Barack Obama is 'aloof' says British ambassador to US (Says he's "cool")

[JonLP24]

Source: Telegraph UK

Barack Obama is a "decidedly liberal" senator "who was finding his feet, and then got diverted by his presidential ambitions", according to a frank verdict delivered to Gordon Brown by the British ambassador to the United States.

Sir Nigel Sheinwald, ambassador in Washington since last year, delivered his unvarnished assessment of the White House front runner in a seven-page letter to the Prime Minister, obtained by "The Daily Telegraph", just before the Democratic nominee's visit to Downing Street just over two months ago.

The candid letter, marked as containing "sensitive judgements" and requesting officials to "protect the contents carefully" gives a remarkable insight into how the Foreign Office views the political phenomenon who stunned Mr Brown's inner circle by defeating their favourite, Hillary Clinton, in the Democratic primaries.

Although the picture Sir Nigel paints is a highly complimentary one - Mr Obama's speeches are "elegant" and "mesmerising", he is "highly intelligent" and has "star quality" - he also judges that his "policies are still evolving" and that if elected he will "have less of a track record than any recent president".

<snip>

Mr Obama "can seem to sit on the fence, assiduously balancing pros and cons", Sir Nigel wrote, and "does betray a highly educated and upper middle class mindset". Charges of elitism "are not entirely unfair" and he is "maybe aloof, insensitive" at times.

"He can talk too dispassionately for a national campaign about issues which touch people personally, eg his notorious San Francisco comments about small-town Pennsylvanians 'clinging' to guns and religion."

Mr Obama's Democratic primary victory over the former First Lady showed that "he is tough and competitive. This is of course the Chicago school.

You don't beat Clinton without being resilient" but "his energy levels do dip and he can be uninspiring e.g. in debates".

Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/uselection2008/barackobama/3125120/Barack-Obama-is-cool-says-British-ambassador-to-US.html

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

1. "have less of a track record than any recent president" has this douchebag

ever heard of a guy oh what's his name George something......errrr..... George McCain....no.....oh yeah GEORGE MUTHAFUCKING W BUSH?????

[mamameow]

8. gop mess

obama will have to clean up gop messes, which he will do, then he will have the biggest and best record.

[Mojambo]

2. Obama is NOT the common man. I'm fine with that. I prefer it. n/t

[GoddessOfGuinness]

9. We've had 8 years of "common" disaster...

and we don't need another four of a common asshole as president and a common tramp as VP.

[phantom power]

3. Hey Frank, that "balancing pros and cons" is called *thinking*.

After the last 8 years, I realize it may seem unfamiliar.

:eyes:

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

5. Yeah well we don't need any of that "thinking" and "book learning" shit around here. nt

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

4. The Ambassador used to compete in sports.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSqkdcT25ss

[peacetalksforall]

6. Conservative pomp and crapastances. Talk about elitist!

[TomClash]

7. "Sir Nigel"

Need you know much more than that?

[dbonds]

10. The Telegraph is a RW rag.

[BumRushDaShow]

11. The ambassador is jealous. n/t

[noiretextatique]

12. the headline is misleading

his assessment of obama is mostly neutral amd mostly correct. the paper is trying to spin it in to something else, but the ambassador is pretty spot on.

[JonLP24]

13. I know, I can't change the headline. That's why I added the cool part

I added in as much as I could in the body to potray that.

[LeftishBrit]

15. Yes. This is the Torygraph after all!

[ClarkUSA]

14. I wonder if Sir Nigel is friends with Lady Lynn Forrester de Rothschild...

Sure sounds like it.