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PM Cameron should stop groveling to Obama and stand up for Britain over the Falklands

Tony Blair was derided by the US press as Washington’s ‘poodle’ while Cameron is mocked as Obama’s ‘guard dog’, says Gardiner

The following article by Neil Gardiner (*) was published by The Telegraph - The British prime minister jets into Washington this weekend, for a meeting with President Obama at the White House on Monday. As I noted in a piece earlier this week, this is an opportunity for David Cameron to look like a statesman, not a cheerleader. His last visit to Washington was an embarrassment, with the British leader fawning all over the most left-wing and anti-British president of modern times, even de facto endorsing Obama for a second term as president.

Tony Blair used to be derided in the UK press as Washington’s “poodle,” though in reality he had far more influence in the United States than he was given credit for, and some Bush administration officials even complained that he had too much of the president’s ear. Cameron has far less sway than Blair did on this side of the Atlantic, and is generally little known among the American public. But he is still mocked in the US media (notably by the bastion of the liberal establishment, The Washington Post) as President Obama’s “guard dog” because of his overwhelming adoration for his US counterpart. Cameron even allowed himself to be a campaign prop (albeit one with limited name recognition) in the crucial swing state of Ohio, flown out on Air Force One to attend a basketball game, and photographed eating a hot dog with the US president. The White House also used the opportunity of a glitzy state dinner for the prime minister as a reward ticket for more than 40 top fundraisers for Obama’s re-election campaign, all at American taxpayers’ expense.

David Cameron’s humiliating and undignified groveling before Barack Obama has failed to reap any dividends, as the Obama Administration’s disgraceful handling of the Falklands issue has amply demonstrated. The Obama presidency has consistently sided with Argentina’s calls for a negotiated settlement over the sovereignty of the Falklands Islands, and recently refused to formally recognize the result of the Falklands referendum, which showed that 99.8% of Falkland Islanders wish to remain a British Overseas Territory. The Obama administration’s response was insulting, unhelpful and mean-spirited. In the aftermath of the referendum, the US State Department insisted on treating Britain and Argentina as equals with “competing claims” to the Falklands, while urging a “resolution” between London and Buenos Aires. This is a huge slap in the face to the inhabitants of the Falklands, as well as to the memory of the 255 British servicemen who laid down their lives for the freedom of the Islanders. It also undercuts the British position, while encouraging the aggressive and delusional stance of Argentine President Cristina Kirchner.

President Obama clearly couldn’t care less about the Special Relationship, a message he projected again last month, when not a single serving US administration official traveled from Washington to attend the funeral of Lady Thatcher in London. Not only is the Obama White House indifferent towards Britain, it is also rude and callous in equal measure. As a senior State Department official told The Sunday Telegraph soon after Barack Obama entered the White House, “there’s nothing special about Britain. You’re just the same as the other 190 countries in the world. You shouldn’t expect special treatment.” This is hardly a message that accords respect to the thousands of British troops fighting alongside their US counterparts on the battlefields of Afghanistan.

It is time for the prime minister to stand up for his own country when he comes to Washington. He should publicly call on the US president to side with Britain on the Falklands issue, and support the right to self-determination of the Falkland Islanders. David Cameron has nothing to gain from kowtowing to Barack Obama. He can, however, demonstrate this Monday that he has a backbone on the world stage, and is willing and able to defend British interests.

(*) Nile Gardiner is a Washington-based foreign affairs analyst and political commentator. A former aide to Margaret Thatcher, Gardiner has served as a foreign policy adviser to two US presidential campaigns. He appears frequently on American and British television, including Fox News Channel, BBC, and Fox Business Network. He is currently Director of The Heritage Foundation's Margaret Thatcher Centre for Freedom.