Patterico's Pontifications

6/13/2009

What Obama Told the British

Filed under: International,Obama — DRJ @ 1:08 pm



[Guest post by DRJ]

Following up on the recent transfer of four GTMO Uighurs to Bermuda, the Telegraph’s US Editor Toby Harnden has more details on what the Obama Administration told the British and when it told them:

“Late on Wednesday night, British officials received a telephone call from the Obama administration informing them that four Uighurs – Chinese Muslims – were about to board a plane at Guantanamo Bay bound for Bermuda.

It was a fait accompli, arranged directly between the Obama administration and Ewart Brown, the Bermudan premier. The UK had no choice – it was too late for any debate about the issue. The Uighurs (lucky them, for the alternative was Albania) would be on Bermudan soil by Thursday morning.

The problem is that Bermuda is one of 14 British sovereign territories – the oldest in fact – and as such Britain has responsibility for its foreign policy and security.

A British diplomat told me, with that trademark stiff upper lip style, that David Miliband, Foreign Secretary, had called Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State, immediately to protest.

“The Foreign Secretary registered his surprise. It was a regrettable mistake. Bermuda, the UK and the US now need to work together to fix it and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

Roughly translated, that means that Miliband said: “WTF, Hillary?””

I’d love to have heard what Hillary said when she got off that phone call. I imagine Obama’s ears were burning.

— DRJ

23 Responses to “What Obama Told the British”

  1. They call it being “Mau Mau’d”

    Mike K (2cf494)

  2. Heh. This reminds me of P. G. Wodehouse except Obama is Wodehouse.

    DRJ (180b67)

  3. Ah yes, the old variation on the “3 AM Phone Call.” Handled well by the Odumba administration, as expected.

    For someone who is supposedly soooo smart, he sure ain’t livin’ up to his advertising…

    Bill M (ede1e3)

  4. These are the people who claimed that they were sooooo much smarter at foreign policy than George W. Bush.

    And we are seeing that nothing could be farther from the truth.

    SPQR (26be8b)

  5. The country is in the very best of hands.

    Techie (482700)

  6. Finally we have a president who has the trust and confidence of world leaders, and who doesn’t act unilaterally!

    Amphipolis (42043b)

  7. Here, here!

    AD - RtR/OS! (42a55e)

  8. If I were Gordon Brown, this would be the last humiliation among many – if he has any gonads left, he should call teh One and rip him a new one, but good. When the new Conservative PM takes over soon, he’s going to have to figure out how to deal with such arrogance and condescension – “a special relationship,” my arse. I’m going to start watching the C – Span weekly show again about the PM taking questions from Parliament – Brown’s going to be torn to shreds, and not only by the Tories. His own party hates his guts at this point – who knew they’d regret kicking out Blair so soon?

    Dmac (f7884d)

  9. God damn unilateralist, that f*cking Bush Obama thinks he can do whatever he wants and the ROW has to take it! Who does he think he is?

    HeavenSent (1e97ff)

  10. Hillary: &&^$*((_ ^*%&*$*&*( _))&(^*(% *($^##% ?<?%$&^$
    Gosh Barrack, couldn’t you have warned a girl?

    GM Roper (d53336)

  11. Gods do not consult with Little People!

    AD - RtR/OS! (42a55e)

  12. I’ll bet HRC didn’t make a peep. She has been marginalized and she knows it. The Dept. of State is a glorified committee and nobody on the committee seems to give a damn what she thinks or says. Which, in case you haven’t noticed, ain’t much of late. Bet Hill kicks herself every morning that she bought Maobama’s bill of goods and left the Senate.

    granny (d6f1b6)

  13. When you elect an arrogant juvenile as president, this is the predictable result.

    Peg C. (48175e)

  14. I’d prefer a more unilateral action. Kick em out of airplanes somewhere over South America. I’d give them parachutes just to be humane. The first time anyway. Get captured again and the second time no ‘chute.

    Soronel Haetir (a3f11b)

  15. Good Allah. Weren’t these supposed to be the smart people that everyone will like and restore our respect in the world?

    JD (76244c)

  16. If I was the Brit PM, I would send the US Ambassador packing and tell him not to come back without an acceptable explanation from the One.

    tmac (f9e092)

  17. The explanation, tmac, is this: “I won.”

    Eric Blair (5a226d)

  18. I am having a hard time getting my mind around their not knowing or disregarding the fact that they should have been working with the British throughout this process. I thought they were the smart ones, that the world would like. And, apparently, the current Admin has not much use for the British. Teh One seems to get along better with those that don’t like us than those that do.

    JD (4f5e05)

  19. what the Obama Administration told the British and when it told them:

    Probably another manifestation of the symbolism a few months ago in which Obama (inappropriately) bowed before the king of Saudi Arabia while merely (and appropriately) shaking the hand of Britain’s queen. IOW, the guy now in the White House gives America’s traditional allies and friends no more, and perhaps even less, consideration than he gives anyone else.

    Mark (411533)

  20. I would hopethat a few of Spann’s friends would consider this an opportunity.

    JB (8a32c3)

  21. Change you can believe in! According to the traditional norms of international behavior, you don’t surreptitiously infiltrate trained terrorists into another sovereign state’s territory without their consent. That could even be considered an act of war.

    Obama is clearly giving the finger to the UK. The short notice return of Winston Churchill’s bust. In return for thoughtful gifts of historical value from the UK, the Obamas reciprocate with the gift of a $10 Marine-Corps-One Helicopter model from the White House gift shop and a Walmart DVD collection that doesn’t even work in Europe, etc.

    You’d have to deliberately ignore the protocol experts at the DoS to act so rudely. Now this. Sending terrorists the UK’s way that we’re pretty sure aren’t a threat to them, but not 100% because who can be ever be 100% sure, but not telling them until we’re sure they can’t do a thing about it.

    If I were head of state of even a remotely vulnerable US ally, I’d be doing everything in my power to distance myself from this guy. We often trash allies and suck up to enemies, because it’s easier, but this guy in the WH is lowering the bar beyond anything we’ve seen in the past.

    Steve (f458d5)

  22. I’ll bet HRC didn’t make a peep. She has been marginalized and she knows it.

    HRC allowed herself to be marginalized. She wants no part of the blame that is fast coming as BHO’s reckless foreign policy leads to calamitous result.

    This latest move is but the latest example of “it is better to ask forgiveness, than permission” by the left. They have assiduously built up a reservoir of good will/faith by constantly talking about the good things they want. When they act mendaciously, the foolish public givs them a pass because it does not fit their feeeeelings about how liberal Democrats are good people with big hearts. When a GOP pol trues this forgiveness/permission tactic, it blows up since they are considered mean and heartless to begin with.

    Ed from SFV (dde255)


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