Indeedy 
to the first half of your post.
If it makes you folks feel any better about Obama not being there, Canadian PM Harper wasn’t there either, and Canada has far closer ties to France than the U.S. does. I just don’t know why something like this matters so much. Did it detract from the ~1 million others who were there?
Obama called France “our oldest ally.” Does that beat “closer ties?”
I thought it made him look scared to be honest, and one thing I think we always had going for us was that we cannot be intimidated.
“I thought it made him look scared to be honest, and one thing I think we always had going for us was that we cannot be intimidated.”
Oh good grief.
Oh good grief back at ya.
There’s more than enough grief for all, unfortunately.
Close to a quarter of Canada’s population is Francophone and French is one of Canada’s official languages. So, no.
We haven’t exactly been close to France in recent decades, after WWII it has been a relationship fraught, from the US pressuring France to get rid of their colonies, to recent times with flareups over France’s disagreements with US foreign policy, not allowing US planes to fly over, etc, etc…(anyone remember freedom toast and freedom fries?).
I don’t know why Obama didn’t go, but I am surprised someone more high level didn’t go. The cynical side of me says Obama didn’t want to go, afraid that being there would somehow offend someone.
There is a more interesting question, outside Abbas, did any other leaders from the middle east go to show solidarity? Did leaders of the french Muslim community? To me that is the more interesting question, if people truly are repelled by what happened in Paris, it would send a big message to be there.
I did hear several “explanations” as to why the USA didn’t send someone more important. The general feeling is that we screwed up. Again. Much of foreign affairs is about perception (from CNN pundits) and the perception here is, that we screwed up/
HOWEVER, as someone who has been the object of snark attacks, knock it off…please.
Some of the states that did send people are such hypocrites. As in, today a court in Egypt sentenced a 21 year old to prison for posting on Facebook that he’s an atheist. That was an assault on Islam. A Christian was sentenced to 6 years last month for “insulting Islam”. And so on, but Egypt sent its Foreign Minister and issue a formal statement. Freedom for France but not in your own country.
As for the US, I expect little more because they’ve been tone deaf since Hillary Clinton left. We spend more time criticizing our allies than our enemies. Like today. South Korea expelled an American who has been praising North Korea and her trips there. We expressed our reservations about their national security law. Which country is our ally? I thought it was South Korea. Of course, we turn away people at our borders but …
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Thank you, that is exactly how I felt. He was afraid.
I think the absence of someone higher level was very noticeable. Kerry should have been there. Our countries have to join together against this enemy, enough is enough. I am constantly disappointed on how OBama handles these things and I don’t get it. .This is a huge huge threat and they are not going to stop. I am not sure I wanted OBama there, as I feel he could be a target. I don’t want to see anything happen to him, but I think all the time “why aren’t you doing something”
A bit OT, but your post motivated me to do some Wikipedia research (lol), and I discovered that while there are 7 million French-Canadians in Canada, there are a total of 10.8 million French-Canadians (2.4mill) and French-Americans (8.4mill) in the US.
Oh, Bay, please. It was a simple comment, since I don’t get the angst over Obama not having attended. Your research should have included the ratios in population.
It would not surprise me if the French government did not really want a US governmental presence at the march. The US is irrevocably associated in the global imagination with the “War on Terror,” and the presence of a high-ranking US official at the Paris march might not have been politically helpful to Hollande and the other European leaders, who are uncomfortable promoting a “clash of cultures” narrative. The US is associated (rightly or wrongly) with a such a narrative in the imaginations of many Europeans, who also resent the US a lot and perceive anything we do as trying to control them and hijack their symbolism for our own purposes.
It doesn’t bother me that Obama or Kerry didn’t go, because there is going to be a big meeting this week of all the leaders, hosted by the US. Reality trumps symbolism.
I cannot find documentation, but I do believe that diplomatic protocol - as outlined by the US State Department - would dictate formal representation by either the Vice President or Secretary of State, not the (outgoing) US Attorney General. President Obama has enough experienced advisors & protocol experts that I cannot believe the lack of US attendance is a mistake. It does, however, send a diplomatic message. It is also a missed opportunity to back words with actions, as well as to meet with other world leaders (Hollande, Cameron, Merkel, Netanyahu, Abbas, Poroschenko, etc.) to discuss the increased dangers of radicalization and homegrown terror. I am incredibly disappointed in the lack of US representation yesterday.
Oh please. If Obama HAD gone, there’d be some stupid meme on Fox News saying that it cost the taxpayers one hundred gazillion dollars a day to protect him and Michelle just wanted a trip to Paris and we have enough issues at home that need dealing with. Gmafb.
The football game was on.
Of course, it wasn’t a mistake. it was a deliberate choice but people disagree with whether or not it was the correct choice. And, the disagreement does not appear to be partisan.
“I do believe that diplomatic protocol - as outlined by the US State Department - would dictate formal representation by either the Vice President or Secretary of State, not the (outgoing) US Attorney General.”
There’s a diplomatic protocol for specific rallies after attacks on European journalist headquarters?