VZCZCXYZ0010
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBU #0108/01 0321849
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O R 011848Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0415
INFO RHMCSUU/CDR USSOCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RUEHBU/AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 000108 
 
SIPDIS 
STATE FOR INR/R/MR, I/GWHA, WHA, WHA/PDA, WHA/BSC, WHA/EPSC, CDR USSOCOM FOR J-2 IAD/LAMA 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC KPAO KMDR PREL AR IS
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: COMMENTARY CONTINUES FOLLOWING STATE OF THE 
UNION ADDRESS; 1/30-2/1/10; BUENOS AIRES 
 
SUMMARY 
 
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¶1.   Over the weekend, only two Argentine dailies, largest daily 
Clar????n and left-leaning, pro-government P????gina 12, printed 
opinion 
articles written by Argentine reporters on President Obama's 
foreign policy following the State of the Union address.  All other 
dailies published articles from international news agencies. 
Clar????n's opinion articles were positive, praising the President's 
speech and change of direction, but fearful Congress may stop his 
progress.  On the other hand, P????gina 12's opinion articles were 
critical, citing the President's lack of attention towards foreign 
policy and his inability to understand what the public wants from 
him. End summary. 
 
 
 
¶2.   Clar????n published (1/31) an opinion article by Gustavo Sierra 
praising the President's "brilliant speech" and naming the 
President as "one of the best speakers in U.S. history."  However, 
Sierra is critical of the Democratic response to Massachusetts 
Senate defeat, claiming that Democrats now have pushed to the side 
"sacred initiatives such as health care reform" and adopted a 
"defeatist attitude."  Sierra appears to disagree with this 
strategy, stating that while the Republicans have not had 60 Senate 
seats since 1909, the Democrats have had 60 seats at ten times, but 
each time they give up their majority due to momentum from the 
Republicans.  Thus, the Democrats will need to learn from this 
defeat if they want President Obama to be more than a "great 
speaker." 
 
  
http://www.clarin.com/diario/2010/01/31/elmun do/i-02130498.htm 
 
 
 
¶3.   Ana Baron, Clar????n's Washington correspondent, wrote two more 
opinion articles (1/30 and 1/31) on President Obama's task of 
negotiating with the Republicans and also with members of his own 
party. Baron writes that the President is starting off well, by 
making the economy his top priority and also inviting Republican 
Congressmen to a policy meeting.  Baron also suggests if the 
Republicans do not start helping pass the President's bills in 
Congress, President Obama can "start to accuse them of being 
obstructionists."  Yet, the President's larger worry could be 
Democrats that "abandon the ship in the middle of the storm" and do 
not vote for the President's bills.  According to Baron, this could 
be "more problematic" than Republican obstructionism, whose party 
discipline until now has been "exemplary." 
 
  
http://www.clarin.com/diario/2010/01/31/elmun do/i-02130496.htm 
 
 
 
¶4.   P????gina 12 printed an opinion article (1/31) by Juan Gelman 
scrutinizing President Obama's lack of discussion of foreign policy 
topics.  Gelman notes that President Obama reiterated his promise 
to withdraw troops from Iraq by September 2010.  However, Gelman 
points out that President Obama failed to mention that up to 50,000 
troops will stay in Iraq indefinitely or that troops being withdraw 
from Iraq will not go home, but instead be sent to Afghanistan. 
Gelman also criticized the President for not talking about 
Afghanistan, as President Obama "barely dedicated 100 words of more 
than 6,000" in his speech, despite the President sending 30,000 
more soldiers.  Additionally, Gelman suggests that President Obama 
is not being tough enough with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu 
over his decision to continue building controversial settlements. 
Gelman highlights that while President Obama has ways of 
"convincing his best friend in the Middle East" to stop building 
settlements, the President has neither deployed them nor mentioned 
it in his speech. 
 
 
 
http://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/cartas/24-1 39331-2010-01-31.html 
 
 
 
¶5.   Santiago O'Donnell also wrote an opinion article in P????gina 12 
(1/31) criticizing President Obama's policy during the past year, 
which has been between "bad and disastrous."  O'Donnell opines that 
 
 
President Obama's approval levels have fallen below 50%, a level 
"unthinkable one year ago," because President Obama "wants one 
thing but the public asks for something else."  In addition, 
President Obama wanted to make history by reforming health care, 
but Americans only wanted "the end of the month to arrive," along 
with lower unemployment and an improved economy.  O'Donnell noted 
that it is for these reasons President Obama deserved the defeat in 
the Massachusetts Senate election. 
 
 
 
http://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/elmundo/4-1 39359-2010-01-31.html 
 
 
 
 
 
To see more Buenos Aires reporting, visit our classified website 
at: 
 
http://www.state.sqov.gov/p/wha/buenosaires 
MARTINEZ