Obama heads to Asia after rebuke by voters

[BtrFuture4All]

Obama heads to Asia after rebuke by voters

By ERICA WERNER, Associated Press 18 mins ago 11-4-10

WASHINGTON – Rebuked by voters, President Barack Obama is turning overseas, heading to Asia for 10 days of diplomacy, tourism and dealmaking that could boost the battered chief executive and highlight his political skills on the world stage.

Obama risks criticism he's fleeing the Democrats' midterm election wreckage for friendlier territory as sets out Friday on the longest foreign trip of his presidency, a sojourn through India, Indonesia, South Korea and Japan aimed at highlighting America's increasing engagement with Asia.

The trip is anchored by must-attend gatherings of world leaders in South Korea and Japan, timing unconnected to Tuesday's midterm elections. The abbreviated stop in Indonesia, where Obama spent four years as a boy, was already canceled and rescheduled twice.

In India, the White House is intent on showcasing its commitment to the world's largest democracy, and U.S. economic engagement with a huge and growing trading partner. The administration also views strengthened ties with India and other Asian democracies as a counterbalance to China's rising power.

The trip aims to "open up markets so that we can sell in Asia, in some of the fastest-growing markets in the world, and we can create jobs here in the United States," Obama said Thursday. "And my hope is, is that we've got some specific announcements that show the connection between what we're doing overseas and what happens here at home when it comes to job growth and economic growth."

But this week's Democratic bloodletting is sure to dog Obama to the other side of the globe as he readies for encounters with growing powers certain to be keenly aware of dealing with a newly weakened president backed by a divided Congress, its repercussions uncertain.

White House officials acknowledge Obama will have to spend some time overseas reassuring U.S. trading partners about the political changes in the U.S., but downplay any impact of the election on the president's overseas agenda.

"Regardless of the election results, the president is committed throughout this whole trip ... to doing what is right for expanding U.S. exports and creating jobs here at home," said Mike Froman, deputy national security adviser for international economic affairs.

Beyond seeking out economic benefit for the U.S., advisers are emphasizing Obama's decision to visit four vibrant and growing democracies, an itinerary meant to reinforce support for democratic values at a time when the U.S. commitment to human rights worldwide has sometimes come into question. The president returns to the U.S. Nov. 14, a day ahead of an important and likely tense lame-duck congressional session where he'll have to search for compromise with emboldened Republicans on extending Bush-era tax cuts, among other issues.

The president, whose popularity overseas has mostly held steady even as it's waned at home, is making a point to engage with the populace along the way. He's meeting with schoolchildren and holding a town hall for college students in India and speaking to a large, open crowd in Indonesia, where the president lived with his mother and Indonesian stepfather between ages 6 and 10.

Previously scheduled visits to Indonesia were canceled twice for domestic reasons, first because of final negotiations on the health care bill and then because of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. This time Obama will spend less than 24 hours in the country and won't be visiting any old friends or childhood haunts; the White House says there's no time for that.

The president, who will be accompanied by First Lady Michelle Obama for the first part of the trip, is squeezing in some sightseeing, including a visit to the enormous Istiqlal Mosque in Indonesia, the Great Buddha statue in Japan and the Gandhi museum in Mumbai. He opted against visiting the famed Golden Temple Sikh holy site in India, though White House officials denied rumors that it was because he would have had to wear a head covering that could have stirred false speculation that he's a Muslim.

Although Obama visited Asia last year, this will be his first trip to India, a country of 1.2 billion people where U.S. officials see infinite economic potential. The president is spending three days there, dividing his time between Mumbai and the capital of New Delhi. It's the longest single stretch he's spent in any foreign country, a point U.S. officials are careful to emphasize.

He'll meet with U.S. and Indian business leaders, including the chief executive of Boeing, and announcements on deals including possible purchases of Boeing aircraft by India are expected. The U.S. also will be pushing for more favorable terms for U.S. exports.

U.S. economic concerns also are front-and-center at a summit of the Group of 20 major economies in Seoul, followed by a meeting in Yokohama, Japan, of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.

Obama hopes to be able to announce concrete progress on a Korea free trade agreement, which has long been stalled in Congress primarily because of opposition from Democratic lawmakers over barriers to sales of U.S. autos in Korea, among other things. A more heavily Republican Congress could be more amenable to the deal.

Also high on the agenda is controversy over how China values its currency, with many in the U.S. contending it's artificially low to keep Chinese exports cheap. Obama will meet at the G-20 with Chinese President Hu Jintao, but officials say they don't expect the currency issue to be resolved.

link

[Jac]

Do you suppose the Obama Group will Cash IQD in in India and Asia? They could do so privately where no one would hear about it. India is a very private country even though terrorists blow hotels up on occasion.

If you remember that famous November night last year when the IQD floated up to $1.49 the Clinton's, other US Officials and leaders from around the world and O were there in Malaysia at the same time. And ooops the managed float floated up to $1.49 for a few hours, not long enough for any here to cash in that I know of. My suggestion be very watchful while O is in these countries.

God Bless America!

[big bob]

Maybe the prez won't come back to take another butt whippin? Maybe a theory, maybe a fantasy.

[waterman13]

The trip aims to "open up markets so that we can sell in Asia, in some of the fastest-growing markets in the world, and we can create jobs here in the United States,"

I have two words for that: (line from the movie "Taken")

"GOOD LUCK"

WM13

[Niko]

Destroying the country is hard work. This guy needs ANOTHER vacation.

Only 2 more years.

[Who_Dat_Gurl]

Your article left out the most important parts. They say the figures are exaggerated, but I would still like to know what the cost would be be by blocking off the entire 870 Room Taj Mahal. this may anger you BEWARE:

Earlier this week, the Press Trust of India reported that the United States will "be spending a whopping $200 million per day on President Barack Obama's visit" to Mumbai.

The story lacked a named source, and the $200 million claim was credited to "a top official of the Maharashtra Government privy to the arrangements for the high-profile visit."

The claim quickly gained traction on the right, thanks in part to a link on the conservative news aggregator The Drudge Report. Among those citing it is Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, who responded to a question from CNN's Anderson Cooper last night on how she would reduce the deficit by citing the cost of the presidential trip.

"Well I think we know that just within a day or so, the president of the United States will be taking a trip over to India that is expected to cost the taxpayers $200 million a day," she said. "He's taking two thousand people with him. He'll be renting out over 870 rooms in India. And these are 5-star hotel rooms at the Taj Mahal Palace hotel. This is the kind of over-the-top spending, it's a very small example, Anderson."

CBS News asked the White House about the story yesterday, and the White House said in an email that "The numbers reported in this article have no basis in reality."

"Due to security concerns, we are unable to outline details associated with security procedures and costs, but it's safe to say these numbers are wildly inflated," the official said.

At his press briefing today, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said that while he would not get into the costs of protecting President Obama, they are "comparable" to what they have been for past presidents in similar circumstances.

As FactCheck.org notes, there is no evidence to support the $200 million figure (other than the anonymous quote), and it seems like a serious stretch in light of the fact that the entire war in Afghanistan costs less on a daily basis.

Writing about the initial report, the Wall Street Journal calls it "demonstrably incorrect" even without considering the $200 million claim.

"It says the White House had blocked off the entire Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai - it hasn't - and that the press traveling with Mr. Obama will be staying there. We won't," writes Jonathan Weisman. "Besides, the press pays its own way at considerable cost to the media outlets, not the U.S. taxpayer."

Back in 1999, the General Accounting Office did a study of a 10-day trip to Africa by President Bill Clinton. The report found that the total cost for the trip was $42 million.

That figure did not take into account the airplanes, helicopters and support personnel who accompany the president, however. (The personnel would presumably be paid whether or not a trip took place.) The operating cost of Air Force One is over $100,000 per hour, and a ten-hour flight from DC to Mumbai would thus tack on a million dollars to a trip's cost.

Anger about the cost of the trip on the part of conservatives mirrors outrage over Michelle Obama's vacation to Spain with her daughter over the summer, which prompted one columnist to dub her a "modern-day Marie Antoinette."

Pressed by Cooper about her claims last night, TPM notes, Bachmann said Mr. Obama's trip to India exceeded normal presidential trips, arguing that "we have never seen this sort of an entourage going with a president before." She added that "we have never seen a trip at this level before, of this level of excess."

When Cooper noted that no one knows the actual cost of the trip, since costs aren't disclosed for security reasons, Bachmann said, "Well, these are the numbers that have been coming out in the press."

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20021841-503544.html

[big bob]

Obama heads to Asia after rebuke by voters

By ERICA WERNER, Associated Press 18 mins ago 11-4-10

WASHINGTON – Rebuked by voters, President Barack Obama is turning overseas, heading to Asia for 10 days of diplomacy, tourism and dealmaking that could boost the battered chief executive and highlight his political skills on the world stage.

Obama risks criticism he's fleeing the Democrats' midterm election wreckage for friendlier territory as sets out Friday on the longest foreign trip of his presidency, a sojourn through India, Indonesia, South Korea and Japan aimed at highlighting America's increasing engagement with Asia.

The trip is anchored by must-attend gatherings of world leaders in South Korea and Japan, timing unconnected to Tuesday's midterm elections. The abbreviated stop in Indonesia, where Obama spent four years as a boy, was already canceled and rescheduled twice.

In India, the White House is intent on showcasing its commitment to the world's largest democracy, and U.S. economic engagement with a huge and growing trading partner. The administration also views strengthened ties with India and other Asian democracies as a counterbalance to China's rising power.

The trip aims to "open up markets so that we can sell in Asia, in some of the fastest-growing markets in the world, and we can create jobs here in the United States," Obama said Thursday. "And my hope is, is that we've got some specific announcements that show the connection between what we're doing overseas and what happens here at home when it comes to job growth and economic growth."

But this week's Democratic bloodletting is sure to dog Obama to the other side of the globe as he readies for encounters with growing powers certain to be keenly aware of dealing with a newly weakened president backed by a divided Congress, its repercussions uncertain.

White House officials acknowledge Obama will have to spend some time overseas reassuring U.S. trading partners about the political changes in the U.S., but downplay any impact of the election on the president's overseas agenda.

"Regardless of the election results, the president is committed throughout this whole trip ... to doing what is right for expanding U.S. exports and creating jobs here at home," said Mike Froman, deputy national security adviser for international economic affairs.

Beyond seeking out economic benefit for the U.S., advisers are emphasizing Obama's decision to visit four vibrant and growing democracies, an itinerary meant to reinforce support for democratic values at a time when the U.S. commitment to human rights worldwide has sometimes come into question. The president returns to the U.S. Nov. 14, a day ahead of an important and likely tense lame-duck congressional session where he'll have to search for compromise with emboldened Republicans on extending Bush-era tax cuts, among other issues.

The president, whose popularity overseas has mostly held steady even as it's waned at home, is making a point to engage with the populace along the way. He's meeting with schoolchildren and holding a town hall for college students in India and speaking to a large, open crowd in Indonesia, where the president lived with his mother and Indonesian stepfather between ages 6 and 10.

Previously scheduled visits to Indonesia were canceled twice for domestic reasons, first because of final negotiations on the health care bill and then because of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. This time Obama will spend less than 24 hours in the country and won't be visiting any old friends or childhood haunts; the White House says there's no time for that.

The president, who will be accompanied by First Lady Michelle Obama for the first part of the trip, is squeezing in some sightseeing, including a visit to the enormous Istiqlal Mosque in Indonesia, the Great Buddha statue in Japan and the Gandhi museum in Mumbai. He opted against visiting the famed Golden Temple Sikh holy site in India, though White House officials denied rumors that it was because he would have had to wear a head covering that could have stirred false speculation that he's a Muslim.

Although Obama visited Asia last year, this will be his first trip to India, a country of 1.2 billion people where U.S. officials see infinite economic potential. The president is spending three days there, dividing his time between Mumbai and the capital of New Delhi. It's the longest single stretch he's spent in any foreign country, a point U.S. officials are careful to emphasize.

He'll meet with U.S. and Indian business leaders, including the chief executive of Boeing, and announcements on deals including possible purchases of Boeing aircraft by India are expected. The U.S. also will be pushing for more favorable terms for U.S. exports.

U.S. economic concerns also are front-and-center at a summit of the Group of 20 major economies in Seoul, followed by a meeting in Yokohama, Japan, of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.

Obama hopes to be able to announce concrete progress on a Korea free trade agreement, which has long been stalled in Congress primarily because of opposition from Democratic lawmakers over barriers to sales of U.S. autos in Korea, among other things. A more heavily Republican Congress could be more amenable to the deal.

Also high on the agenda is controversy over how China values its currency, with many in the U.S. contending it's artificially low to keep Chinese exports cheap. Obama will meet at the G-20 with Chinese President Hu Jintao, but officials say they don't expect the currency issue to be resolved.

link

wouldn't you like to have 10 percent of what this trip costs to buy dinars?

[Jac]

One has to wonder if he did not understand that we do not want him spending our money as if it was his? He cannot keep burying us in debt! Yikes January cannot come too soon!

[Cowboydugan]

One way ticket

[jcfrag]

AMEN Cowboy!

.......... though he may not have much of an audience next time he kills a fly...........

[hopefullbk]

Do you suppose the Obama Group will Cash IQD in in India and Asia? They could do so privately where no one would hear about it. India is a very private country even though terrorists blow hotels up on occasion.

If you remember that famous November night last year when the IQD floated up to $1.49 the Clinton's, other US Officials and leaders from around the world and O were there in Malaysia at the same time. And ooops the managed float floated up to $1.49 for a few hours, not long enough for any here to cash in that I know of. My suggestion be very watchful while O is in these countries.

God Bless America!

I'm relatively new to this investment so I hadnt read that there was an increase for a short time. Not that I'm a conspiracy theorist but it will be interesting to see if that happens again.

[Doc31]

Thanks for the post!