Relations with America's two strongest allies in shambles

Barack Obama campaigned for president promising to "restore our standing in the world" after eight years of the war on terrorism under George W. Bush. Two years later, the fighting is still raging in Iraq and Afghanistan. But worst of all, Obama has continually snubbed Britain and Israel, our strongest allies in the world. Last week, Joe Biden scolded the Israeli government after they announced the construction of apartments in a contested area of East Jerusalem while he was there. Today Obama made the situation much worse.

For a head of government to visit the White House and not pose for photographers is rare. For a key ally to be left to his own devices while the President withdraws to have dinner in private was, until this week, unheard of. Yet that is how Benjamin Netanyahu was treated by President Obama on Tuesday night, according to Israeli reports on a trip viewed in Jerusalem as a humiliation.

After failing to extract a written promise of concessions on settlements, Obama walked out of his meeting with Netanyahu but invited him to stay at the White House, consult with advisers and “let me know if there is anything new”, a U.S. congressman, who spoke to the Prime Minister, said.

“It was awful,” the congressman said. One Israeli newspaper called the meeting “a hazing in stages”, poisoned by such mistrust that the Israeli delegation eventually left rather than risk being eavesdropped on a White House telephone line. Another said that the Prime Minister had received “the treatment reserved for the President of Equatorial Guinea”.

In the ultra-sensitive world of diplomatic relations, this is an absolute cataclysm. It will affect American-Israeli relations for a long time. Prior to Obama's presidency, Israel and America viewed themselves as natural partners in a fight against a common enemy. George W. Bush supported a Palestinian state and occasionally clashed with the Israelis, but never so arrogantly as this.

It also sheds some light onto why Rahm Emanuel has been dropping lines he might leave the administration. Rahm fought for the Israeli army and is widely known to be a firm supporter of Israel. He must be hopping mad over Obama's deplorable treatment of Israeli diplomats.

America's other closest ally is Great Britain, a country for which Obama has shown disdain from day one. The president insulted the British Prime Minister by giving him a collection of American DVDs, sent back a bust of Winston Churchill in the Oval Office, and sent Hillary Clinton to Argentina to support diplomacy over the Falkland Islands, among many other offenses. The Brits are atwitter over their "special relationship" with America being over.

Obama is a product of the same radical thinking that haunted the 1960s and produced men like Bill Ayers. Through this lens, western white nations like American and the U.K. are the true practitioners of evil in the world. True virtue lies in third-world peoples of color. This is why Obama gave a speech in Cairo sucking up to the Muslim world. It's why he stood alone among western nations in supporting a Marxist coup in Honduras. If this thinking persists, it could harm our diplomacy for a long time.

Biden snubs Britain

Today Joe Biden made a serious diplomatic gaffe trying to atone for an earlier diplomatic gaffe.

Biden appears to be trying to calm a diplomatic row that erupted during his visit over Israeli settlement plans for disputed east Jerusalem.

The vice president told the audience at Tel Aviv University on Thursday the U.S. has "no better friend" than Israel. He also spoke about his long connection to Israel.

Biden had previously suggested that Israel should halt the construction of settlements in East Jerusalem, which were impeding the peace process. But in calling Israel America's best friend, Biden has made a more devastating diplomatic error. Traditionally, America has always referred to Great Britain as its greatest ally. In his address following the September 11 attacks, President George W. Bush declared, "America has no truer friend than Great Britain." At a subsequent meeting with the British prime minister, Bush said, "We've got no better friend in the world than Great Britain. We've got no better person that I like to talk to than Tony Blair."

That was then. Lately, many British commentators have speculated that their "special relationship" with America is over.

Yet ANOTHER blow to our relations with Great Britain

Another day, another diplomatic blow to our strongest ally.

Hillary Clinton was in Argentina on Monday where she continued her proud tradition of botched diplomacy. Asked by reporters about the Falkland Islands, an archipelago off the coast of South America controlled by Great Britain, Argentine president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner said that Argentina and the UK should negotiate. Hillary, standing next to De Kirchner, heartily agreed. Twice.

The Falkland Islands are a bit of a touchy subject with our friends the Brits. Argentina invaded the Falklands back in 1982, which was quickly repelled by Margaret Thatcher. Since then, the issue has been considered closed. The islands are a self-governing territory of the United Kingdom. The British have said they will reconsider their ownership of the Falklands, but only if the natives themselves want total independence. For their part, the Falkland Islanders seem to like their relationship with a major European power.

Argentina has been after the Falklands since 1833 and the U.S. has never offered them any support -- until now. Once again, the British press was outraged. CNS News has the roundup.

Even before Clinton’s comments, the Daily Express published an editorial on the issue under the title, “U.S. Forgets its Best Friend.”

After the comments, the tabloid criticism intensified. “With friends like these: Hillary Clinton wades into the Falklands row ... and backs the Argentinians,” said the Daily Mail.

The Times headlined its more sober coverage, “Argentina celebrates diplomatic coup as Hillary Clinton calls for talks over Falklands.”

Writing on a Daily Telegraph Web site, Nile Gardiner, director of the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom at the Heritage Foundation, said Clinton knew exactly what she was doing when she spoke.

“She is giving her full support for the official stance of Buenos Aires, despite the fact that Great Britain has made it clear that the sovereignty of the Falklands is non-negotiable.”

Gardiner called Clinton’s comments “an astonishing betrayal of the United Kingdom by her closest ally, and yet another slap in the face for Britain from the Obama administration.”

Obama has no problem shaking hands with Venezuelan tyrant Hugo Chavez or throwing his weight behind a Marxist despot in Honduras. His secretary of state is perfectly comfortable sidling up to the Argentines. But our greatest and most trusted European ally in the world must be scorned constantly. Sometimes we here at Obama Watch News wake up wondering how this administration could foul up any worse. Restoring our diplomatic relations with Britain to their standing in 1833 answers that question pretty well.

Another blow to our relations with Great Britain

Remember Anita Dunn? She's hard to forget. Obama's former communications director, she's the one went on the offensive against Fox News and declared herself a proud admirer of Mao Tse-tung. (The president really knows how to pick his staff.) Now comes word that Dunn is headed for Great Britain...to advise Conservative Party leader David Cameron.

It's a bizarre move on her part. As Politico pointed out, American political advisors are usually very careful about going to work across the pond. In contrast, Democrat strategist and Hillary Clinton ally Robert Shrum has been working for Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Instead, Dunn has signed on with Brown's most bitter rival and harsh critic.

Don't get us wrong, we here at ObamaWatchNews have nothing but disdain for the incompetent Gordon Brown. But nevertheless, he is the leader of Britain right now, which is supposed to be America's strongest ally. Allowing Dunn to be a hired gun for the Conservatives is just another example of Obama undermining our relationship with the Brits. Maybe when she's over there, Dunn can search for the bust of Winston Churchill that the president removed from the Oval Office and shipped back.

One final lesson here: Anita Dunn is an unprincipled hack. David Cameron may be to the left of American Republicans, but he's certainly more conservative than Barack Obama (and Mao). Looks like Anita Dunn isn't just a radical. She's also a political mercenary for hire.