Family Night for Obamas miffs some in Moscow

[HopeOverFear]

After passing on dinner with the French president to go on a date in the City of Light with his wife last month, President Obama took leave of his Russian hosts on Tuesday night to seclude himself in his Moscow hotel with his wife, Michelle, and their daughters.

The first family enjoyed a relaxed evening at the O2 Lounge, the super-chic, super-pricey rooftop club at the new Ritz-Carlton, although no doubt the Secret Service first cleared the place of most if not all of the swaggering tycoons and leggy models who flock to such Moscow venues.

//snip


The decision to brush off the Russians on one of his two nights here miffed some in the Moscow government who did not understand why he would not devote the scarce time to his hosts. Mr. Obama had dinner with President Dmitri A. Medvedev on Monday and lunch with him on Tuesday. But with the second dinner slot unavailable, he ended up having breakfast Tuesday with Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin, a known night owl not given to American-style early morning business meals.

The Obamas, though, wanted some downtime before getting back on Air Force One to head to Italy for three days of meetings at the Group of 8 summit meeting and, from there, to Ghana for a one-day visit.

Much attention here focused on the fact that the Obamas named their younger daughter Natasha, or Sasha for short. (In Russia, Sasha is actually a nickname for Alexandra, not Natasha.) The president told ABC News that he laughed at the sight of his younger daughter walking through the halls of the Kremlin with a trench coat on and her hands in the pockets.

Mr. Obama jokingly called her “Agent 99,” after the “Get Smart” character. “She just looked like she knew where she was going,” he said. “I thought she was going to pull out her shoe phone.”

[Captain Hilts]

1. "HOTEL"?? He didn't stay at the ambassador's residence?

[elleng]

9. Good question.

Who is our current ambassador? Do we have a new one?

[onenote]

12. Bush and Clinton also stayed at hotels when in Russia

They stayed at the Marriott Grande Hotel

http://www.russiajournal.com/node/14088

[arcos]

14. When Clinton came here...

He stayed at a hotel. Marriott, in fact.

[Captain Hilts]

17. No prez came to Moscow when I lived there. I'm surprised. When QEII or Brown come to DC,

they stay at the Ambassador's residence that has an apt. for them.

I'm sure we used to do the same in Moscow.

[monmouth]

2. Firstly, all conversations require a translator, I'm sure. Dinner and

then lunch with Medvedev and then a "meeting" with Putie. Plus, he was exhausted as was evident in some of his lapses. It was not necessary for POTUS to spend any more time with Medvedev, if it hadn't been said and then translated by then, it wasn't going to be said. Moscow is not exactly "friendly" territory. I don't blame him. Enough already, onto sunny Italy where there's plenty of warmth and Silvio and escapades galore!

[Cha]

3. Sorry to those miffed in Moscow..

When it's time to reconnect with your family and some down time.. it's time..even if it's on a rooftop club in Moscow.

Love that he brought his whole family on this trip.

[quantass]

4. Oh boo-hoo...Putin you'll live -- Let's have a ltitle empathy for the real visitor

Last i checked it was Obama visiting Russia not Putin visiting the States. A little hospitality and leaniency is in order for the visitor considering as how the importance of negotations far outway some petty timing inconvenience.

[elleng]

10. And he met with Medvedev how many times?

PLENTY!

[supernova]

5. Russia's still a very macho society

not surprised they didn't like the emphasis on family above work even for an evening.

[masuki bance]

6. He always does that

U.S. President Barack Obama became a sightseeing tourist with his wife and children on a trip to Paris - while stressing the shortness of his visit was not a snub to Europeans.

Diplomatic concern was raised by his decision not to go to dinner at the Elysee Palace with his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy, instead opting for a family meal at a popular bistro.

...

On Saturday night, the U.S. First Family chose a traditional French restaurant complete with red-check tablecloths and red-and-white awnings for a quiet dinner, but with only one of the girls.

...

He grumbled about his busy schedule, saying: 'I would love nothing more than to have a leisurely week in Paris, stroll down the Seine, take my wife out to a nice meal, have a picnic in Luxembourg Gardens. Those days are over, for the moment.'

It had been reported that failing to dine with President Sarkozy and his glamorous wife Carla Bruni would be viewed as a snub.
...

French officials had privately expressed surprise that he could not find time for an official reception at the Elysee.

And spending less than a day in Germany led to speculation of another rift.

Relations between Washington and Berlin have been less than smooth since
Mr Obama took office, with Germany resisting U.S. pressure to take inmates from Guantanamo and send more troops to Afghanistan.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1191392/Barack-Obama-turns-sightseer-takes-wife-children-Paris.html

[Cha]

7. Well tough shit that you swallow

the corporatemedia's fucking need to create a controversy.

[asphalt.jungle]

8. The Daily Heil no less. I love the "grumbled" part because it's so out of context.

He said that part about how he would love nothing more than to take a stroll around Paris in response to a media question about why he isn't spending more time in Germany or France. That was basically an "I'm now the president, I have important shit to do" response to their inane questions about making more time than necessary for these other leaders.

[Cha]

16. I know ..the post is bullshit as is the article.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x8517357

[babylonsister]

13. Nah, it's not a question of swallowing anything, it's the need

to try to stir up controversy here. It's a good thing many are seeing the true colors of certain people. ;)

[Cha]

15. I was giving him the benefit of the doubt.

:)


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x8517357

[elleng]

11. less than smooth?

Merkel LOVES him/his brains/judgment.

[Cha]

18. Dealing in Reality always is an attraction

for those who deal in it, too.

[depakid]

19. "Putin, a known night owl not given to American-style early morning business meals."

Trying to picture Obama kicking back and having a Stoli or two with Putin, pouring over maps....