Barack Obama bolsters transatlantic relationship in Westminster speech

[alp227]

Source: The Guardian

Barack Obama declared on Wednesday that the Anglo-American special relationship would provide "indispensable" leadership to the world and said it was wrong to think that the rise of China and India had undermined the transatlantic alliance.

In a speech designed to reassure Britain and other European countries, which fear that Obama's Hawaiian upbringing means he instinctively looks to the Pacific, the president rejected as "false" the idea that Europe and the US were in terminal decline.

Obama opened his speech with a joke after the House of Commons Speaker, John Bercow, said he was the first US president to address both houses of parliament in Westminster Hall.

"I have known few greater honours than the opportunity to address the mother of parliaments at Westminster Hall," the president said. "I am told that the last three speakers here have been the pope, Her Majesty the Queen and Nelson Mandela, which is either a very high bar or the beginning of a very funny joke."

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/25/barack-obama-bolsters-transatlantic-relationship

[monmouth]

1. The audience loved it and it set the tone and people relaxed. The

President outdid himself. "My grandfather was a cook from Kenya and served in the British Army. And here am I, his grandson, here in this Hall, the President of the United States." The place roared its approval....

[global1]

2. It Was A Magnificent Speech And Made Me Proud That This Man Is Our President.......

It took me back to Grant Park on the day he was elected. I got the same feeling of elation, confidence, and relief listening to this speech (and by relief I mean that I finally felt that we have a person that gets it and is not out to destroy our planet like G.W. was - we have a person that is sincere and really means what he says).

After listening to this speech today and his speech the other day in Ireland - he is truly a unique individual whose destiny was to be the President of the U.S. at this critical time in history.

As I listened to this speech today and watched the faces of the people in the audience weigh on his every word - I felt bad that Our President is admired more by the people of the world - in other countries -than he is by the people in his own country. If only he could command the respect by the other half of his own people as he has by the masses of adoring people from other countries he/we could do so much more great things.

If you didn't hear his speech today - I urge you to see if you could find a way to hear it or at least read the text of it.

All I can say is WOW!!!!!!!

[nyy1998]

3. +1 couldn't agree more with what what you said, great speech and I'm glad he's our President too nt

[Darth_Kitten]

4. Special relationship?

Shades of Tony Blair.

Well, that really puts off every other ally to BOTH countries, doesn't it?

Sorry, but neither country is leading the charge on quality of life for it's citizens.