DISQUS

Clint · 8 months ago

The who?

Steve_in_CNJ · 8 months ago

http://www.thewho.com/

Clint · 8 months ago

Thanks for clearing that up.

jc · 8 months ago

Our Imperialist father is coming to visit. I do hope he likes what we have done with the middle east!

MsJoanne · 8 months ago

It was no more the fault of the citizen's of the UK than it was our fault for GWB; less so, actually, because too many American's voted for Bush's Malexcellent Adventurem - twice. The damage was done by us, not them.

I am not the biggest Gordon Brown fan, but I love the people in Britain. And it appears that they may love us again, too, thanks to Obama's level-headedness.

igor · 8 months ago

Gordon Brown has broken everything he ever touched. As Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1997 to 2007, he's directly responsible for the economic mess Britain finds itself in today. Hard to believe they made him PM so he could do even more damage.

captainj1 · 8 months ago

If George Bush was an addict, Blair was his enabler. A true friend would have stood up and said, "this is nuts!"

Weltall · 8 months ago

Did you people really think electing a new president would magically wish away the 90,000 dead Iraqi men, women and children AND years of torture? Good thing so many of you believe "an eye for an eye".

Steve_in_CNJ · 8 months ago

please take me to the leader of "you people", the leader of Weltall.

paulbot5 · 8 months ago

Brown is an idiot I hope Obama doesnt follow him on his quest for a global new deal

sweetft5 · 8 months ago

No kidding. Maybe Brown should pick up a book and learn that the "New Deal" prolonged our depression. Is that what he is after?

Dan Cobb · 8 months ago

I heard Gordon Brown's interview with NPR this morning. I am amazed at how delusional the American and British politicos are about the economic crisis. Brown was talking about how the US/UK want to spearhead a global regulatory effort to make the banking/investment communities safer and less volatile. I laughed out loud --US/UK?? The biggest greediest least-ethical financial markets in the world that caused this economic implosion. Sorry, Gordon, but the fact is that the uncontrolled and unmitigated greed that has become irrevocably ingrained in the American and British psyches/cultures make the US/UK exactly the countries LEAST able to lead the world into a new regulatory scheme for world banks. Period. There is ZERO credibility in US and UK financial institutions. The best run banks are in Canada, certain European nations and the far east. It's pure ignorance and arrogance to even imagine anyone placing any trust in a US/UK regulatory system. I am sure that people in other countries would avoid such a system like the plague. After all, with the insatiable greed in the US and UK, such a scheme would likely be created with the purpose of the US and UK bilking other nations' banks of their wealth. The US and UK are no longer money making nations. They have no manufacturing base to speak of, and they have become nothing more than money changers. Now that noone trusts them as moneychangers, they have to scheme their way into the pockets of other countries... Gordon, the gig is up.

Ruthless Gravity · 8 months ago

If the British and US financial markets are the problem, that would seem to be the countries who need to fix it.

ndtovent · 8 months ago

The good thing about the british parliament system is that it's much easier for them to fire a prime minister if they don't like him/her. They can be recalled/forced to resign very quickly - unlike our system which takes a year impeachment process.

Ruthless Gravity · 8 months ago

Can't really blame the Brits for The Poodle when we (sort of) elected The Shrub.

Mark in Florida · 8 months ago

Yes, but the poodle did not have to go along w/ the shrub....

Mark217 · 8 months ago

I think it is refreshing that we now have an American president who is able to speak in complete and articulate sentences when we have guests from other countries. I hope we can put Shrub and Poodle behind us, or better yet, put them both in a war crimes trial in the Hague.

Jim Pharo · 8 months ago

I care about the UK-US relationship. I buy into the bs about the "special relationship." But what I think that should mean for the US is that we have a special ally in the EU, and that the UK's desire to use it's "special US friend" status as a way to be above the hoi-polloi of regular EU nations can be a benefit for the US.

George Bush used the relationship effectively and well; unfortunately, it was in the service of evil goals. But having a special friend in Europe helps both the US and the UK.

ndtovent · 8 months ago

IMHO, I don't think the Brits have a problem with the American people, just our reichwing government and some of the bad decisions it's made over the last 8 years. To tell the truth, I'm totally naive about Gordon Brown. I know nothing about him or his leanings (left, right, in-between??) - I'll go to bbc archives when I have some time and do a little research to bone up...

Rob Mule · 8 months ago

Always appeared as though poor Tony was constantly flummoxed by Dubya's pitiful boorishness as contrasted with his royal rank...without even getting into the looney homo-erotic overtones as codified in the word 'poodle'.

Ubiquitous · 8 months ago

Please note - we *didn't* make Brown PM _ he took the job by bullying any opposition into not standing. He's the worst thing that could possibly have happened to this country (I live in the UK) - he's as directly responsible for the current mess as any human being on the planet. Sadly we're stuck with him until next year. It's a catastrophe from our point of view - particularly given we *don't* have an Obama waiting in the wings to take over.

Raymond T. Anderson · 8 months ago

You have my agreement as well as my sympathies. Likewise, we did not elect Bush2 — he stole two elections, and we were too enamored of our comforts to take to the streets and overthrow his sorry ass like our ancestors would have done.

ashiebr · 8 months ago

It's a bit odd, but Brown is the only person in the UK parliament who can be trusted to both understand and to fix the situation even though he played a part in causing the crisis because of his commitment to less regulation and oversight of the financial sector.

It's a funny old world.

cereal · 8 months ago

I think the kids are all right.

If the Bush 'n' Blair Horror Show could not turn the Brits into full-fledged America-haters, nothing can. Short of us actually bombing them, perhaps.

bumpkis · 8 months ago

With Brown presiding over a country that is swiftly moving to a total surveillance state, him and his Global Economy crap should just stay home. Of course, no offense intended to our UK readers here, we need to fix our own house first....

We both could use a few hundred thousand "V"s....

Mark in Florida · 8 months ago

Agreed. The Birtish Nanny state is opressive. I can't believe Brown puts up with it. But, in fairness they are closer to all of the going's on in the mIddle east.

I believe our government is finally back on the moral highground as compared to the Brits. No offense to our Brit friends.....

Raymond T. Anderson · 8 months ago

Thoughtful, historically aware Americans will always have a soft spot for the mother country who gave us the Magna Charta, the Bill of Rights (of 1689), and a tradition of freedom loving so strong we fought them to regain it. Like Americans, the British are politically divided mainly between pro-business conservatives (Tories) and populist sometime progressives (Labour).

Is our relationship damaged? In some ways, we're in the same boat, both led into disaster by previous leaders. But unlike the US, there has been no change of party in the UK. I don't see much difference between Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, nor do I see much difference now between Labour and Tories. Over the last decade, Labour (like our Dems) seems to have abandoned its principles in their eagerness to follow us off a cliff.

Maybe Brown came over to audition as Obama's new poodle, a position which I understand is already filled. And no doubt the US-UK relationship will get better, but that will be because Obama wants to repair the damage from the Bush regime, and the British people do not relish ignorance the way many Americans do.

While it's easier in a parliamentary system to get rid of a government, it suffers the disadvantage that the people do not directly elect the head of government as they (sort of, usually) do here. Unless they like a pro-business Labour party, the Brits really need to sack Brown and his minions.

Ninian Reid · 8 months ago

Just been watching you on the UK's Sky Television News. I agree with your analysis. We Scots barely know this dour, enigmatic figure who claims to be our leader. So,your fellow Americans are not alone.I thought it highly significant that Hillary Clinton went to the Far East, Obama to Canada as soon as the Dems took occupancy of the White house. Such diplomatic activity spoke volumes to us here in Britain. But has Herr Brown got the message?

cowboyneok · 8 months ago

Hey fellow A-bloggers:

Check out the video I just posted over at Pink Panthers Blog:

http://www.pinkpanthersblog.com/

Upstanding, patriotic Christians here in Oklahoma take on the hateful Westboro Baptist KKKristian Talibangelicals! Warning: It might bring tears to your eyes...

Angela · 8 months ago

It would be another great relationship between the two countries. Remember, Brown wanted Obama to win, even though he denied it at the time.

larry · 8 months ago

GANG? Gang?

larry · 8 months ago

I am very historically aware and although I appreciate the English contribution to our culture I also believe that others countries around the world contributed to this country too if not as much. Secondly I would also like to think that those of us who are historically aware also understand that we rebelled against the English and became a country....we went to war again with them in 1812, we pushed back the English interference in this hemisphere through out the nineteenth century in particular during the Civil War. We as a nation did not "appreciate" the English particularly until the Great War(that would be the First World War) and we became very close like gum on the bottom of your shoe during the early days of the Second War when the English butts were ready to become far more Teutonic than there "Royal" family. So lets not fall so much in love with the English until we fully and clearly understand what they want, because believe me they always want something. The British Empire was built and succeeded on the backs of colonials usually of color...luckily we were not part of that group after 1789. Yes the special relationship is special..but lets understand clearly...they have British interest first ..and that is special.

Ellwood · 8 months ago

I think you're getting confused here with what the British (not English) government want and what the British public think. I'm sure a straw poll would show you the general feeling towards America held over here and it is largely one of indifference, and decisions made by our government are largely resented. How do you think it feels to have your country pulled into a war on terror because Mr Bush said jump!

Ubiquitous · 8 months ago

Ashiebr - I think you'll find that most of us trust Vince Cable, closely followed by Ken Clarke far more than we trust Brown. It's a sad fact, but he's managed to screw up pretty much everything he's done so far from kicking of the de-regulation, to selling off our oil at rock bottom prices, to inviting PFIs to cream the public sector.....to having an aide who thinks that the City matters, industry, defence and agriculture don't and as long as the City of London is prospering, the rest of the country can be turned over to tourism (see front page of today's Telegraph, and no, it's not my paper of choice)

He's a disaster.

falloch · 8 months ago

The US/UK special relationship: the UK has a seat on the UN Security Council, along with the US, France, China and Russia - other countries are on the Security Council at a subsidiary level. The 'Five' are all (recognised) nuclear powers (as opposed to Israel, which has nuclear weapons, but the UN etc. pretends they don't know about them). The UK's nuclear 'independent' deterrent consists of Trident missiles which are housed in 4 UK-built Vanguard-class submarines. The Trident missiles are actually leased from the US, serviced in the US and can only be launched using US satellite guidance systems. Hence, our 'special relationship'. The UK gov't thinks that loss of nuclear weapons results in political impotency, and as such our special relationship must carry on - to send troops to Iraq (thank you, Tony Blair) and Afghanistan (thanks, Tony and now Barack) .

fl79tr · 8 months ago

Wow, thanks, I didn't know that.

Asterix · 8 months ago

"Special relationship" meaning that the UK does whatever their American cousins ask them to do?

Feh, nothing.

On the other hand, the US does whatever its Israeli masters tell it to do:

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1068177.html

Honest, isn't it time that Washington said "buh-bye" to the psychopathic Zionist right-wingers? I can't believe that this is getting no traction in the domestic press.

ashiebr · 8 months ago

Manda Scott. Cable has no chance of power, distinguished and reputable figure that he is. Kenneth Clarke is a throwback to the old Tories, brought back into the first team due to lack of other credible candidates. And you should also know better than to quote an anonymous reference in the Telegraph. It's not known as the Torygraph for nothing y'know!

OneManCommotion · 8 months ago

Just let Obama meet the Queen. It's a done deal for us after that.

lark83 · 8 months ago

When I was in the military things were always cool between us and the Brits. Our militaries just naturally jell, both professionally and socially. In fact, the Brits are a hell of a lot of fun. When they show up for an exercise everyone just becomes naturally happier. Those guys know how to party.

miss skeptic · 8 months ago

I was in London just over a year ago - talked to a bunch of different London cab drivers - to a man, they just despise Gordon Brown, so I don't think Brown should unpack the good china at No. 10. He is just finishing Blair's term and from what we heard, there won't be a second chance. Of course, we also heard stuff like, "You Yanks will never elect a colored man." What do they know?

fl79tr · 8 months ago

I know this is anecdotal, but of all the American hatred and vitriol that I've come across living abroad about 90% of it has come from the Brits or Welsh, or Irish (I'm part Irish, and part English by the way) or Scottish, or Cornish etc. In fact, nothing comes close to what I've gotten from our "best friends." I've never been to England, but I'm starting to think its an island Appalachia, full of racists, homophobes, austere humorless condescending hypersensitive paranoid drunks. I want to emphasize that I don't hold anything against the Brits, and I know not all British people are like that, but I'd love to come in contact with more of them that aren't like what I described above. Anyways, I get the impression they don't "love" us all that much, and quite honestly it would probably be in the best interest of at least some of their elites if the US was to fall down a notch or two, not even counting schadenfreude and all. But who was really our best friend the last 8 years? It wasn't the guys who licked W's boots and then talked shit about how much more enlightened and well bred they are than us. It was the French and the Spanish, and the Germans who as true friends refused to go along with Bush, and told us we were wrong, and managed to do it without being codecending. That's what real friends do. As for the Brits, and the Israelis, we should approach them the same way they approach us. What can they do for us? Or What can we get out of them?

Ubiquitous · 5 months ago

I live in England... Gordon Brown has lost all legitimacy here, he's a dead man walking, propped up by Peter Mandelson, newly ennobled, newly made 'First Secretary of State', recently seen in private audience with the Queen. What GB is doing, is desperately trying to re-gain some of the Obama star dust in order to avert his own demise.

BUT

that doesn't make it a bad idea to restore the relationship. Everyone I know despised Blair and his poodle-fawning with Bush. But everyone I know, without exception, thinks Obama is the best thing that has happened not just to the US, but to the world. With him there, we can begin to address climate change in ways we could not before, we can begin to undo the Freidmanite experiments that destroyed the global financial systems (we hope), we can move away from the infantile culture of 'with us or against us' that has done so much damage over the past 8 years.

and perhaps we can begin to move out of Iraq and Afghanistan.

So please know that we were never 'anti-American', we were anti-Bush, anti the Talibangelicals, anti right wing rhetoric and cultural imperialism. But none of these is America. They just came from there...