President Obama in the Middle East

What was that ridiculous bling Abdullah put around Obama's neck ?

It was like a gift from Mr. T.

 

Obama does learn from his mistakes. This time he bowed to his king in private, i.e., after the king set the ground rules -- or should I say exclusion of? -- for the press.

 

boy, you tea partiers are all about the issues.

 

That is an issue.

 

I know, we have to show strength all the time, we're america dammit, never give in, never give up

never mind that last year a president actually went over there to beg for more oil

 

if these are the "issues" you have with Obama - then I hate to break it to you, you must be pretty happy with the guy.

I mean, geez, talk about being nit-picky.

 

You know what really makes this whole thing a joke? In the 2000 campaign, Bush said he would use his ties to the Saudis to reduce the price of oil.

 

Please give more Oil


Bush Asks Saudi King to Open Oil Spigots
Makes Personal Appeal After Public Rejection

One hour after his plea for more Saudi oil was publicly rejected by the kingdom's oil minister, President Bush made a private visit to Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah to again ask him to open the spigots.

The White House revealed Bush's private meeting with the Saudi monarch to reporters aboard Air Force One as the president flew to Egypt on the next leg of his Mideast trip.

Earlier Tuesday, Bush made his case for having OPEC, and particularly American ally Saudi Arabia, increase oil production as the price of gas hovers around $3 a gallon.

The Saudi oil minister, however, waited only a short time before announcing that oil prices would remain tied to market forces — a direct slap at Bush.

The president went over the head of the oil minister and made his case to King Abdullah and White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said the private conversation may have yielded some daylight in the Saudis' hard-line stance.

"The king says that he understands the situation. He's worried about high oil prices and how they can negatively affect economies around the world," Perino said aboard the presidential jetliner. "The president said there's a hope that as a result of these conversations that OPEC would be encouraged to authorize an increase in production … to help deal with the tight supply problems in this time when we have growing economies across the world, especially in China."

Earlier, Bush told ABC News' Terry Moran how he would lobby the king.

"I will say to him that, 'If it's possible, your majesty, consider what high prices are doing to one of your largest customers,'" Bush said. "In other words, the worst thing that can happen to an oil-producing nation is that the price of oil causes the economy to slow down, because that will inevitably lead to fewer purchases [of oil]."

Bush said he's worried about an economic slowdown in the United States and around the world because of those high oil prices.

"These are smart people. They know that the price of oil can affect our economy, and they know that if our economy weakens and there's less purchasing power, that it will affect their ability to sell barrels of oil," the president said.

Perino added, "This is not a situation that's going to be solved overnight, and that's why on a parallel track the president has been pursuing aggressively alternative and renewable forms of energy."

When Bush ran for the White House in 2000, he said he would "jawbone" America's Saudi allies to lower the price of oil. The price of oil has hit a record of $100 a barrel, but has slipped to a current price of $91 a barrel on fears that the U.S. economy is headed for a recession.

 

Irony is lost on many Republicans since so many 'issues' that they are being nit picky about Obama were largely ignored with Bush (multiple trips to Crawford, suits from Norton Ditto, back rub to Chancellor Merkel, idiotic comments during speeches, etc.)

 

I'm enormously happy Obama is trying to achieve peace in the Mideast, negotiate better oil prices and improve our relations with the Arab world. I am very concerned about him selling out Israel in order to do so.

As far as bowing to his king, no American President should embarrass the country by bowing so cravenly to a foreign leader, including the Pope. For that matter, no American President should go romping across the grounds holding hands with the leader of another country.

 

you have to see the wingers on the comments on the Houston Chronicle web site complaining that the guy is even going over there

its sad what the dialogue has come to

 

That has to be annoying -- he took it right off for 'safe keeping'.

 

I think there are protocol rules about accepting gifts from foreign leaders. I think it has to be turned over to the State Department. Does anybody know the rules on that? Have they been changed?

 

i say, good luck tomorrow. full stop.

he should leverage his unique heritage, and hpefully, speak truth to power, ie the despots that rule the middle east and subjugate their people(s).

if he does that, i will be proud of him.

if he blames america (whether washington, jefferson, FDR, Clinton, oder dei beiden (Biden?) bushen, and Israel, i will be disappointed.

but rock on Brother Barack.

 

respectful of other cultures you are

 

hmmm.

 

That is the Collar of Abdul Aziz al Saud. By awarding it to him, the King of Saudi Arabia is saying that he is a 'non-Muslim'. There is another order with a big-'ol chain, the Great Chain of Badr, that is reserved officially for Muslim heads of state.