Obama Skips Normandy Visit So He Won't Offend Germans, Brits

[kallsop]

Barack Obama rejects Normandy trip to avoid offending Germany

"Barack Obama, concerned about offending Britain and Germany, rebuffed strenuous attempts by President Nicolas Sarkozy of France to persuade the new American president to make a trip to Normandy this week."

I don't see how a trip to Normandy would fit with the whole apologizing for America agenda. Smart move by Obama.

Hope and Change, sorry.

 

[lionking]

This just takes political correctness to new heights. Offending Germany? How about honouring the thousands of brave Americans who died on those beaches?

 

[Gord_in_Toronto]

I really, really have no horse is this race but

"It wasn't going to happen," said an American official in Washington. "We went through the motions to placate President Sarkozy but giving special treatment to France was not on our agenda.


"During this trip, we wanted to maintain a balance between the British, German and France". A White House spokesman in London declined to comment. Last month, White House officials briefed that a Normandy visit had been considered but it had not been logistically possible.

Surely the issue has nothing to do with insulting the brave dead at Normandy but balancing the amount of time the President spent in each country.

I notice he also did not view a copy of the Magna Carta at Salisbury Cathedral and thereby insulted all who believe in the Rule of Law!

 

[Alt+F4]

Even if the link in the OP was true (I doubt it), since when is a Presidential visit to Normandy consider offensive to either the British or the Germans? How many Presidents have visited Normandy since the end of the war? All of them?

The French press is reporting that Obama will visit Normany on June 6th for the 65th anniversary of the invasion.

 

[dudalb]

How the Hell would visiting Normandy offend the Brits? It's not like they were not involved with Operation Overlord too....
Kallisop, you have become a Bizarro version of some those driven bonkers by Bush being in the White House.

 

[dudalb]

Even if the link in the OP was true (I doubt it), since when is a Presidential visit to Normandy consider offensive to either the British or the Germans? How many Presidents have visited Normandy since the end of the war? All of them?

The French press is reporting that Obama will visit

Normany on June 6th for the 65th anniversary of the invasion.

That would make sense.
Obama is not nearly stupid enough to offend millions of voters in the US the way that failing to honor the fallen of WW2 would.

 

[lionking]

Even if the link in the OP was true (I doubt it), since when is a Presidential visit to Normandy consider offensive to either the British or the Germans? How many Presidents have visited Normandy since the end of the war? All of them?

The French press is reporting that Obama will visit Normany on June 6th for the 65th anniversary of the invasion.

If the newspaper article is correct and he was invited by Sarkozy to visit the beaches while in France, his failure to do so needs an explanation, even if the explanation is "I would like to, but will be visiting later".

 

[Brainster]

Even if the link in the OP was true (I doubt it), since when is a Presidential visit to Normandy consider offensive to either the British or the Germans? How many Presidents have visited Normandy since the end of the war? All of them?

The French press is reporting that Obama will visit Normany on June 6th for the 65th anniversary of the invasion.

Given that a visit to Normandy would not offend the Brits for any reason other than perhaps arguably cutting short his visit to England, I'm going to buy the argument that the real concern was staying a reasonably equal time in each country.

Most US presidents have visited Normandy during their terms; I can certainly recall Reagan, Clinton and Bush II's visits. If Obama really intends to go back there for the 65th anniversary, then the story is no big deal.

 

[mortimer]

Shame on the Telegraph for fabricating a headline not supported by the evidence in the story. Shame on kallsop for taking the same tack.

 

[Cicero]

Barack Obama rejects Normandy trip to avoid offending Germany

"Barack Obama, concerned about offending Britain and Germany, rebuffed strenuous attempts by President Nicolas Sarkozy of France to persuade the new American president to make a trip to Normandy this week."

I don't see how a trip to Normandy would fit with the whole apologizing for America agenda. Smart move by Obama.

Hope and Change, sorry.

Two months from now, when President Obama does show up at the Normandy beaches for the 65th anniversary, will you be condemning him for honoring what Ike called "The Great Crusade?"

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/pol...president_obama_to_visit_normandy_beache.html

 

[joobz]

Two months from now, when President Obama does show up at the Normandy beaches for the 65th anniversary, will you be condemning him for honoring what Ike called "The Great Crusade?"

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/pol...president_obama_to_visit_normandy_beache.html

ouch! That's funny.

 

[Dr Adequate]

Barack Obama rejects Normandy trip to avoid offending Germany

"Barack Obama, concerned about offending Britain and Germany, rebuffed strenuous attempts by President Nicolas Sarkozy of France to persuade the new American president to make a trip to Normandy this week."

I don't see how a trip to Normandy would fit with the whole apologizing for America agenda. Smart move by Obama.

Hope and Change, sorry.

This is such obvious garbage that I'm wondering if you've given up on actually deceiving people.

Really, whom did you hope to fool?

 

[Rolfe]

So, he doesn't go to Normandy because time pressures mean that if he did that he'd have to curtail his visits to England and/or Germany, possibly both. He doesn't want to offend either of these countries by spending a shorter time there than in France, so he declines the Normandy visit.

OK. So how did this get to be about the war?

Rolfe. Very offended that Obama didn't set foot in my country at all.

 

[Dr Adequate]

So, he doesn't go to Normandy because time pressures mean that if he did that he'd have to curtail his visits to England and/or Germany, possibly both. He doesn't want to offend either of these countries by spending a shorter time there than in France, so he declines the Normandy visit.

OK. So how did this get to be about the war?

Rolfe. Very offended that Obama didn't set foot in my country at all.

Well, it's not a real country, is it?

* cranks handle, waits *

 

[Rolfe]

Rolfe.

 

[Rolfe]

Just to clarify, it's obvious that the "not offending Germany (and maybe Britain)" bit was about making sure comparable periods of time were spent in each of the three countries. The headline is pretty naughty, because it does carry the implication that somehow Obama is avoiding going to Allied war locations to avoid offending Germany. I half wonder if the implication of the headline is a pure mistake, by an unthinking junior editor, but it does seem too blatant to be accidental.

I note that the journalist who wrote the article is the same guy who has the distinction of being the only one to publish the truth about Obama and the teleprompter.

Rolfe.

 

[richardm]

I think that's so grossly misleading it's worthy of a letter to the editor under the Press Complaints Commission's Code of Conduct:

1
Accuracy
i) The Press must take care not to publish inaccurate, misleading or distorted information,

 

[Gord_in_Toronto]

I think that's so grossly misleading it's worthy of a letter to the editor under the Press Complaints Commission's Code of Conduct:

But surely that can't possibly apply to headlines? Otherwise, there would not be any.

 

[uk_dave]

Perhaps he had another destination in mind.....

US President Barack Obama has arrived in Iraq on an unannounced visit, US officials have said.

http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7988065.stm

 

[Oliver]

Even if the link in the OP was true (I doubt it), since when is a Presidential visit to Normandy consider offensive to either the British or the Germans?

Good question, indeed. Who the f cares about formal s like that?