d I get, eh? I’ll tell you:
1) A gift card (actually, it’s a piece of paper) to a cool record store from my parents.
2) A departmental scholarship from my university (which I’m pretty sure was a coincidence, but who knows, right?).
3) A July 1989 National Geographic from my grandmother, which she’d been saving for twenty years – it’s about France and the French (which I would normally make fun of, but this thing is really cool – there’s this picture of these bottles of wine in a cellar that look… just… ancient…amazing… and articles about the Marquis de Lafayette, and all kinds of stuff.)
4) A note from my little brother (who turns 18 in August) calling me a friend and role model.
This was a good one.
Leviticus (1f2312) — 7/12/2009 @ 8:59 pmThey can email me at njkritAThotmailDOTcom.
But so everybody knows, bring your own bail money.
nk (b988bc) — 7/12/2009 @ 9:02 pmEight of you guys in Chicago, and one wearing a kilt? What could go wrong…
Dana (57e332) — 7/12/2009 @ 9:10 pm🙂
Just so long as nobody takes any pictures … evidence is bad.
JD (bdcd86) — 7/12/2009 @ 9:12 pmI’ll be there, JD.
MayBee (c43923) — 7/12/2009 @ 9:13 pmEight of you guys in Chicago, and one wearing a kilt? What could go wrong…
Comment by Dana — 7/12/2009 @ 9:10 pm
Slow service?
nk (b988bc) — 7/12/2009 @ 9:14 pmCongrats, Leviticus, on the scholarship grant — that’s worth actual cash money!
steve miller (772b6e) — 7/12/2009 @ 9:17 pmYou rock, MayBee !!!
JD (bdcd86) — 7/12/2009 @ 9:20 pmThanks, Mr. Miller, although I must say that a couple of the other things seemed worth more… but thank you.
Leviticus (1f2312) — 7/12/2009 @ 10:54 pmEach is great in it’s own way but I think your brother’s note is the most meaningful.
DRJ (6f3f43) — 7/12/2009 @ 10:59 pmOh, I agree others have more meaning — family will always be there, even when schooling is finally done — but how nice that there may be a lesser debt load in your future.
steve miller (772b6e) — 7/12/2009 @ 11:09 pmDiplomacy and flexibility regarding foreign affairs
DCSCA (9d1bb3) — 7/13/2009 @ 12:50 amare not Obama’swere most definitely NOT Dubya’s strong suit.This just in: Barack Obama is president.
Thought I’d let you know so you could update your snark.
Cordially,
steve miller (772b6e) — 7/13/2009 @ 6:17 amSteve miller – IMP has end-stage terminal BDS.
JD (92df48) — 7/13/2009 @ 6:23 amObama supports the status quo precisely because he has no vision and is only a reactionary. He studied up on world affairs in the months leading up to his own election. All he knows is recent history and how that relates to his favorite world leader, himself. He will only meddle where he feels completely safe and the downside can be managed or is negligable.
JohnnyT (149d7c) — 7/13/2009 @ 6:29 amOh well, 3 1/2 years more of this?
A venal sin, but after six months in office (hell, even before day one, but you see my point), shouldn’t he understand that he must butt out of other free countries’ elections in his public conduct? If he truly prefers Merkel to her opponent, then he can tell her so in private and not for attribution.
Mitch (890cbf) — 7/13/2009 @ 10:18 amActually, DCSCA, George W. Bush had a far more accomplished understanding of foreign policy than Obama demonstrates. Its only your incoherent BDS that blinds you to the reality.
SPQR (2304cc) — 7/14/2009 @ 7:41 pm