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Politics : President Barack Obama -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Mac Con Ulaidh who wrote (67087)	12/20/2009 12:35:44 AM
From: zeta1961	Respond to of 149317

LOL...I think I'll go with Door #1 <VBG> Thanks so much...will definitely give this a try in the not too distant future...

To: Mac Con Ulaidh who wrote (67087)	12/20/2009 9:46:01 AM
From: ChinuSFO	Respond to of 149317

Why Obama skipping Jakarta might not be so bad Evan A. Laksmana and Hazelia Margaretha , Jakarta \| Sat, 12/19/2009 1:04 PM \| Opinion excerpt.... Meanwhile, for Obama, experts have noted that his Asia trip was not so much about coming up with concrete deliverables. It is about the long term - about securing peace among the great powers; assuring friends and allies of American commitment to the region; and building foundations for deeper engagements with China, North Korea and Myanmar. After all, Obama was dealt a tough hand when he took over from Bush. America's "neglect" of its Asian commitments during the War on Terror meant Obama needs first and foremost to assure Asian countries he has the long-term interests of the region - stability, peace and prosperity - at heart. And this means recrafting the concert of power in the region, and recalibrating great power relations; hence the Japan, China and South Korean trips. In this context, Obama skipped Indonesia precisely because the country is exceptionally crucial - from a geostrategic, geopolitical and geoeconomic perspective - for such strategy to work. America simply cannot afford to lose Indonesia as a partner - which would likely have happened if Obama was seen as a political liability by the Yudhoyono administration. Not to mention the fact that back home Obama has enough trouble as it is - from the domestic onslaught of his Afghanistan-Iraq strategy, to issues surrounding healthcare reform and the recovery of the US economy. To be seen as kowtowing to a regime currently under assault for corruption charges, and whose human rights record has yet been wiped clean, might ruffle some feathers in the Democrat-led Congress. It doesn't take a political genius to realize that you don't need to make more enemies than you have to. If however some Indonesians still felt snubbed by "Barry's" canceled appearance, then the US still has time and capital to fix it with the comprehensive strategic partnership in the pipeline. Hopefully, Yudhoyono will have weathered the current storm by then. It seems the cardinal rule that "all politics is local" still stands after all. read the entire article at thejakartapost.com