Here’s Obama’s “smart power” in action
(Japan Today) When President Barack Obama travels abroad, sometimes it’s not enough for just the leader of the free world to show up. People in other countries want the first lady, too.
But Michelle Obama won’t join her husband when he heads to Asia next week, and her absence is likely to sting, especially in image-conscious Japan. It’s the first of four countries on Obama’s travel schedule and one of two that are welcoming him with official state visits.
“If Mrs Obama could have come, it would have been better. But the most important thing is that President Obama accepted this is a state visit,†said Matake Kamiya, a professor of international relations at the National Defense University in Yokosuka, near Tokyo. “From an expert point of view, it’s sort of worrisome why Mrs Obama isn’t coming.â€
The fact that Mrs Obama recently spent a week in China with her mother, Marian Robinson, and daughters Malia and Sasha is sure to be noted in Japan, a close U.S. ally and China rival. But the first lady’s communications director, Maria Cristina Gonzalez Noguera, said it was not expected that Mrs Obama would join the president on a return trip to Asia so soon.
Her taking a big taxpayer funded vacation, er, cultural exchange trip to China then blowing off Japan will surely not sit well as Obama attempt to make some inroads in a region he has laregly ignored during his time in office. I think most can understand the need for her to stay home with the kids, but when people get into politics, and especially run for POTUS, they understand that there are certain duties, and one of them is that spouces should be on big trips like this.
So it’s wrong to go to China and wrong to not go to Japan.
Face it, no matter what she or her husband does, it’s wrong.
Why don’t you go whine to the Japan Today writer, Jeff? Maybe he/she is a raaaaacist!
Laura Bush made 5 trips to Africa without hubby. All on the tax payers dime including a safari !!
Of course back then they were called “goodwill” trips.
Teach you do realize that Bush spent fewer nights in the White House than any modern POTUS?
Do you think that you hold Michele and Laura to different standards?
Michelle Obama’s international travel stats:
Michelle Obama International Travel Foreign Trips Countries Visited Number of Days
2009 5 10 25
2010 3 6 14*
2011 3 7 16
2012 0 0 0
2013** 3 6 17***
Total 14 25**** 72
And Laura Bush’s:
Laura Bush International Travel Foreign Trips Countries Visited Number of Days
2001 2 9 16
2002 5 13 25
2003 5 15 20
2004 5 9 16
2005 9 25 39
2006 7 17 25
2007 5 20 29
2008 8 27 42
Total 46 73* 212
Please note that this covered only Michele’s first term numbers.
Also did you know that Michele when not with the POTUS does not fly on Air Force 1 ? Another aircraft a c-32 boeing 757 is used.
These figures are from the National Taxpayers Union.
The former First Lady (Laura) racked up a two-term total of 212 days abroad. Her second term included 135 days of international travel, which is more time than her husband, George W. Bush, spent abroad during the same time period!
In fact, if you compare Laura Bush to the Presidents, she is currently the third most internationally traveled of that group, behind Bill Clinton and her husband – though President Obama will likely push her back to fourth in a few year
I wasn’t able to find any subsequent years for comparison of international travels but Laura sure travelled more than Michelle !!
in One YEAR Laura spent 42 days on vacation outside the USA !!
Plus Crawford
No one forced you to repost the article and pile on with some of your ridiculous hatred. One can only assume you agree with what you repost and write.
I have no idea if you are racist or not. Many white, conservative, southern Christians are but that doesn’t mean you are. Why do you bring it up?
Jeff, and John for that matter (same small brain)
You do realize that you are a bigot? Also prejudiced. Now I don’t see any racist attitude or behavior from anyone except you as you hold Obama to a different standard as you clearly think he is a lower human. You may say otherwise or even feel that you are one of the superior ones that find everyone equal, that is except for the ones that you disagree with. But the fact is that you are extremely racist and this comes from someone that grew up in 1950’s Mississippi. In fact, you put the KKK to shame.
Now consider this, there is tension between China and Japan. There has been since the 30’s and when Ms. Obama went to China by not Japan she made the Japanese lose face. These people take those actions very serious, they have different conventions than we do. Just as much of the rest of the world has different standards and ways of looking at things. Obama does not have a clue as to international relations and that is clear with the numerous blunders he has made.
Yes, we can’t stand Obama. But it has nothing to do with the color of his skin and more to do with the fact the man is a communist and clueless and lacking in experience and getting our country into more and more trouble.
You do realize that “Air Force One” is not a plane, but a call sign designator for the aircraft on which the President is flying?
If the President gets on a Cessna 182, it becomes “Air Force One.”
Of course that means that without the President on the plane, no plane can be “Air Force One.”
Maybe you should come back when you so woefully ignorant of the subject matter on which you try and make points.
But, that is not the point of what the Japan Today writer wrote, John. Please keep up.
And there we go, Jeffy goes with the typical asswhipe leftist smear of “hate”, pretty much because he cannot defend the Obama’s for what Japanese see as a slap in the face.
Y’know, Teach, it’s kinda cute that you have a couple of prog trolls who have a woody for you. I have to wonder what it’s like in their feebly-pulsing brains wherein you live rent-free…