Research Briefing

Fearful Of Once Again Returning Home With Nothing To Show, Obama Willing To Sell Out Economy For A Victory

Obama Admin. Scrambling To Avoid Repeat Of Last Trip To Copenhagen. “President Obama is telephoning world leaders ahead of his one-day trip Friday to the climate summit in Copenhagen, as part of his effort to show leadership even though he can't come with shiny new legislation in hand… Administration officials have been lowering expectations, but still need to avoid a repeat of the embarrassment the LAST time the president made a pitch in Copenhagen, and Team USA came in last among finalists for the Olympics.” (Mike Allen, “Mike Allen’s Playbook,” Politico, 12/16/09)

OBAMA’S FORMER TRIPS OVERSEAS HAVE BEEN “ENTIRELY INEFFECTIVE,” “DISAPPOINTING,” AND YIELDED “NO PALPABLE RESULTS”

Obama Failed To Bring U.S. 2016 Olympics On Trip Deemed “Entirely Ineffective.” “Monday-morning Quarterbacking became Washington’s favorite Olympic sport Friday after President Barack Obama’s in-person pitch failed to bring home the 2016 Olympics to Chicago … Chicago was knocked out in the first-round of balloting …  making Obama’s trip to Copenhagen seem not just unsuccessful but entirely ineffective.” (Josh Gerstein, “The Agony Of Obama’s Defeat,” Politico, 10/5/09)

Obama’s Recent Asia Trip “Produced No Palpable Results.” “The mood in Obama's foreign policy team is tense following an extended Asia trip that produced no palpable results. The ‘first Pacific president,’ as Obama called himself, came as a friend and returned as a stranger. The Asians smiled but made no concessions.” (Gabor Steingart, “Obama's Nice Guy Act Gets Him Nowhere On The World Stage,” Spiegel Online, 11/23/09)

Obama’s Trip To China “Disappointing.” “When Hillary Clinton made her first visit to Beijing as secretary of state, she remarked that human rights could not be permitted to ‘interfere’ with larger concerns, such as global climate change and financial-market mayhem… It was an unfortunate way for the new administration to begin its relationship with China. Sadly, this week President Obama only reinforced the message.” (Editorial, “Obama's Disappointing Trip To China,” Kansas City Star, 11/20/09)

• Misguided Approach Most Consequential In China. “Obama’s minimalist approach was most consequential in China, where he did not meet with Christians, dissidents or bloggers, or directly challenge his hosts for repressive tactics that are again on the rise… The Chinese in turn rebuffed longstanding U.S. concerns – whether on human rights, Iran or currency policy – in a heavily stage-managed visit where China, not Obama, clearly sought the upper hand.” (Mike Allen, “Obama Trip: Style Over Substance,” Politico, 11/19/09)

Six Months After Trip To Egypt, Obama’s Middle East Peace Process Has “Failed Dismally.” “Barack Obama seems to have failed dismally in his first sustained attempt to show he is serious about making peace between Israel and the Palestinians. Obituaries for the hope generated by his election, peaking in his Cairo speech in June, are being written in Arabic, Hebrew, and English.” (Ian Black, “Obama Fails To Resuscitate The Middle East Peace Process,” The Guardian, 11/12/09)

• Peace Process Lacked Foresight, Seriously Eroding Obama’s Credibility. “Nine months later, the president’s promising peace initiative has unraveled.  Mr. Obama’s own credibility is so diminished (his approval rating in Israel is 4 percent) that serious negotiations may be farther off than ever… Peacemaking takes strategic skill. But we see no sign that President Obama and Mr. Mitchell were thinking more than one move down the board. The president went public with his demand for a full freeze on settlements before securing Israel’s commitment. And he and his aides apparently had no plan for what they would do if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said no.” (Editorial, “Diplomacy 101,” The New York Times, 11/27/09)

And Iran Continues To Rebuff The Administration, Despite Conciliatory Attempts. “The regime scoffed at Mr. Obama after he delivered a conciliating message for the Persian New Year in March, scoffed again after he mildly criticized its post-election crackdown and killing spree in June (following days of silence), and scoffed a third time by rejecting the West's offer last month to enrich Iran's uranium for it.” (Editorial, “500,000 Iranian Centrifuges,” The Wall Street Journal, 11/29/09)

AND AFTER FAILING TO SELL DANGEROUS “CAP-AND-TRADE” SCHEME TO AMERICAN PEOPLE, OBAMA CIRCUMVENTS OPPOSITION WITH HARSH EPA REGULATIONS

Obama Administration Plays “Trump Card,” Will Regulate Carbon Through EPA If Congress Fails To Act. “That ‘endangerment finding,’ announced on the first day of the Copenhagen talks, requires the agency to regulate emissions under the Clean Air Act (PL 101-549)… The finding is seen as the White House’s trump card, because it sends a message to senators — as well as negotiators in Copenhagen — that the administration will regulate emissions itself if the Senate balks.” (Coral Davenport, “U.S. Senate Becomes Target of Scorn as Negotiations Hit Rough Patch,” Congressional Quarterly, 12/14/09)

With Announcement Of Harsh EPA Regulations, Obama Sends “Clear Message To Copenhagen.” “The action by the EPA, which has been anticipated for months, clearly was timed to add to the momentum toward some sort of agreement on climate change at the Copenhagen conference and try to push Congress to approve climate legislation… ‘This is a clear message to Copenhagen of the Obama administration's commitments to address global climate change,’ said Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass.” (“EPA: Greenhouse gases are harmful to humans,” The Associated Press, 12/7/09)

NOW RETURNING TO COPENHAGEN, WILL OBAMA’S FAILED LEADERSHIP DISAPPOINT AGAIN?

Obama Pledging To Harmful Provisional Greenhouse Gas Targets: “President Obama is pledging a provisional target for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, the first time in more than a decade that an American administration has offered even a tentative promise to reduce production of climate-altering gases, the White House announced Wednesday.” (John M. Broder, “Obama To Go To Copenhagen With Emissions Target,” The New York Times, 11/25/09)

And Caving To International Community While Ignoring Congress.  “The United States will propose a near-term target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions before the United Nations climate change meeting in Copenhagen next month… The lack of consensus in Congress puts Mr. Obama in a tricky domestic and diplomatic bind. He cannot promise more than Congress may eventually deliver when it takes up climate change legislation next year. But if he does not offer some concrete pledge, the United States will bear the brunt of the blame for the lack of an international agreement.” (John M. Broder, “U.S. To Set Emissions Target Before Climate Talks,” The New York Times, 11/23/09)

Now White House Must Decide Between Senate And World Leaders. “It’s been a bad few weeks for the Obama administration when it comes to climate change, as the White House has found itself trapped between a stalled Senate and constant hammering from world leaders on a lack of leadership on global warming.” (Lisa Lerer, “W.H. Hits Back On Climate Critics,” Politico, 11/23/09)

But Signing Onto Strong Commitments At Copenhagen Will Incite “Astounding” Backlash In Senate. “[I]f the U.S. delegation did make any strong commitments on climate change, that could further jeopardize the chances of the Senate passing the legislation early next year… ‘It’s pretty clear that if they agreed to lots of things or made a big deal, that the backlash in the Senate would be astounding,’ said William Moomaw, a professor of international environmental policy at Tufts University.” (Lisa Lerer, “Weeks Before Copenhagen, No Senate Bill,” Politico, 11/16/09)