I want to like Obama and I wish the world could be as rosy as he wants it to be. I watched his University of Queensland speech this afternoon and could see the joy the invited audience experienced in his presence. Tanya Plibersek was so happy she looked as though she was awaiting the Dali Lama.

When Obama first ran for President I was as hopeful as anyone else that a positive change was coming; that a new age was dawning. Unfortunately a combination of circumstances including the Republicans and unpopular policies got in Obama's way. He has become totally out of touch with most Americans; his followers are now the diehard faithful and international Socialists around the globe.

I try to watch him speak when there is an easy opportunity and I still think he is a great orator. I still wish the world was a better place, more fair and peaceful. But I've also become one of those who feels Obama doesn't let the truth or practical reality get in the way of a good story.

Today's speech enjoyable. When he got onto the topic of climate change it was as though a big Green 'Applaud Light' flashed and the whole audience clapped wildly. The invited audience clearly believes Obama and Ban ki Moon that global warming is the biggest issue facing humanity. The Reverend Obama delivered the message the climate faithful wanted to hear and there was dancing in the streets.

With predictable reliability the media is calling Obama's comments a spanking for Tony Abbott and calling for the whole G20 Agenda to be modified, in other words drop the discussion they came for and turn the Summit into the Obama Show.

To the Believers, today is your day in the sun. Hope you are enjoying a nice bottle of bubbles with your celebration.

Ooh ooh, ConservativeHippie, Obama's speech was one thing, but the real star of the show was Tones indulging in parochial blather in his opening address to delegates.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_epjAMuS8Wo

This is an international forum - the eyes of the world upon our Prime Minister.

How excruciating for him to bang on complaining that he can't get his $7 co-payment through.

Not an Obama show. What happened merely indicated the rest of the industrial world are on board to invest in renewables....considering the nations of the world are spending $550 billion a year on fossil fuel subsidies.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/11/12/renewables-are-replacing-coal-just-not-fast-enough-to-save-the-planet/

"Barack Obama delivers a lesson in power"

http://www.afr.com/p/national/barack_obama_delivers_lesson_in_f6g832V3aLVQYDnAzS9cBL

Good old Tones, finished off the summit by singing his old time coal ditty. You've got to give it to him. He still stumps up and blathers away - apparently completely oblivious to being humiliated by the superior powers.

Obviously the lame duck President does not know that the warming myth has been seen through by the majority of Austalians. The 'greatest moral challenge of the century' cost both Kev and Julia their jobs. Now the lame duck sprouts his ignorance and nonsense to try and impress the gullible.

Of course Runner, you and Abbott know more than the rest of the world.
They must all be wrong, while you are right. Is that how it goes?

Your holy Abbott has been an embarrassment at this G20 summit, what with continuing with his head in the sand re climate change, when he is Tony-no-friends with this subject.
The boring rant about his own little unpopular GP $7.00 co-payment to an international audience, who really couldn't give a damn and must have been bored out of their minds, was really the last straw for me.

It seemed to me that the other international leaders were just tolerating Tony, and I remain embarrassed.
Surely the Libs will pick another leader soon?

The yanks did not elect Obama, they elected a dream, they hopefully projected onto a man with feet of clay. He has proved to be the most incompetent person ever to hold the presidency of the USA,

Like most narcissistic orators, Obama is all talk, & no substance. He has always been more interested in the words & how they are presented, than in what they actually say.

In this speech he played to a rent a crowd, as much as any nuclear protester ever did. The university of Qld slips even further with this episode.

The US will long rue having put this clown in the white house

'It seemed to me that the other international leaders were just tolerating Tony, and I remain embarrassed.'

We know Susie you, Poirot and the abc are competing as to who has the most hatred for Abbott. Just shows how effective he is. Feel free to leave Aussie if you get to embarassed.

runner,

Here's a good one from the LA Times.....an American perspective of our Prime Minister and his G20 buffoonery - and our parochialism in general.

http://www.arcamax.com/currentnews/newsheadlines/s-1586058-p1

"MELBOURNE, Australia -- The adolescent country. The bit player. The shrimp of the schoolyard.

For Australians it's not so bad -- most of the time -- to be so far away, so overlooked, so seemingly insignificant as to almost never factor in major international news. The lifestyle makes up for it.

But occasionally, there's an awkward, pimply youth moment so embarrassing that it does sting. Like when 19 of the world's most important leaders visit for a global summit and Prime Minister Tony Abbott opens their retreat Saturday with a whinge (Aussie for whine) about his doomed efforts to get his fellow Australians to pay $7 to see a doctor.

And then he throws in a boast that his government repealed the country's carbon tax, standing out among Western nations as the one willing to reverse progress on climate change -- just days after the United States and China reached a landmark climate change deal.

The Group of 20 summit could have been Australia's moment, signaling its arrival as a global player, some here argued. But in all, the summit had Australians cringing more than cheering."

"It's a tendency some observers argue not only damages the country's credibility but Australians' ability to take themselves seriously."

"Measured against its potential today and its needs tomorrow, Australia is seriously underperforming and it is underperforming because of the pathology of parochialism."

Etc....

it seems an American perspective on Obama is extremly low Poirot. I take it you agree with that perspective also?

From a lefty newspaper in a lefty state, that elected Arnie Schwarzenegger governor, not just once, but twice.

Got to give it to those yanks, they even elected this idiot Obama a second time.

Talk about slow learners, & you want us to take one of their papers seriously. Next thing you'll be quoting the NY Times.

Meanwhile analysts on The Box were this evening faulting Obama for permitting the rise of Islamic State.

Obama could have intervened much earlier as advised to do, but he relied upon his emotion reactions to the past instead of listening to the cold facts presented by minds better trained and organised than his.

Obama has good speech writers and he can project his voice, but he is all front with very little going on behind it. A lame duck now that his superficial populism is obvious.

Obama like Rudd, Gillard and Abbott are just banker puppets. They all do as they are told.

The LA Times is no source for balanced perspective. The LA Times has implemented a policy Poirot et al would be proud of, banning all anti-climate commentary including scientific, editorial and letters to the editor.

otb,

"Obama has good speech writers and he can project his voice..."

Are you suggesting Mr Abbott has anything "going on behind" his rhetoric? I mean, lets face it, he just chose one of the most powerful international forums to vent his spleen that he's been unable to get his "surprise" $7 co-payment through. Fancy lamenting to a cohort of 19 international leaders that your prize dupe is dead in the water.

Lol!, and then spruiking to a bloc of people gearing up for the implementation of climate change agreements that you just knocked off Australia's carbon tax.

He addressed them as if he was a civic leader giving a talk to year-nine students.

Can you righties on here point me to "any" source that considers Abbott's opening address was:

1. Appropriate for the setting and audience.

2. Not cringe-worthy

?

runner,

"We know Susie you, Poirot and the abc are competing as to who has the most hatred for Abbott. Just shows how effective he is...."

Here you go again, having no rejoinder to Abbott's cretinous and embarrassing behaviour, you accuse his critics of "hatred.

I tell you what, I can accept a Liberal government - after all it is a democracy.

What I find difficult to stomach (apart from the deceit this govt practiced to get elected) is having to watch our country's leader make gaffe after gaffe, as he awkwardly stumbles his way through his tenure. His non-ability to even fake statesmanship was writ large at this summit. I would like a leader who at least can string a few words together without making a faux pas, without chest-beating like a hormone flooded teen, without his uncanny ability to make himself look like an ass almost on a daily basis.

Australia's cartoonists reckon the Abbott govt is a gift from God...they can hardly keep up with the debacle.

"...Feel free to leave Aussie if you get to embarassed."

The good thing here, is that the debacle of Abbott's Prime Ministership is only temporary. He's embarrassing and awkward, good at sniping in opposition. but he's hardly leader material - especially when he's let loose on the international stage.

Your hatred of Abbott does make it impossible to think rationally Poirot.

Yeah, runner...of course it's mortally wounding to be the recipient of criticism from one such as yourself - so profoundly rational and deeply admired on this forum.

I don't understand the cause and effect in this case, runner...

"Your hatred of Abbott does make it impossible to think rationally Poirot."

How do Poirot's feelings make it impossible for you to think rationally?

I'm with you there Runner, 'feel free to leave if you don't like it', trouble is, where else can seven out of every ten (the three includes big business) get to see the doctor at the free hospital ,well, not free, or have children in the knowledge someone else will pay for them, chuck thier job in knowing if you are stupid and get sacked, youle be provided for. No one in their right mind would ever leave this place. It's just a pity they can't see the big picture, the one that depicts a mother pig with ten teets, trying desperately to feed and care for fifteen piglets. That's what we are essentially doing and, with labors huge debt and wasted billions, they have made the job so much harder.

As Tony quite rightly says, people have to understand that the age of entitlement has to come to an end. Either that, or the three will come two, one, or even none, because they are fed up with not only the burden of carrying the can, but the whinging and lack of respect that goes with it from the now masses who can no longer fend for themselves.

Geez boys..I suppose I should be moseying along then, packin' me bags and booking me floight outa this great nation...coz, according to you two, no-ones allowed to critcize our goofy PM without it being suggested they leave the country.

(Seems to be a recurring meme against anyone who critiques rabid right-wing politics these days)

But then again, I'm being told to vamoose by a OLO's resident moral/religious fundamentalist and a jumped-up petite bourgeoisie shop-keeper who thinks he's Oz aristocracy.

So...um...perhaps I'll stay after all.

'But then again, I'm being told to vamoose by a OLO's resident moral/religious fundamentalist and a jumped-up petite bourgeoisie shop-keeper who thinks he's Oz aristocracy.'

as a warmist fundamentalist I know it upset you Poirot and the abc that Tony failed to bow to your religion. No doubt you would of preferred the wobbly knees of Julia in the presence of Obama. Time to grow up and realise the regressives lost the election. One progressive in awe of another despite regressive policies. Seems like the German President was most impressed with Tony! How could she overlook such a sexist p a Poirot?

LOL, Julia was quite the flirtatious intern to Pres Obama and she was prone to going the big grope for his lower back and buttocks.

The smart money would have been on Michelle if the Grrls ever squared off MMA style, though. Julia had the weight down below, barge *rse and snooker table legs, but Michelle had youth and ferocity on her side, not to mention stink eyes that could curdle milk at twenty paces.

Thanks, otb,

A thread wouldn't be a thread without the obligatory sexist rant from OLO's faux defender of feminine honour.

well, i like this article as i personally like Obama a lot.That was not Obama speech mentioned in this post,but i and most of us believe that Obama has the quality which gathers crowd.

Poirot,

It is a fact that Julia was all over Barack Obama and acted like a besotted groupie in the presence of a rock star. As well, her misogyny allegations were all bunk and were rejected by the disbelieving electorate, along with her gender war.

You would get the prize for your whopper leftist 'Progressive' colonial cringe to the US and the world though in posting that flakey blog BS from an unheard of lightweight attention seeker. Yours was the 'cringe you have when you are not having a cringe', anything to run down Australia. Disgraceful and obvious.

Australia did very well to get the G20 and it was truly marvelous to have Putin and Obama meet in the same room along with other world leaders. You and the tabloid media would never recognise any of that of course, but that is only to be expected. It is par for the course for you - it was never going to turn out any good.

Au contraire, oh gallant defender of all things feminine.

Brisbane ran an extremely well-managed international event.

Good things happened.

Unfortunately, Mr Abbott's cringe-worthy antics weren't amongst them.

Did you note, Tony's bestie in the climate change denial stakes, Canada's PM Harper, has decided to contribute to the Green Climate Fund.

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/nov/17/canada-breaks-with-australia-contribute-green-climate-fund?CMP=share_btn_tw

"Canada – one of the few countries previously in line with Australia’s opposition to the international Green Climate Fund – now appears to have changed its mind, with Tony Abbott’s close friend prime minister Stephen Harper saying he is preparing to make a contribution.

Abbott has defied global pressure to commit to the fund, designed to help poor countries adapt to climate change, because Australia is already spending $2.5bn on its domestic Direct Action fund and providing $10bn in capital to a so-called “green bank” – which he is trying to abolish."

How disingenuous is that, from this double-talking PM - ".... because Australia is already spending $2.5bn on its domestic Direct Action fund and providing $10bn in capital to a so-called “green bank” – which he is trying to abolish."

What a shifty fellow!

Poirot,

It is typical of your obsession with Tony Abbott that you would wish failure of the G20, just because it was being held in Australia when according to you the wrong PM was in Canberra.

Most would regard it as a triumph and a hope for a peaceful world that world leaders, particularly Obama and Putin, took it upon themselves to meet in one room. For leaders of their calibre, even a few seconds interview is precious and fought for.

Contrary to what your cringeworthy earlier post tried to assert through quoting some hack whose uncreative and slack style requires her to sarcastically belittle anything positive, the G20 summit was a very big deal for Australia and Brisbane did it very well. Particularly noteworthy was the highly successful fulfillment of the promise to provide a secure and calm atmosphere to facilitate this very worthy event.

Once again, it beggars belief that you would wish Australia and the G20 ill and cannot find it in yourself to even admit that getting the world leaders into one room was a magnificent achievement, and a peaceful, secure stay was icing on the cake.

otb,

"Once again, it beggars belief that you would wish Australia and the G20 ill and cannot find it in yourself to even admit that getting the world leaders into one room was a magnificent achievement, and a peaceful, secure stay was icing on the cake."

Lol! - here's otb up to his usual tricks.

Nothing like a bit of misrepresentation to bolster one's argument.

We're always profoundly interested in just which aspect of vague relation to the central point made by his opponent, otb is going to employ to misrepresent their intentions.

Ergo, I criticise Abbott for his stupid parochial utterances in his opening address - and otb, has me damning the entire summit, it's organisation, the free world, civilisation and the universe in general.

Nice try, otb, such a shame your dramatic effort has found itself all dressed up and nowhere to go - and again, so sorry to derail your lovely little rant against Julia.....by all means continue. We all know how much it means to you to get at least one post a day up on OLO in honour of that particular fetish

Poirot,

There must be two of you then. Because this is an excerpt from what a 'Poirot' posted earlier,

<Here's a good one from the LA Times.....an American perspective of our Prime Minister and his G20 buffoonery - and our parochialism in general.

http://www.arcamax.com/currentnews/newsheadlines/s-1586058-p1

"MELBOURNE, Australia -- The adolescent country. The bit player. The shrimp of the schoolyard.....">

[Poirot, Sunday, 16 November 2014 9:26:02 PM]

Fact is, you would dump on your own country and on the G20 just to snipe at your hated Abbott. You would even resort to quoting some dumb-assed hack who was too lazy to do any research on the G20 and do a real report. Instead, she took the slimy, gutless, coward's way out by lifting irrelevant speculative gossip and performed the 'seagull' stunt: circling overhead and depositing faeces on a whole lot of very good, hardworking administrators and the leaders themselves who all contributed to a wonderful result.

You are shameless.

otb,

You do "shrill" very well : )

"Fact is, you would dump on your own country and on the G20 just to snipe at your hated Abbott..."

Problem being that Abbott behaved like a small-minded hick while hosting the most powerful people in the world. Have you watched that vision? Here we have an international forum, the stage is set for him to display breadth of vision and maturity. An opportunity for him to shrug off the dust of petty domestic politics and shine a light on Australia's unique outlook pertaining to the wider world...it was his chance to step up and act like the statesman he should be.

And what did he produce?

He produced the very antithesis of an outward looking visionary in a global community. Addresses like the one in which Abbott indulged in his opening address give fuel to those who view Australia as culturally insular. It was an out and out embarrassment - plenty of Australians picked it up and commented. Why, with the world watching, wouldn't the world's press be interested in commenting on such an extraordinarily immature rant by the host leader?

"You are shameless."

Put your wig back on, and take a whiff of smelling salts, otb. We're preparing ourselves for one of your long drawn out offended sensibility rants...you're more value than a battalion of hysterical great aunts (and their cats:)