Obama Blames Europe for Troubles, Too

By JONATHAN MARTIN | Politico

STRASBOURG, France — President Barack Obama laid down a tough new line on America and Europe Friday morning, saying both were to blame what he called the “drift” in the trans-Atlantic alliance in recent years.

“In America, there’s a failure to appreciate Europe’s leading role in the world,” Obama said, boldly taking aim at the country that just elected him last November. “There have been times where America’s showed arrogance and been dismissive, even derisive.”

Of Europe, Obama looked directly at a few thousand German and French students in a town hall in Strasbourg, France, and told them that the continent had showed “an anti-Americanism that is at once casual but can also be insidious.”

“There have been times when Europeans chose to blame Americans for much of what is bad,” he said to a crowd that had been elated at Obama’s entry but then turned silent after his remark.

“So,” he continued, “I’ve come to Europe to renew our parternship.”

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