As I read the British and Irish press accounts of President Obama's re-election tour, I am amazed at the virtual absence of criticism. It is all about the Obama's style, hand-shaking, back-patting and baby-kissing. It's about ping-pong. Only one columnist commented how the tour is a set-up for Obama's re-election. There was one cartoon in the London Telegraph that was critical of Obama's policy regarding Libya.
Contrast this with visits by President George W. Bush. The media were heavy with criticism of his policies. They mocked his speaking style, they suggested he was ignorant and even an embarrassing and incompetent American leader. His policies were regularly questioned, even opposed.
President Obama could not have found a more obsequious, lapdog media than those in Great Britain, with the possible exception of the New York Times and the U.S. broadcast networks.
Cal Thomas is a nationally syndicated columnist based in Washington, D.C.
This article published on May 26, 2011.
