Reviews

Grading Obama's G-20 Showing

Mixed reviews; he says "OK."

The world is currently swooning for President and First Lady, but, getting down to business, how’d Obama actually do in London? “Mr. Obama emerged Thursday from his first summit meeting with a handful of modest concrete commitments,” The New York Times writes. “He did not get much of what American officials had been hoping for, notably failing to persuade other countries to commit to more fiscal stimulus spending. But he, along with the other world leaders present, did get a more forceful and detailed blueprint for a global recovery than a similar gathering 86 years ago, when an earlier generation failed to take collective action to counter the Great Depression. ” When asked to grade his own performance, Obama said, “Well, I think I did O.K.”