Imagine for a moment U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron delivering a speech at a U.S. university, while attending a global summit in the U.S. hosted by President Obama.
Imagine Mr. Cameron taking to the stage of the university and orating how the current administration holds no value toward the founding fathers of the U.S. Constitution.
Further imagine how it would be received if Mr. Cameron’s guest speech was about how nationalized socialistic healthcare, specifically ObamaCare, was corrosive and destructive to the foundational principles of our Republic. Or if how Obama’s refusal to allow the Keystone pipeline was indicative of his communistic tendencies.
If that were ever to happen the professional left, and the U.S. administration, would be apoplectic with anger at the arrogance of such an undiplomatic and uncouth display. It’s easy to imagine Chris Matthews shouting about how such an event would be ill-mannered and intentionally embarrassing the President.
However, that level of imaginary arrogance wasn’t imaginary this past weekend. That is exactly what President Obama did while attending the G20 Summit in Brisbane Australia.
President Obama delivered a speech at The University of Queensland, where he began his remarks around recognition of Native Aboriginal Tribes in the history of Australia:
On my last visit to this magnificent country three years ago, I had the privilege to meet some of the First Australians; we’re joined by some today. So I want to begin by acknowledging the Traditional Owners of this land and by paying my respects to your elders, past and present.
The chosen phrase “Traditional Owners” (capitalized on transcript) was both inflammatory and intentional as delivered by a professional antagonist. Currently in Australia there is considerable angst surrounding native aboriginal issues.
But President Stompy Feet didn’t stop there.
On his last visit, 2011, President Obama met with then Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard. Indeed, for all intents and purposes Mrs. Gillard was a fellow political traveler and ideological leftist/Marxist partner.
During that 2011 visit President Obama heaped praise upon Gillard for her Carbon Pricing and Trading Scheme.
2011 […] “As we move forward over the next several years, my hope is, is that the United States, as one of several countries with a big carbon footprint, can find further ways to reduce our carbon emissions,” Obama said in Canberra, Australia.
Obama noted Australia, which is moving ahead with a carbon pricing and trading system, is pursuing a “bold strategy” and also affirmed his belief in the threat of climate change.
“I share the view of your prime minister and most scientists in the world that climate change is a real problem and that human activity is contributing to it, and that we all have a responsibility to find ways to reduce our carbon emissions,” Obama said. (read more)
However, it was that very Cap-and-Trade plan that was ultimately Gillard’s demise, as the Australian people had fully enough of the Socialistic worldview of Ms. Gillard and dispatched her on the next election cycle to the land of perpetual irrelevance.
Australia reset the direction of the country when they elected Conservative Leader Tony Abbottt – who ran on a common sense energy platform vowing specifically to remove such a ridiculous and costly scheme.
Abbott won a resounding victory.
Apparently that ‘in-your-face’ ideological defeat didn’t sit too well with President Peace Prize who chose, this past weekend at Queensland University , to promote his and Gillard’s position that climate change is the primary danger to the world and carbon trading must be embraced.
Essentially Obama is poking the host leader, Mr. Abbott, with an ‘in-your-face’ retort using an issue of national contention and division.
[…] When I assumed office, leaders and people across the region were expressing their desire for greater American engagement. And so as President, I decided that — given the importance of this region to American security, to American prosperity — the United States would rebalance our foreign policy and play a larger and lasting role in this region. That’s exactly what we’ve done.
[…] So I’m here today to say that American leadership in the Asia Pacific will always be a fundamental focus of my foreign policy.
[…] As we develop, as we focus on our econ, we cannot forget the need to lead on the global fight against climate change. Now, I know that’s — (applause) — I know there’s been a healthy debate in this country about it. (Laughter.) Here in the Asia Pacific, nobody has more at stake when it comes to thinking about and then acting on climate change.
Here, a climate that increases in temperature will mean more extreme and frequent storms, more flooding, rising seas that submerge Pacific islands. Here in Australia, it means longer droughts, more wildfires. The incredible natural glory of the Great Barrier Reef is threated. Worldwide, this past summer was the hottest on record. No nation is immune, and every nation has a responsibility to do its part.
And you’ll recall at the beginning I said the United States and Australia has a lot in common. Well, one of the things we have in common is we produce a lot of carbon. Part of it’s this legacy of wide-open spaces and the frontier mentality, and this incredible abundance of resources. And so, historically, we have not been the most energy-efficient of nations, which means we’ve got to step up.
In the United States, our carbon pollution is near its lowest levels in almost two decades — and I’m very proud of that. Under my Climate Action Plan, we intend to do more. In Beijing, I announced our ambitious new goal — reducing our net greenhouse gas emissions by 26 to 28 percent below 2005 levels by the year 2025, which will double the pace at which we’re reducing carbon pollution in the United States.
[…] We are going to contribute $3 billion to the Green Climate Fund so we can help developing nations deal with climate change. […] But let me say, particularly again to the young people here: Combating climate change cannot be the work of governments alone. Citizens, especially the next generation, you have to keep raising your voices, because you deserve to live your lives in a world that is cleaner and that is healthier and that is sustainable. But that is not going to happen unless you are heard.
It is in the nature of things, it is in the nature of the world that those of us who start getting gray hair are a little set in our ways, that interests are entrenched — not because people are bad people, it’s just that’s how we’ve been doing things. (link)
What President Obama is doing there is essentially undermining the position of the standing Australian government, and more specifically Prime Minister Tony Abbott.
This too is intentional ideological antagonism.
People often wonder how the U.S. is viewed around the world.
With a petulant man-child, who was raised in the bowels of Saul Alinsky, accomplished nothing except to be a professional organizer of bitterness and rage, now in his sixth year as a rude and arrogant President – well, you can well imagine….
….small