Remember how everyone accepted the line that Obama’s election would usher in a new era of warm relations with Europe? Well a few weeks into his presidency we have the EU grumbling and threatening to start a trade war over the Democrats’ “Buy America” provision in the stimulus. The idea of buying America is out-dated, counterproductive in terms of the economy, and, as this current dustup shows, it’s terrible international politics.
Obama is apparently moving away from the policy, but it should give pause to anyone who thought that all international problems would be solved by putting Democrats in charge.