Friday October 29, 2010

I've Been Thinking:

On November 5th President Obama embarks on a 10 day trip to Asia.

Major players are insulted that he will not be dropping in.

Obama will be in India for three and a half days and not stop by in Pakistan at all. This trip to India is the longest stint Obama has had in any country since assuming office.

He will also visit Indonesia, South Korea and Japan.

Pakistan is upset and seriously slighted. But that's nothing compared to China, another country not on the President's itinerary. Who does Obama thinks he is, the Chinese are asking, we are after all only the country that holds the US debt.

The White House says no offense is intended. Of course not, but these countries are still offended.

This is not the first time Obama has inadvertently created tension. When Obama was in the Middle East, he went out of his way to avoid Israel - and no offense was intended there, either. It was just the first time a US president was in the region and did not visit Israel.

US Presidential trips are supposed to cement foreign relations, not destroy them.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=halpern%2C+micah