Obama wants the UK within the EU
There’s a must-read article in New Statesman about Obama and the Tories.
It basically claims that Obama wants the UK to remain within a strong EU, and that this of course is at odds with the Tories’ hostile attitude towards Europe.
A few quotes
Obama began by saying that he hoped to work closely with the EU. But, in a crude attempt to demonstrate his Atlanticist credentials, Cameron went on to indulge in what one source has described as an “anti-European diatribe”, repeatedly referring to the “anti-Americanism” of EU member states. Cameron apparently told Obama that he would not encounter a more pro-American politician than himself.
If Cameron thought this would impress Obama, he was wrong. […]
On meeting Cameron, Obama was, according to diplomatic sources, “distinctly unimpressed”, contrary to some reports (excitedly spun by the Conservatives) which suggested that the two men had formed an instant “bond”. Instead, I have been told, Obama exclaimed of Cameron after their meeting: “What a lightweight!” He apparently also asked officials about Tory Euroscepticism. […]
A widely read, broad-minded internationalist, Obama has long valued Europe and, asked during the primaries against Hillary Clinton to name the crucial US allies, he instantly placed “the European Union” at the top of the list.
I misread ‘Atlanticist’ as ‘Antifascist’ … just goes to show that the brain looks at the beginning and end of the work and fills in the middle …
Something of a tangent but you might be interested in this posting from the excellent Strange Maps blog: http://strangemaps.wordpress.com/2008/11/15/330-from-pickin-cotton-to-pickin-presidents/
Thanks, Harry! That is indeed interesting!