VZCZCXYZ0010
OO RUEHWEB
DE RUEHBU #0108/01 0321849
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O R 011848Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0415
INFO RHMCSUU/CDR USSOCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RUEHBU/AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES
UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 000108
SIPDIS
STATE FOR INR/R/MR, I/GWHA, WHA, WHA/PDA, WHA/BSC, WHA/EPSC, CDR USSOCOM FOR J-2 IAD/LAMA
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OPRC KPAO KMDR PREL AR IS
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: COMMENTARY CONTINUES FOLLOWING STATE OF THE
UNION ADDRESS; 1/30-2/1/10; BUENOS AIRES
SUMMARY
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1. Over the weekend, only two Argentine dailies, largest daily
Clar????n and left-leaning, pro-government P????gina 12, printed
opinion
articles written by Argentine reporters on President Obama's
foreign policy following the State of the Union address. All other
dailies published articles from international news agencies.
Clar????n's opinion articles were positive, praising the President's
speech and change of direction, but fearful Congress may stop his
progress. On the other hand, P????gina 12's opinion articles were
critical, citing the President's lack of attention towards foreign
policy and his inability to understand what the public wants from
him. End summary.
2. Clar????n published (1/31) an opinion article by Gustavo Sierra
praising the President's "brilliant speech" and naming the
President as "one of the best speakers in U.S. history." However,
Sierra is critical of the Democratic response to Massachusetts
Senate defeat, claiming that Democrats now have pushed to the side
"sacred initiatives such as health care reform" and adopted a
"defeatist attitude." Sierra appears to disagree with this
strategy, stating that while the Republicans have not had 60 Senate
seats since 1909, the Democrats have had 60 seats at ten times, but
each time they give up their majority due to momentum from the
Republicans. Thus, the Democrats will need to learn from this
defeat if they want President Obama to be more than a "great
speaker."
http://www.clarin.com/diario/2010/01/31/elmun do/i-02130498.htm
3. Ana Baron, Clar????n's Washington correspondent, wrote two more
opinion articles (1/30 and 1/31) on President Obama's task of
negotiating with the Republicans and also with members of his own
party. Baron writes that the President is starting off well, by
making the economy his top priority and also inviting Republican
Congressmen to a policy meeting. Baron also suggests if the
Republicans do not start helping pass the President's bills in
Congress, President Obama can "start to accuse them of being
obstructionists." Yet, the President's larger worry could be
Democrats that "abandon the ship in the middle of the storm" and do
not vote for the President's bills. According to Baron, this could
be "more problematic" than Republican obstructionism, whose party
discipline until now has been "exemplary."
http://www.clarin.com/diario/2010/01/31/elmun do/i-02130496.htm
4. P????gina 12 printed an opinion article (1/31) by Juan Gelman
scrutinizing President Obama's lack of discussion of foreign policy
topics. Gelman notes that President Obama reiterated his promise
to withdraw troops from Iraq by September 2010. However, Gelman
points out that President Obama failed to mention that up to 50,000
troops will stay in Iraq indefinitely or that troops being withdraw
from Iraq will not go home, but instead be sent to Afghanistan.
Gelman also criticized the President for not talking about
Afghanistan, as President Obama "barely dedicated 100 words of more
than 6,000" in his speech, despite the President sending 30,000
more soldiers. Additionally, Gelman suggests that President Obama
is not being tough enough with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu
over his decision to continue building controversial settlements.
Gelman highlights that while President Obama has ways of
"convincing his best friend in the Middle East" to stop building
settlements, the President has neither deployed them nor mentioned
it in his speech.
http://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/cartas/24-1 39331-2010-01-31.html
5. Santiago O'Donnell also wrote an opinion article in P????gina 12
(1/31) criticizing President Obama's policy during the past year,
which has been between "bad and disastrous." O'Donnell opines that
President Obama's approval levels have fallen below 50%, a level
"unthinkable one year ago," because President Obama "wants one
thing but the public asks for something else." In addition,
President Obama wanted to make history by reforming health care,
but Americans only wanted "the end of the month to arrive," along
with lower unemployment and an improved economy. O'Donnell noted
that it is for these reasons President Obama deserved the defeat in
the Massachusetts Senate election.
http://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/elmundo/4-1 39359-2010-01-31.html
To see more Buenos Aires reporting, visit our classified website
at:
http://www.state.sqov.gov/p/wha/buenosaires
MARTINEZ