G20 summit: Sarkozy praises Brown and Obama for roles in 'historic' outcome

[bemildred]

Source: Guardian.UK

Nicolas Sarkozy tonight lavished praise on Gordon Brown and Barack Obama for their role in the G20 summit but insisted the "historic" outcome would not have been achieved without pressure from France and Germany.

Hailing the greatest financial reform since the Bretton Woods agreement, and ending "the madness of this time of total deregulation", the French president revealed there had been "tensions in the room" until shortly before the conference ended.

"We would never have hoped to get so much," he said at his final press conference. "This is not the victory of one camp against the other, but shows the growing awareness that the world needs to change."

Sarkozy, backed by the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, had several times threatened to walk out if their joint "red lines" on regulation were not preserved – even though this was widely dismissed as tactical posturing.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/apr/02/g20-summit-nicolas-sarkozy-gordob-brown-barack-obama

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:wow:

[sharp_stick]

1. Tactical Posturing May No Longer Be Needed

I think the rest of the world, and especially Europe, is starting to realize that there is a new guy in charge over here. This new guy isn't the blustering blubbering asshole that we've been sending over there to lecture for the last 8 years but a man that will do what he says and means it when he says that he will listen and incorporate the needs of the other countries on the planet.

I don't think the French, in particular, were sure about what Obama was about. The American government has been spitting on them and slapping down their ideas so fast that it had to be a general policy for 8 years.

It's nice to see a thawing of American foreign relations.

[bemildred]

2. I thought Mr Sarkozy's praise in this context was interesting.

Also the assertion of "historic success". I still am not sure what it means. Not that I don't believe that Obama can carry his weight with the rest of them.

[monmouth]

3. Read where Obama stepped in between Sarkozy and the man from

China and had to calm them both down. Gotta love it, boys.....sigh.

[notadmblnd]

4. I'd like to read about that.

[scarletwoman]

5. Here...

Source: Obama Plays Peacemaker in French-Chinese Smackdown Over Tax Havens

[notadmblnd]

9. Thank you.

[JDPriestly]

6. I read in an Austrian newspaper that they agreed to regulate

the salaries and perks of executives. I'm wondering how that will go over in the U.S. I'm wondering how that will even be possible in the U.S. I haven't heard any discussion of that here, but apparently it was one of the six points of agreement announced by Gordon Brown in his closing remarks.

[xchrom]

7. the great western nations praising each other?

nothing to be surprised about there -- they were going to 'agree'.

[fujiyama]

8. Obama appears to have hit it off quite well with Sarkozy

since their first meeting last summer. They seem to get along pretty well. I'm curious about Brown though. I've heard rumors that the administration hasn't invested much in him because they don't believe he's going to last much longer.

I also think Obama is a hell of a mediator. This could be a positive sign of things to come. He handles himself with class and decency unlike his predecessor.

[bemildred]

10. What's not to like?

One doesn't want to read too much into it yet, but isn't this the sort of outcome a politician wants to obtain in this sort of event?

[Deep13]

11. First, a domestic triumph with the recovery act....

...and now a foreign relations triumph. Yeah, we made the right call in November.

[TheWatcher]

13. Except there has been no Domestic recovery yet save for a artificially manipulated

"Rally" in the Stock Market.

If there has been any change in the fundamentals of the real economy, things are getting worse.

Jobless Claims hit another record high today, and the news continues to indicate things are getting worse, not better, despite the almost Soviet Level Spin the Media wants to put on it.

And now with the ridiculous FASB rule changes, the Banks can now even commit MORE Fraud with even LESS transparency than before.

Ahhhh, but who cares. Perception, Pretty Pictures, Propaganda, "Hopes", "Assurances", and Happy Talk are all that matters.

[Deep13]

14. So you're more of a "half empty" kind of person, I guess. nt

[TheWatcher]

15. And that's the kind of flippant response I expected.

No, I am informed and in touch with reality, but thanks for the razor sharp psychoanalysis. :eyes:

Check into the FASB Mark To Market nonsense yourself, and keep telling yourself it's a good thing.

Ignore that The Unfunded Debt Liability Of The Untied States is $66 Trillion Dollars, and that the CDO/CDS Mess, if it can even begin to be solved at all, hasn't even been factored into the mix.

That's what a lot of the Mark To market "Good News" is about.

It "Good News" for the Criminals, because it enables the Banks and Wall Street to continue their Ponzi Schemes Unabated, at further expense to you.

The whole reason this fake rally started to begin with is because of a leaked memo from "Pandit The Bandit" at Citi, saying they were "profitable" again, and didn't need any more help from the government. Then 24 hours later, all the Banks fell into line and released their own Propaganda releases saying virtually the same script from that memo, saying "We're fine, we're profitable, and we won't need anymore Government Help." Then GM, who had been desperate for $3 Billion to keep it from going under, came out on the 11th, smiled and said ""We're fine, we're profitable, and we won't need that $2 Billion we so desperately needed to keep from going under (Wait, wasn't that $3 Billion? Ah, who cares the Sheep are busy choosing the next "Idol" They'll never know the difference.")

Then for the next three weeks we get nothing but Cheerleading from the Government, The Media, and The Treasury, Preening and Smiling like used car salesmen and telling us how "upbeat things were", how the Recession would end this year, and all kinds of happy talk. No evidence of anything to back it up of course, but hey, now that we have our "Football Team" in power and running things, we don't need facts or details anymore, right?

Fast forward to this past Monday, and Geithner breaks it to all the Proles that The Banks will need far more help than even THEY know, and GM is doing the Bankruptcy Plank Walk again.

But it seems all they have to do is show a few pretty pictures of leaders smiling saying they are going to "fix things", with absolutely NO details as to exactly how, artificially run up the Stock Market on absolutely no fundamental foundation whatsoever, and most people will just eat it up like Mana from Heaven.

I could go on and on, but I would probably be wasting my breath, because it seems far too many of us would rather believe whatever happy talk the Media and The Government tell you. The same mouthpieces that lied to you all the way through the past two bubble Economies, and told you everything was just fine all the way up to the Collapse this past September, and now they are telling you everything is puppies and Rainbows again.

And for the most part, we're BUYING it.

Unbelievable.

I will say it once more. there is NOTHING, absolutely NOTHING that has fundamentally changed in the real economic environment that would indicate even the beginning of a recovery, much less the justification for the silliness going on in the Markets.

But hey, I'm just a "DU Downer", I'm jealous that I didn't "get in at the bottom", I just want bad things to happen, I'm a disruptor, I'm a Freeper, I'm a Right Wing Nut, nothing exists, Black Helicopters, Conspiracy Kook, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

Now, by all means, get back to The Truman Show Recovery, already in progress.

Sorry to disturb you.

[Deep13]

16. WTF do you expect me to do about it? nt

[TheWatcher]

17. Nothing at all really. Nothing I said was real or exists, remember? The Recession Is Over!

Look At That Stock Market Go!

Now please, get back to enjoying the "Recovery."

I'm off to buy a Pony!

[Deep13]

18. Whew! I was worried there for a minute. nt

[Roy]

19. Are you sure, he is just so inexperienced.....

He has never run a company, hasn't made a big payroll. He has no foreign policy experience.

Why he can't see even see Russia from Chicago.

Here I'll put it here anyway... :sarcasm:

Republican heads are exploding all over the place.

This guy has not supplied them with not one sound bite. And, the Queen even loves Michelle enough to give her a hug.

They are screwn.... screwn, I tell you.

[Deep13]

20. Also, his critics will be rescued along with the rest of the country.

And that galls them.

[Beetwasher]

12. Holy Muther, Obama Saves The World!!!

Ok, a bit hyperbolic, but the importance of what he accomplished over there cannot be understated.

The guy's for real.

Can we all give some props???

[TheLastMohican]

21. I agree with the Watcher here

Until the Federal Reserve is a free printing press of dollars not backed up by anything but the paper they are printed on, the world is in for a lovely mess.
And looks like Obama or his advisors don't have a clue at what to do, because what they are doing is just spraying more gasoline on the fire.