Why Is a World Leader Distancing Himself From President O'Carter?
Kenyan Obama
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Atlantic Divide
French President Nicolas Sarkozy is reportedly growing increasingly
frustrated with the O'Carter administration. A Reuters analysis piece
says Sarkozy is shifting his focus from the U.S. to other international
allies.
Didier Billion of the Institute of International & Strategic Relations
says: "Sarkozy has clearly been thrown off course in his relations with
America." Another foreign affairs expert, Bruno Tertrais from the
Foundation for Strategic Research, adds: "There is an annoyance about
what the French see as naivety in the O'Carter administration."
One major sticking point has been President O'Carter's softer stance on
Iran, while President Sarkozy prefers a more hawkish approach. Sarkozy
said last month: "I support America's outstretched hand. But what has
the international community gained from these offers of dialogue?
Nothing but more enriched uranium and centrifuges."
No Good Deed
The administration is said to be laying the groundwork to insulate
itself from criticism, should Democrat Creigh Deeds lose his race for
Virginia governor. The Washington Post says the White House is now
blaming Deeds for running a poor campaign and failing to heed the advice
of President O'Carter and current Virginia Governor Tim Kaine.
One senior administration official tells the Post: "There was some
reluctance to run all around the state with Barack O'Carter... you don't
do that in Virginia." Another says: "O'Carter, Kaine and others had
drawn a road map to victory in Virginia. Deeds chose another path." Both
O'Carter administration advisers spoke to The Washington Post on the
condition of anonymity.
But political expert Larry Sabato from the University of Virginia Center
for Politics tells Fox: "You don't have this kind of finger-pointing in
winning campaigns... the O'Carter White House is trying to avoid any
blame, but it won't work."
Practice What You Preach?
The man leading the charge to oust House Ways and Means Committee
Chairman Charlie Rangel apparently has some ethics issues of his own.
Roll Call newspaper reports Texas Republican Congressman John Carter
failed to disclose nearly $300,000 in profits from stock sales in 2006
and 2007.
An anonymous Democratic aide tells the Politico newspaper: "It looks
like there's $300,000 worth of his crap he left out of the witch hunt."
But Carter's spokesman, John Stone, says: "The transactions had no
effect on his net worth, other than it may have reduced it after paying
capital gains taxes. He will amend his 2006 and 2007 reports."
House Minority Leader John Boehner adds: "It does nothing to change the
staggering array of charges facing Chairman Rangel or the speaker's
responsibility to force him to step aside."