President Obama used to be a big deal on the international stage. He was this new, novel American juggernaut of hope that other world leaders wanted to touch or take photos with or, at the very least, just be near, so that maybe some of his magic would rub off on them. But the Times reports:
Now the glow has worn off. So when the Group of 20 conference wrapped up here on Friday — amid disputes over currency and global trade imbalances between the United States and its allies — the heads of state who had gathered here did not seem shy about putting Mr. Obama on the defensive.
Well, yeah. Even if Obama was still super popular, they’re not going to just go along with an economic policy they don’t like so as not to offend him. Does that really demonstrate that Obama has lost his “glow”? The Times ran a photo of sullen-looking Obama walking alone on a stage along with their story. But what about this photo?
PHILIPPE WOJAZER/AFP/Getty Images
Look! Obama is still the center of attention! Everyone is gravitating toward him, just like old times. Are they gravitating toward European Commission president José Manuel Barroso? They are not.
