Losing friends and infuriating people

Uh oh.
You can't expect the British, our most avid and staunchest ally, to keep taking Obama's hits on the "cheen." He keeps insulting them. And they appear done with forgiveness.
I don't blame them.
For a guy so enthusiastically heralded as brilliant, a man to make America popular in the world again as if we're a ditzy beauty pageant contestant, he's a miserable statesman. Unless, of course, with iron-fisted dictators, bloodthirsty terrorists, and power-mad rulers like Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Vladimir Putin. They love him. Fist bump!
They love any American ruler who is weak. Bullies love the weak, promote the weak, because they can take advantage of the weak. And Obama doesn't seem to care that the lunch money being handed over equates to his nation's security.
Nah. He's too busy getting rid of our nuclear weapon arsenal while Ahmadinejad can't get enough enriched uranium to quench his destruction-minded thirst. Lest we forget, his favorite quote is "Death to Israel." Quickly followed by, "Death to America."
Terrorists are the man's best friend. American supporters and lovers of democracy, like England and Honduras, are expected to turn the other cheek. And turn. And turn. And turn again.

The whiplash is ending.
David Hughes, the UK's Daily Telegraph's chief writer and 30-year political reporter, doesn't have that Hopenchange feeling anymore. Here is his scathing and accurate criticism of Obama. He's humiliated, as is his country, at the treatement of their Prime Minister. And as an American, so am I.

Barack Obama's churlishness is unforgiveable

The juxtaposition on our front page this morning is striking. We carry a photograph of Acting Sgt Michael Lockett - who was killed in Helmand on Monday - receiving the Military Cross from the Queen in June, 2008. He was the 217th British soldier to die in the Afghan conflict. Alongside the picture, we read that the Prime Minister was forced to dash through the kitchens of the UN in New York to secure a few minutes “face time” with President Obama after five requests for a sit-down meeting were rejected by the White House.

What are we to make of this? This country has proved, through the bravery of men like Acting Sgt Lockett, America’s staunchest ally in Afghanistan. In return, the American President treats the British Prime Minister with casual contempt. The President’s graceless behaviour is unforgivable. As most members of the Cabinet would confirm, it’s not a barrel of laughs having to sit down for a chat with Gordon Brown. But that’s not the point. Mr Obama owes this country a great deal for its unflinching commitment to the American-led war in Afghanistan but seems incapable of acknowledging the fact. You might have thought that after the shambles of Mr Brown’s first visit to the Obama White House - when there was no joint press conference and the President’s “gift” to the Prime Minister was a boxed DVD set - lessons would have been learned. Apparently not. Admittedly, part of the problem was Downing Street’s over-anxiety to secure a face-to-face meeting for domestic political purposes but the White House should still have been more obliging. Mr Obama’s churlishness is fresh evidence that the US/UK special relationship is a one-way street.

I knew they hadn't forgotten that DVD boxed set incident.