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And then he throws in a boast that his government repealed the country's carbon tax, standing out among Western nations as the one willing to reverse progress on climate change -- just days after the United States and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