Does the US president understand enough about Europe to turn his popular image into political support?
Last summer, Ed van Dijk, chairperson of the Dutch Obama Club, saw the American presidential candidate deliver a speech in Berlin. He even shook his hand. But this time, Dijk stayed home. “Berlin was for the people but this is really for the politicians,” he said. He would have liked the US president to address the public again on his plans. “Obama would have definitely received a warm welcome,” says Dijk. However, the same cannot be said for the European leaders Obama met with last weekend. Mirek Topolanek, the outgoing prime minister of the Czech Republic which currently holds the EU presidency, recently called Obama’s approach to the financial crisis “a road to hell.” German Chancellor Angela Merkel also has difficulty with the US president’s plan. Pumping more money into the economy in a country like Germany which is aging quickly will leave a very expensive bill for the next generation to pick up. So the chancellor is keeping a tight grip on the purse strings. Does President Obama
