Obama Politicks for Unity in Strasbourg

President Obama sought to promote European/U.S. cooperation at at town-hall meting in Strasbourg, France today, on the eve of a NATO summit, and part of his message was that there's a culture of mutual disdain that needs to be overcome by citizens on both sides of the Atlantic. From a transcript of his remarks:

In America, there's a failure to appreciate Europe's leading role in the world. Instead of celebrating your dynamic union and seeking to partner with you to meet common challenges, there have been times where America has shown arrogance and been dismissive, even derisive.

But in Europe, there is an anti-Americanism that is at once casual but can also be insidious. Instead of recognizing the good that America so often does in the world, there have been times where Europeans choose to blame America for much of what's bad.

On both sides of the Atlantic, these attitudes have become all too common. They are not wise. They do not represent the truth. They threaten to widen the divide across the Atlantic and leave us both more isolated. They fail to acknowledge the fundamental truth that America cannot confront the challenges of this century alone, but that Europe cannot confront them without America.