Obama Dodges Sitdown With Brown for Chat in UN Kitchen

Wrongheaded policies to be on display at UN, G20 meetings

(NEWSER) - President Obama's agenda can be summed up as "beggar thy neighbor, bankrupt thy country, and appease thy foe," as can be seen in his plans for summit meetings this week, Bret Stephens writes in the Wall Street Journal. The president chairs a UN Security Council meeting on nuclear disarmament this week but won't focus on any particular country, Stephens writes, an approach so broad it seems to suggest that disarming France is as important as preventing Iran and North Korea from having nuclear weapons. More»

(NEWSER) - No soul-searching gazes or shoulder rubs on this trip. President Obama's initial foray into foreign relations stands in stark contrast to the style of George Bush, writes Jonathan Martin in Politico. Bush took the "chummy," "towel-snapping" route in his relations with foreign leaders. Obama, on the other hand, is all business, and the White House took pains to emphasize how "frank" and "sober" today's discussions were (save for the queen). More»

But menu could represent some of the 'new Britain', chef says

(NEWSER) - President Obama and his fellow world leaders have their work cut out for them at the G20 summit tomorrow, but at least they won’t have to tackle the problems of global finance hungry. Star chef Jamie Oliver is planning a menu of organic Shetland salmon, Welsh lamb with mint, and Bakewell tart and custard, the Telegraph reports. The dinner and sides are designed to show off the best of seasonal British produce. More»

'You have a bunch of people who haven't been in government before,' official gripes

(NEWSER) - A British government official has ripped Barack Obama's "unreachable" team as leaders scramble to make arrangements with the White House to organize next month's G20 summit in London, reports the Independent. "There is nobody there. You cannot believe how difficult it is," said the Cabinet secretary. "You get to a certain point, and you can't go any further. A whole new bunch of people come in who probably haven't been in government before." More»

Leaders pledge economic cooperation

(NEWSER) - Gordon Brown and President Obama met today, as Obama praised the “special relationship” between Britain and the US, the BBC reports. Obama said the ties between the two nations were “important to the American people” and would “only get stronger.” The British prime minister will address Congress tomorrow, and is expected to press lawmakers to remain committed to free trade despite the global downturn. More»