Even the French President Prefers Bush to Obama

Didn't Obama promise that electing him would make the U.S. more respected in the world?

Sarkozy cool on relationship with Obama
By Ben Hall in Paris
Financial Times
December 27 2009

Nicolas Sarkozy, the most pro-American president of France for half a century, has gone cold on Barack Obama, the most popular American leader in France in generations.

A year ago Mr Sarkozy was engaged in a tussle among European leaders anxious to be the first to secure a meeting with the freshly elected Mr Obama. Mr Sarkozy described Mr Obama as “my friend” after meeting him just once as a senator.
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“He has now shifted from a pro-Bush position to an anti-Obama position,” said Jean-Christophe Cambadélis, international affairs spokesman for the opposition Socialists.
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The main acts of France’s rapprochement with Washington – a tougher line on Iran and a promise to rejoin Nato’s military command structure – came before Mr Obama.
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Like his predecessor, Mr Sarkozy plays up differences with the US for domestic purposes. But there is a crucial difference. Whereas Mr Chirac’s stance towards the US was determined by suspicion of US power, current French frustration is aimed at Washington’s hesitancy or even weakness.

Who would have thought we would live in an era when even the French think the U.S. President is weak and ineffective? What this article underscores is that our friends around the world depend on strong U.S. leadership and Obama isn't providing it. They might complain about U.S. actions when a strong president sits in the White House, but they miss it when it is gone.