Sarkozy looking forward to meeting his "friend" Obama

Perhaps the most impressive Conservative leader on the world stage today seems to be coming close to endorsing Obama as President. Sarkozy was elected as a Conservative in France and has been mentioned several times during McCain speeches during the Republican primaries. The Conservative leader in the UK David Cameron (who is also likely the next British PM) is also fighting to maximize his photo op today with Obama. I am not sure if this is a generational thing or signs that a new form of Conservatism in Europe is trying to part with the failed legacy of George Bush and his brand of "Conservative" ideology. It will be interesting to see if Obama makes a trip to Canada before the next election.
-Darryl

Quotes from Sarkozy:

"Obama? He's my pal," the president told Le Figaro. "Unlike my diplomatic advisors, I never believed in Hillary Clinton's chances. I always said that Obama would be nominated."

Sarkozy added that an Obama victory "would validate" his strategy of reconcilation with the United States. His embrace of the United States has made him American conservatives' favorite Continental politician, but he doesn't seem to be reciprocating."

Quote from Cameron:

Referring to Mr Obama's speech, in which he warned that absent black fathers were behaving like teenagers and shirking their responsibilities, Mr Cameron said: 'I think he's absolutely right.

' I mean I think it's a very brave thing to do.

'And it will have a huge influence that he has said it.

'I've had a number of meetings with black church leaders who make the same point too.

'They are very concerned about family breakdown and social breakdown and want to see what I call a responsibility revolution take place.

'I think it is a very important part of our responsibility agenda.'

The veteran civil rights campaigner Jesse Jackson has accused Mr Obama of 'talking down to blacks', but Mr Cameron said this was wrong.

He told the Guardian: 'We will never solve the long term problems unless people also take responsibility for their own lives.'

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Nicolas Sarkozy ready to welcome his 'friend' Barack Obama

With Barack Obama due in Paris for a fleeting stop on his European tour, President Nicolas Sarkozy has boasted that he is "the only one in France" to know the Democrat candidate, who he called "my friend".

By Henry Samuel in Paris
Last Updated: 12:44PM BST 25 Jul 2008

In fact, the French leader met Mr Obama only once, in 2006 at the Congress in Washington, when Mr Sarkozy was interior minister. The President said he had good memories of their encounter.

In his typically outspoken manner, Mr Sarkozy is quoted by Le Figaro as adding that "Unlike my diplomatic advisors I never believed in Hillary Clinton's chances. I always believed that Obama would be nominated."

Despite the warm words, the Parisian leg of Mr Obama's tour is strikingly low-key compared to his Berlin stopover yesterday, when he gave a rousing speech to a crowd of 200,000.

France is the only country in his three-nation tour where he will not be staying the night.

"Senator Obama looks forward to meeting with President Sarkozy and discussing areas of mutual interest, including the common challenges of security, transnational threats, and the global economy," his national security spokeswoman said.

"President Sarkozy has made the bilateral Franco-American relationship and the Transatlantic Alliance a centrepiece of his presidency, and Senator Obama looks forward to discussing how to build on these important initiatives," she said.

But French commentators recognized that despite Mr Sarkozy's pro-American stance, cosying up to France - which opposed the US-led invasion of Iraq - is unlikely to win Mr Obama many votes back home.

John Kerry, the Democratic nominee in 2004, was lambasted by conservatives just because he could speak French.

Mr Obama and Mr Sarkozy will meet this afternoon and hold a joint press conference - something the Democrat declined to do with Gordon Brown when the two meet in London tomorrow.

The Illinois senator heads off to London this evening.

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No 10 fights Cameron for best Obama photo opportunity

Barack Obama will bid farewell to Europe with a stopover in London that has been causing angst in Downing Street because of fears that David Cameron may steal the thunder from Gordon Brown.

In contrast to Berlin, where-hundreds of thousands of fans turned out to see the Democrat nominee-presumptive, the London leg of the tour will be conducted almost entirely out of the public view. Mr Obama will largely be meeting political leaders, Labour and the Conservatives having been engaged in high-wire negotiations to win the “battle of the photo opportunity”. It looks like the Tories have secured the better photo spot, despite there having been no firm plans for a meeting with the party leader as recently as ten days ago.

Mr Obama, who will arrive from Paris late tonight, will receive Tony Blair, now the Middle East peace envoy, first thing tomorrow morning, talking to the former Prime Minister – who is much better known in the US than Mr Brown – about climate change and the Palestinian situation.

He will then make his way to Downing Street for breakfast with Mr Brown.

Strict protocol requires Mr Brown not to appear on the steps of No 10 standing next to Mr Obama, because he did not do the same for John McCain, the Republican nominee, when he was here in May. Instead the handshake and farewell photographs will be taken inside, and Mr Obama will leave No 10 on his own to address the press.

He will then travel by car to the Houses of Parliament for his meeting with Mr Cameron, in the Conservative leader’s office overlooking the Thames.

The choreography of this switch-over caused high tension this week when Mr Obama’s advisers informed Downing Street that Mr Cameron would “collect” him on foot and they would walk the few yards to Parliament. That would provide a huge “spontaneous” photo opportunity that Mr Brown would be unable to match. The Obama team withdrew the suggestion after high-level representations from senior government figures.

The Conservatives are still on course for the better photo opportunity after Andy Coulson, the party’s director of communications, took over the negotiations. Mr Cameron is to be pictured with the presidential candidate walking down the cloister of New Palace Yard in the Palace of Westminster. This is the same shot taken of Mr Cameron and Mr McCain in May – and provides a better backdrop than a Downing Street fireplace.

The Democrat nominee has rebuffed all requests for British media interviews, having also barred nonUS media organisations from travelling with him. Instead he will record an interview with Tom Brokaw, of NBC, for broadcast as he flies back to Chicago.