Monday, June 13, 2011

Compare & Contrast

President Obama toasting the Queen at Buckingham Palace, May 24, 2011:
[I]t is a great honor to join you again in this great country as we reaffirm the enduring bonds between our two nations and reinforce this special relationship. . .

Our alliance is a commitment that speaks to who we are. As Winston Churchill said on a visit to the United States, "Above all, among the English-speaking peoples, there must be the union of hearts based upon convictions and common ideals." . . .

Ladies and gentlemen, please stand with me and raise your glasses as I propose a toast:

To Her Majesty the Queen. For the vitality of the special relationship between our peoples, and in the words of Shakespeare, "To this blessed plot, this Earth, this realm, this England."
President Obama speaking to Parliament in Westminster Hall, May 25, 2011:
I come here today to reaffirm one of the oldest, one of the strongest alliances the world has ever known. It’s long been said that the United States and the United Kingdom share a special relationship. . .

We share a common interest in resolving conflicts that prolong human suffering and threaten to tear whole regions asunder. . .

We do these things because we believe not simply in the rights of nations; we believe in the rights of citizens. That is the beacon that guided us through our fight against fascism and our twilight struggle against communism. . .

Let there be no doubt: The United States and United Kingdom stand squarely on the side of those who long to be free.
Organization of American States press release on the 41st meeting of the OAS general assembly, June 8, 2011:
On the topic of the Malvinas Islands, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade, and Worship of Argentina, Héctor Timerman, asked the member countries to support Argentina’s claim. . . He then urged the member countries to support his country "with the conviction that your voice will have to be heard, because, in embracing this cause, you will be the voice of those who forged our history."
Approved by the 41st OAS general assembly, with the support of the United States, Draft Declaration on the Question of the Malvinas Islands (AG/DEC. 67 (XLI-O/11)) [Word document page 6-7], June 7, 2011:
It has not yet been possible to resume the negotiations between the two countries with a view to solving the sovereignty dispute over the Malvinas Islands, South Georgias and South Sandwich Islands and the surrounding maritime areas . . .

REAFFIRMS the need for the Governments of the Argentine Republic and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to resume, as soon as possible, negotiations on the sovereignty dispute, in order to find a peaceful solution to this protracted controversy.
No Oil for Pacifists, April 3, 2010:
Siding with Argentina in this dispute is nuts--Falkland Islanders are overwhelmingly (95 percent) British subjects, and repeatedly have rejected Argentine citizenship/sovereignty: they have "nothing in common with Argentina -- culturally, linguistically, historically or politically." And current Argentine President Ms Fernández de Kirchner "hasn't shrunk from playing to anti-American sentiment around the region."
Nile Gardiner in the Telegraph (U.K.), June 8, 2011:
It is hugely disappointing that the Obama administration has chosen once again to side not only with the increasingly authoritarian regime in Argentina, but also with an array of despots in Latin America against British interests. Mrs Clinton should be reminded that 255 brave British servicemen laid down their lives in 1982 for the freedom of the Falkland Islanders, who are overwhelmingly British, following the brutal Argentine invasion.

The sovereignty of the Islands is not a matter for negotiation, and Britain will never give in to threats from Argentina or its tyrannical allies in places such as Venezuela. The White House recently declared that Britain remains America’s most important ally. Now it should live up to its words by supporting Washington’s closest friend and partner on matters of vital British interest, including the future of British subjects living in the South Atlantic, whose only wish is to remain free under the protection of the Union Jack.
Some "special" relationship. As reader OBH commented on another occasion, just another "week of that very special Obama® Brand Foreign Policy."

(via Ed Morrissey via reader Warren)

4 comments:

A_Nonny_Mouse said...

"... We do these things because we believe not simply in the rights of nations; we believe in the rights of citizens. ... "
=====================

Just one caveat: the "citizens" whose rights he's so eager to defend don't happen to belong to the country he is president of.

Hmmm: word verif is "shisssn". Something of the flavor of "Fo' shizzle" with a touch of Scheiss tossed in for good measure?

OBloodyHell said...

Not content with mere talking out of both sides of his mouth, The Big 0 demonstrates that he can blow it out both sides of his ass.

MaxedOutMama said...

OBH - such a stunningly succinct and accurate analysis can only be applauded.

Assistant Village Idiot said...

I dunno, MOM - that was a troubling image by OBH