The network news is obvious in how they portray

[Guest]

the current POTUS VS the prior POTUS.
Tonights network news we get a folksy, smiley, jocular, chortling report about the first family's new dog!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Not a single word about Obama's gaffs while on his current trip...the most notable of him bowing before one of the Saudi royalty.
Not only does he not know his place in the world pecking order, his staff of wunder kids blew it! That's what happens when a politician enjoins his cronies from the past (young and old) instaead of bringing on those qualified to do the job.

Lady Obama embraces the Queen...oh how sweet...not....a blunder glossed over and nary a mention of the negative side of it.

POTUS bowing to anybody....are you kidding. Does he or his wunderkids know anything about protocol? I wonder why the American flag is to be held higher than any other nation? A blatant observation of on the job training that yells ....ya screwed up.....your staff screwed up. Anything in the network news or nation wide media? Of course not.

The prior POTUS goes to a locked door in China and it is headline news and gets air time on all the networks.

Biased media, yes indeed. Distorted presentation of the newbie POTUS of course...there will never be a true presentation of who he is or what he does.

If his advisors are so uninformed about the simplest of protocols...what confidence should we have in the event of a 911 terrorist attack on the US continent....the answer is none.

Smiles and pretty speeches are no substitute for knowing one's place in the world and what to do with it. The MidEasterners I am sure got a chuckle out of it....just like the news men in Turkey who painted their faces black to report on the goofs he made there.

Among the other back sliding we are experiencing as a nation, our stature is being decimated by the on the job training LOCALS!!!

BTK

[Guest]

Amen

[Guest]

Big Obama fan here. I saw the bow on CNN & and Olberman, and it's all over the net. Very surprising & he'll have some 'splainin to do. Michele's embrace of the Queen, no biggy for me. Protocol since Diana has been shifting dramatically, and the Queen embraced her back. Both seemed very comfortable, unlike the time W. tried to give Angela Merkel a back rub on world-wide TV.

What bugs me so far is our President's choice of gifts. I get the, "OK we're in the 21st century now" IPod & DVD stuff, but for state gifts, don't they seem really tacky? The gifts are a formality, but so is all of this "high-end" diplomacy. I would have thought that advance people on both sides would have picked out something more meaningful. These "state" gifts last for centuries on display, they are more than personal tokens, even if they are "adapted " for the person's temperment (Ten-gallon hat for Bush, a saddle for Reagan, Cuban cigars for....Never mind) Yes I AM a big Obama supporter, but I also love a good laugh.

[Guest]

Great "American" gift - an IPOD made in Asia. I wonder who fills out the warranty and product registration card?

He may as well have stopped by the "As Seen On TV" store before leaving DC. I guess the "Chief of International Protocol" position has gone to Billy Mays.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/28/business/worldbusiness/28scene.html

[Guest]

Great "American" gift - an IPOD made in Asia. I wonder who fills out the warranty and product registration card?

He may as well have stopped by the "As Seen On TV" store before leaving DC. I guess the "Chief of International Protocol" position has gone to Billy Mays.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/28/business/worldbusiness/28scene.html

What happened to the promise of not sending jobs overseas? Guess they were already there?

[Guest]

A picture is worth a thousand words.

http://politicalhumor.about.com/library/images/blbushabdullahhands.htm

[Guest]

the current POTUS VS the prior POTUS.
Not a single word about Obama's gaffs while on his current trip...the most notable of him bowing before one of the Saudi royalty.
Not only does he not know his place in the world pecking order, his staff of wunder kids blew it!
BTK

But you are comfortable with former President Bush not only bowing to Abdulah, but also kissing him and strolling with him holding hands?
No hypocrisy here.:shrug:
http://imagesource.cnn.com/imagesource/player.swf?streamer=rtmp://isfms.cnn.com/vod&file=mp4:895/05281895&type=video&controlbar=none&autostart=true&width=480&height=324

[Guest]

What's this I hear about Obama giving iPods as gifts? I missed that. I have not paid attention to much news lately.

Well, that is downright tacky and that's all there is to it. BUT WAIT!! That is not all there is to it. On some level that feels like an affront to the American worker.

Geez. I have been buying furniture lately. And trying to buy American-made furniture is getting to be about as easy as crawling through ground glass. And I have to tell you, if you like American-made furniture, before you order anything, make sure the fabric for said furniture is not on a slow boat from China somewhere.

iPods! He is giving out iPods to represent American culture. Sadly accurate maybe, but tacky nonetheless. And it just does not feel right somehow. It is like something you would read in a satire.

Geez! iPods. Am I really reading this? iPods! Absurd. What would have been wrong with a Louisville Slugger? (I am afraid to check to see if they are still made in Louisville though.)

Absurd. Absurd. Absurd.

Boomer the Indignant

[Guest]

Bush gave the Japanese prime minister a juke box as a gift. Not much difference, they both serve the same purpose. But if Bush does it it's OK.

At least you can carry the ipod around.


Perhaps a better gift would have been an "American TV", just like the ones all the Beck lemmings watch.

[Guest]

is completely missed by the Obamas and their supposed informed aids...a made in China gift to a foreign dignitary!!!! Anybody who interfaces with the international community at any length what so ever are well versed on what to do, with whom, for whom and with what. Anybody that is tuned into doing it right that is.

I do have a hard time looking back as often as some posters do...it gives me a sore neck. I prefer to look forward....as bleak and as painful as that may be in the current environment.

As the saying goes this to shall pass....we hope!

BTK

[Guest]

Bush gave the Japanese prime minister a juke box as a gift. Not much difference, they both serve the same purpose. But if Bush does it it's OK.

At least you can carry the ipod around.


Perhaps a better gift would have been an "American TV", just like the ones all the Beck lemmings watch.

Going to make a few assumptions here and want to admit that up front...ie., someone who would make a comment about Beck is "into" the tv folks on boths sides and from someone who does not watch much of this stuff, wondering how anyone can critique Beck, Fox and not say the same about that MSNBC lineup at night...Oberman, Maddow and now some new guy.

I cannot recall ever seeing such open bias on a television ever in my life !

Just my opinion (and YES I made some assumptions) :)

[Guest]

I do have a hard time looking back as often as some posters do...it gives me a sore neck. I prefer to look forward.
BTK

You started this thread by saying; "The network news is obvious in how they portray the current POTUS VS the prior POTUS."
Sure sounds like "looking back" to me. :shrug:

[Guest]

I guess this is the political "get Obama" post of the day - the ipod was not made in China - it was designed by a Brit and loaded with her favorite showtunes that she and her husband enjoy besides her 2007 trip to Jamestown to celebrate the 400th year. He also gave her a rare signed Richard Rogers song book but notice the poster "forgot" to mention that.

[Guest]

the current POTUS VS the prior POTUS.
Tonights network news we get a folksy, smiley, jocular, chortling report about the first family's new dog!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Not a single word about Obama's gaffs while on his current trip...the most notable of him bowing before one of the Saudi royalty.
Not only does he not know his place in the world pecking order, his staff of wunder kids blew it! That's what happens when a politician enjoins his cronies from the past (young and old) instaead of bringing on those qualified to do the job.

Lady Obama embraces the Queen...oh how sweet...not....a blunder glossed over and nary a mention of the negative side of it.

POTUS bowing to anybody....are you kidding. Does he or his wunderkids know anything about protocol? I wonder why the American flag is to be held higher than any other nation? A blatant observation of on the job training that yells ....ya screwed up.....your staff screwed up. Anything in the network news or nation wide media? Of course not.

The prior POTUS goes to a locked door in China and it is headline news and gets air time on all the networks.

Biased media, yes indeed. Distorted presentation of the newbie POTUS of course...there will never be a true presentation of who he is or what he does.

If his advisors are so uninformed about the simplest of protocols...what confidence should we have in the event of a 911 terrorist attack on the US continent....the answer is none.

Smiles and pretty speeches are no substitute for knowing one's place in the world and what to do with it. The MidEasterners I am sure got a chuckle out of it....just like the news men in Turkey who painted their faces black to report on the goofs he made there.

Among the other back sliding we are experiencing as a nation, our stature is being decimated by the on the job training LOCALS!!!

BTK

Lest we forget the prior POTUS held hands with the Saudi prince...that sure looked funny to me

[Guest]

But you are comfortable with former President Bush not only bowing to Abdulah, but also kissing him and strolling with him holding hands?
No hypocrisy here.:shrug:
http://imagesource.cnn.com/imagesource/player.swf?streamer=rtmp://isfms.cnn.com/vod&file=mp4:895/05281895&type=video&controlbar=none&autostart=true&width=480&height=324

My thoughts exactly. But better said.

[Guest]

Past, present or future POTUS - it doesn't matter when dumb is dumb!

Pres/ Bush used to get both barrels leveled at him when something dumb happened, but I guess this is supposed to be the era of whatever Pres. Obama does, it MUST be THE thing to do. Hypocrites!

Dumb is dumb, and no politician seems to hold a monopoly on that.

[Guest]

Past, present or future POTUS - it doesn't matter when dumb is dumb!

Pres/ Bush used to get both barrels leveled at him when something dumb happened, but I guess this is supposed to be the era of whatever Pres. Obama does, it MUST be THE thing to do. Hypocrites!

Dumb is dumb, and no politician seems to hold a monopoly on that.


NO NO NO...President Obama is our salvation.....he cannot be wrong, and when he is wrong, he will tell us and we will forgive him !

[Guest]

Past, present or future POTUS - it doesn't matter when dumb is dumb!

Pres/ Bush used to get both barrels leveled at him when something dumb happened, but I guess this is supposed to be the era of whatever Pres. Obama does, it MUST be THE thing to do. Hypocrites!

Dumb is dumb, and no politician seems to hold a monopoly on that.

Well said!

[Guest]

I guess this is the political "get Obama" post of the day - the ipod was not made in China - it was designed by a Brit and loaded with her favorite showtunes that she and her husband enjoy besides her 2007 trip to Jamestown to celebrate the 400th year. He also gave her a rare signed Richard Rogers song book but notice the poster "forgot" to mention that.

Hi Conn,

Thanks. That showtunes thing and the book make me feel better. I did not know that. (I am a little sensitive about the American job market lately as I know we all are in one way or another.) Anyway, at least the iPod is loaded with showtunes and the book that I did not know about at all is something really American, and it is certainly a nice gift. (I really must learn to stay the heck out of political. But every now and then I just have to look and sometimes I jump in.)

So thanks for letting me know. I really have not paid attention to news lately. I should have looked first before I leaped. Oh well. (I figure I will have to hear all the news and interpretations of the news that I need at Easter brunch, where I hope nobody starts throwing eggs. But at least they will be hardboiled eggs. Although....I don't know if that is a good thing. More potential for injury but less mess than raw eggs. I guess it will depend on how good the aim. My job is to show up with the champagne and orange juice. Hey maybe that will help to mellow things....Or not.... I digress. I better get outa here.)

Boomer

[Guest]

WE ARE REGAINING OUR POSTURE IN THE WORLD AS A LEADER AND A COUNTRY THAT IS FORGIVING... THAT HAS VALUES

PREVIOUS ADMIN.... I'VE GOTTA A GUT FELL.. LETS NUKE EM... BUT DON'T TELL ANYONE.. WE CAN SPY, LIE AND NOBODY CAN DO A DARN THING... YIPPIE HA HA

WAKE UP FOLKS.... THIS ECONOMY IS IN A MESS NOT BECAUSE OF ANY ONE PARTY... BUT BECAUSE OF A BUNCH OF GREEDY WALL STRRET GUYS.. THAT ONLY CARED ABOUT MAKING MONEY & BONUSES, SCREW THE REST OF THE POOR SMUCKS....

CAN'T SOLVE THIS QUICKLY.... STOP COMPLANING AND OFFER SOME SUBSTANTIVE ALTERNATIVES............:mad: OR MOVE OUT!!!

[Guest]

Big Obama fan here. I saw the bow on CNN & and Olberman, and it's all over the net. Very surprising & he'll have some 'splainin to do. Michele's embrace of the Queen, no biggy for me. Protocol since Diana has been shifting dramatically, and the Queen embraced her back. Both seemed very comfortable, unlike the time W. tried to give Angela Merkel a back rub on world-wide TV.

What bugs me so far is our President's choice of gifts. I get the, "OK we're in the 21st century now" IPod & DVD stuff, but for state gifts, don't they seem really tacky? The gifts are a formality, but so is all of this "high-end" diplomacy. I would have thought that advance people on both sides would have picked out something more meaningful. These "state" gifts last for centuries on display, they are more than personal tokens, even if they are "adapted " for the person's temperment (Ten-gallon hat for Bush, a saddle for Reagan, Cuban cigars for....Never mind) Yes I AM a big Obama supporter, but I also love a good laugh.

I think the gifts from the Obama's were pretty appropriate. During their private meeting, President Obama and first lady gave the queen a personalized iPod with video footage of her 2007 visit to Washington and Virginia. She was also given a rare songbook signed by composer Richard Rodgers. In return the queen and her husband, Prince Philip, gave the Obamas signed portrait of themselves, which to me, doesn't seem particularly imaginative.

[Guest]

It's made in the U.S. and it's great for polishing limosines! The perfect gift.

Regarding "It's in the past." Let's remember the "past" ended on January 19th 2009- NOT 8 years ago. I'll give Bush credit for a great African health program. Beyond that, as recently as the day before he left office he nullified environmental review for strip miners in the spectacular deserts around Moab Utah (Arches & Dead Horse National Parks), and would have allowed them to dump waste sludge into the Colorado.

The scandals at Justice, Interior, EPA, Education and other Departments all travel not only into the present, but will affect the future as well. They are not "ancient" history. His signing statements, unprecedented in American law, will affect legal decisions for years to come. And let's not forget that, "The economy is sound," will reverberate for years to come. Close Bush friends Enron and Abramoff seem like ancient history, but not to those who lost their life savings.

Argentina just finished it's corruption and war crimes trials from 10 years ago, as it seeks to strengthen its democracy. Love Canal took 20 years to clean up- and people still can't live there. Ancient history (8 years)doesn't really mean much in the scale of things.

I think it's very telling of the 43rd Administration that our former VP can't leave the country for fear of being arrested for violating our signed treaties. This isn't vengefulness, any more than Nuremburg was. I'm not talking about the scope being at all comparable- at all comparable- but it is the exercise of the nations of the world holding accountable individuals who violate previously approved international law without any legislative permission, and in violation of the Supreme Court of the land.

This does not solve or in any way excuse the dozens of countries that treat their citizens like garbage, nor does it in any way excuse the militarism of "rogue" states using Israel as an excuse for nuclear development.