Obama: The most unpopular man in Britain?

Even more so than here, the British just loved Barack Obama and his Cult of Change. But because of his ham-handed management of the BP oil disaster--BP is the UK's largest corporation--they've soured on Dear Leader.

Writing in the Telegraph, Nile Gardiner wonders if the president is the most unpopular man in Britain:

Instead of adopting a constructive, statesmanlike approach, Barack Obama's decision to launch a "boot on the throat" campaign, while adopting a thinly veiled Brit-bashing agenda, has generated significant bad blood in America’s closest ally. At the same time, the president has inexplicably rejected offers of help from the UK and an array of European countries, no doubt out of both pride and protectionism.

As I wrote previously, we are witnessing one of the worst exercises in public diplomacy by a US government in recent memory, one that could cause significant long-term damage to the incredibly important economic and political partnership between Great Britain and the United States. And for those who say this is minor storm in a tea cup, I would point out that it is highly unusual for a British Prime Minister to have to stand up to an onslaught against British interests by an American president, as David Cameron has just done. In fact the prospect of a major confrontation between Downing Street and the White House grows stronger by the day.

But this is not the whole picture. President Obama's handling of BP is part of a far bigger problem. This is an administration that has consistently insulted Britain, and has even sided with her foes in some cases, most notably in its wholehearted support for Argentina's call for negotiations over the sovereignty of the Falklands, a position that has been strongly backed by Venezuelan tyrant Hugo Chavez. Time and time again, the Obama team has undercut America's key allies, from London to Prague to Jerusalem, while kowtowing to the enemies of the United States in the name of engagement. It is a disastrous foreign policy that not only weakens American global power, but generates resentment and anger in nations that have traditionally stood shoulder to shoulder with America.

The Anglo-American Special Relationship, the most successful partnership of modern times, will survive long after President Obama departs the White House. It is far bigger than any one president or prime minister. But there can be no doubt that it is being significantly damaged and weakened at this moment by the Obama administration’s sneering approach towards Great Britain, at a time when British and American soldiers are fighting and dying alongside each other in a major war in Afghanistan. President Obama needs to see the big picture and understand that his anti-British posturing is hugely counter-productive and highly offensive. He is already one of the least popular US presidents of modern times, not only in the eyes of the American people, but now the people of Britain as well.

Another Obama foreign policy disaster. But I must repeat this point: Should Secretary of State Hillary Clinton choose to run for president again, she'll need to be held accountable for these slaps in the face of Britain. And Israel. And the loss of Turkey as an ally....

Related posts:

Obama's foreign policy: Anger our friends
UK diplomats express concern over US indifference on Falklands
Obama doesn't view UK relationship as special
Obama's disgraceful treatment of Israel
The end of Turkey as an ally

Technorati tags: current affairs UK argentina falklands Obama Barack Obama