Didn't have to be israel but BO is not meeting with a single world leader while they are at the UN First time in over 20 years that our POTUS has not met personally with any leader while they are here It isn't like things are peachy keen around the world right now and as BO told us he was going to make the world love us again so was it a good decision for BO?
At a minimum, he should have met with Netanyahu and Morsi (separately, of course). His lack of personal engagement with the world diminishes us as a nation. Leaders lead first, and campaign second. Obama is no leader.
How can he find time in his busy campaign schedule to meet with world leaders? Not sure what's the big deal besides our and our alliance safety. Besides, he's good at tweeting. He proved that when his first tweet of the day was about his campagn on 9-11-12.
It is easy to see Morsi was insulted by BO's remark about Egypt not being our ally I don't understand WHY Bo wouldn't meet with a single one? all other presidents for over 20 years hav found time to have bilateral meetings with some world leaders is whoopie Goldberg really more important than our standing in the world?
I am amazed that No supporter has tried to defend this glaring error by BO by saying there are too many to meet with so he decdied to meet with Whoopie instead
Joan Behar needs to ask him what his favorite color is and such.....that's important too. Seriously, the press won't call him on it, but it looks a bit odd to not meet with international leaders but go on the View. But I guess Netenyahu isn't going to get you re-elected.
Obama is in a no win here. Meeting with Netanyahu is problematic on two fronts: 1) he is a Romney supporter (and longtime acquaintance) and Obama risks taking a Netanyahu torpedo 6 weeks before the election: not good, , and 2) he gives netanyahu a forum to try to make the US commit to the "red line" trip wire to war. Again, dealing with this ploy by N. on the verge of an election cannot help Obama. If he does not meet with Netanyahu, but meets with Arab leaders, we all know how the Republicans will portray this. We can pretend that election considerations wouldn't affect a "real leader's" decision making, but we all know that is crap. Obama is making the right play here. He is better off fading the heat for not meeting with the various partys, than taking the inevitable, and in some ways less predictable heat attendant to whatever other choices he might make.
Netanyahu is the antithesis of Obama: a selfless man with integrity. Putting those two together is like mixng oil and water. Obama gets along much better with the not-so-ethical leaders of this world. (Russia, France, Venezuala...) Although I imagine in private, Putin kicks Barry around like a little *****.
AS I said in the OP it does NOT have to be Bibi. He isn't the only world leader in NYC. And to say a Republican POTUS wouldn't meet with world leaders during an election year is silly since all the Pres, both dem and Pub, have met with world leaderS each time they came to Un for last 20 years.
The situation is complicated enough that I'm not really able to pass judgement from Denton County. If you are an important world leader, with appropriate ego, do you want to spend time with someone who may become irrelevant in six weeks? What can the meetings accomplish? Does it enhance or detract from leverage the US has in foreign policy? Do we give an outside leaders importance in our own election cycle? Would this meeting harm/hurt relations between the foreign leader and Romney When conducting foreign policy you have to trust your experts. If you don't trust them, elect somebody you do.
mr D Good questions without researching it I might guess the meetings come at similar times each year but i do not know Edit to add a quick search shows this meeting has been held nearly the same time. It usually comes at the start of the General assembly. If someone has better info I'd like to read it as well the 20 years time frame encompassed Pres of both parties.
Wolf Blitzer pointed out that Bush in 04 met with a slew of world leaders at a time the Ameriican people were weary of both wars and it was not politically expedient for Bush to do that I think the point is clear that at least ONE GOP POTUS did the right thing and not the political thing Blitzer also pointed how Clinton met with world leaders during his reelection year
It's been obvious for months that getting reelected trumps acting like a real President. BO's personal priorities are more important to him than anything that has to do with running the country.
