Israel Matzav

A worldwide disappointment

If you don't recognize the picture, it's President Obama in Oslo shortly after it was announced that Chicago would not be hosting the 2016 Summer Olympics. It was one of many disappointments of the Obama Presidency, a Presidency that has managed to disappoint the entire world (Hat Tip: Memeorandum). But they still would rather have Obama than Romney. And for that, they blame Bush.

In a world weary of war and economic crises, and concerned about global climate change, the consensus is that Obama has not lived up to the lofty expectations that surrounded his 2008 election and Nobel Peace Prize a year later. Many in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America were also taken aback by his support for gay marriage, a taboo subject among religious conservatives.

But the Democrat still enjoys broad international support. In large part, it's because of unfavorable memories of his Republican predecessor, George W. Bush, and many people would still prefer Obama over his presumptive Republican challenger Mitt Romney.

"We all had high hopes for him," said Filomena Cunha, an office worker in Lisbon, Portugal, who said she's struggling to make ends meet. "But then things got bad and there's not much he can do for us over here."

Obama's rock-star-like reception at Berlin's Victory Column in the summer of 2008 was a high point of a wildly successful European campaign tour. The thawing of a harsh anti-Americanism that had thrived in Europe was as much a reaction to the Bush years as it was an embrace of the presidential hopeful.

Those high European expectations have turned into disappointment, largely because of the continued U.S. military presence in Iraq and Afghanistan and Obama's failure to close Guantanamo Bay in the face of vehement congressional opposition.

In other words, Europe is upset that Obama has not passed enough of the Leftist agenda. They'd probably be thrilled with his second term. We have to hope and pray that doesn't happen (things are looking better on that front today). Here in Israel, on the other hand, people are disappointed with Obama for different reasons and fear his having a second term.

Unlike the rest of you, I'm not disappointed with the Obama Presidency. It's about what I expected. I warned most of you in 2007 and 2008 not to vote for the phony. Many of you didn't listen.

Labels: Barack Hussein Obama

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 11:12 PM