President Attends G-8 Summit in France

Today, the president attends the G-8 summit in Deauville, France, and high on the list will be the focus on security issues, and how to end the conflict in Libya which has been ongoing since March.

When all of the ruffles and flourishes fad away, the member nations attending the summit have some serious serious business to discuss. Many nation's notably France and Britain, have been less than enthusiastic with the leadership exhibited by President Obama. Two of the most contentious issues facing the European alliance is the conflict in Libya and the ongoing financial crisis affecting both Europe and the U.S.

President Obama's lead from behind strategy has rankled many of our European allies, especially the British and the French, who have been left to lead the operation in Libya, but lack the strategic capabilities to do so. President Obama continually remarks that we entered into military operations to prevent the killings of civilians by the Libyan government, but fails to articulate a strategy with regard to Syria, who has killed far more of its own people then is the case in Libya.

The president has also failed to make deep reductions in spending to rein in the massive federal debt of the U.S., European nations have taken deep austerity measures, but the U.S. fails to address its own fiscal crisis.

The flowery public persona of gratitude fails to alleviate the tension beneath the surface of the summit. Let's see how the president navigates rhetoric with reality.

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