Not A Fine Day For The Irish

In a little-noticed qualifier to a pre-convention release, Team Obama announces they may eliminate the special envoy to Northern Ireland.  Dems fought for and got this post under Clinton and it has been continued by Bush.

Ben Smith of The Politico is paying attention.

Here is the BBC:

US presidential candidate Barack Obama is to ask the British and Irish governments and NI party leaders if a special US envoy is still necessary.

Mr Obama said "the crisis period has passed, and the people are now in charge of their own destiny".

He said he would discuss "whether a senior administration official, serving as point person for Northern Ireland, would be most effective".

Mr Obama, who has Irish ancestry, has issued a US-Irish relations statement.

The Irish Echo:

However, it was the statement's seeming retreat from the envoy policy, which came into being during the Clinton administration after years of lobbying by Irish American groups and activists, that sent up a red flag even as Democrats prepared in Denver for Obama's acceptance speech Thursday.

"I'm Shocked, I really am," veteran Democratic activist Brian O'Dwyer said.

"The stupidity of it, that somehow the idea that it is all over (in Northern Ireland) and there is no need for an envoy; this of all things. Irish American is most proud of the fact that it obtained an envoy, O'Dwyer, a prominent supporter of Senator Hillary Clinton during the Democratic primaries, told the Echo.

"This was fought for, clawed for, for many years," said O'Dwyer.

O'Dwyer said there were many issues that could still be watched over by a special envoy, and that Irish Americans feared that the progress to date in Northern Ireland could be let slip if the U.S. involvement was diminished.

"It's hard for me to fathom how anyone who knows anything about Ireland would say this. This is a signal that the U.S. government will detach. If he (Obama) wins, the operative word is detachment," O'Dwyer said.

And the Irish Times:

Irish Voice publisher Niall O'Dowd, who supported Mrs Clinton in the Democratic primaries, said the statement was unclear but warned that any weakening of US input in the North would be "completely unacceptable" to Irish-Americans.

"A special envoy continues to be vital and necessary," he said. "Wholehearted American support and involvement will also be vital in resolving the upcoming issues of policing and devolution."

I have no doubt the Obama campaign will "clarify" this promptly.

Comments

[Danube of Thought]

Dangerously unprepared for the presidency.

[glenda waggoner]

There goes the Irish catholic vote...wait--He didn't have it anyway!

[hrtshpdbox]

And they run countdown clocks to Biden's next gaffe?

[PeterUK]

Prematurely presidential.Why not wait to get the job first.

[Joan]

Oh, PeterUK, you're so witty!

[Gabriel Sutherland]

Downing Street is really going to love this news.

Hey Barack. Make my tomorrow a complete misery.

Your Friend,

Gordon Brown

[windansea]

don't know if this is the Onion but have you seen this? Obama will have a full scale replica of Air Force One in addition to his greek temple

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1050017/Pictured-The-miniature-Greek-temple-Barack-Obama-launch-final-push-U-S-presidency.html

[PeterUK]

"Downing Street is really going to love this news.

Hey Barack. Make my tomorrow a complete misery.

Your Friend,

Gordon Brown"

Put that way,who could disagree with Mr Obama? Anything to immiserate the obese,nail chewing,snot gobbling, incompetent,half witted,Marxist egomaniac.

[windansea]

nevermind on my post above re: Air Force ONE

per Gerhaghty:

I think the Daily Mail is stretching things with their illustration of the Air Force One fuselage at Invesco Field — it's there for a memorabilia display, "The American Presidential Experience," and wasn't brought there for Obama.

nuts, I was ready to short Obama in a huge way at Tradesports

[Thomas Collins]

I guess Zero doesn't want the Irish clinging to the US envoy. Or perhaps this is one of Zero's spending offsets for his volunteer youth corps program.

But seriously, this is inexplicable. Zero wasn't exactly being pressed to explain his policy on Republic of Ireland/Northern Ireland/UK relations.

[Lindak]

Could this be a taste of other wee zingers that the Clintons plan to whisper to the press? I hope so.

[SukieTawdry]

Why even bring this up in the course of a campaign? Was there a larger point?

It's Obama by acclamation! Wow, that was suspenseful. If one can judge from fora like this, Tom Udall is a terrible public speaker.

[MarkJ]

My reaction to this news?

"Barack Obama: Sooper Foreyn Polisee Geenyus"

[Publius]

For $10.00 the Obama's can get their picture taken at the doorway of a real Air Force One at the Reagan Library. They could then flash the picture upon the teletron at Invesco Field....but that would require them going to the Reagan Library.

[matt]

gun toting, Bible thumping, benighted rust belt conservatives + partial birth abortion approval + pissing off the Irish = Nobama 2008

[kim]

This election is a test case to see how close someone can come to the Presidency after pissing off every significant voter bloc in the country.
==============================

[garret]

Wait, didn't Obama merely say that he would consider removing the position after discussing it with, presumably, people closely tuned into the Irish conflict? That seems like a very sensible thing to do, ensuring that something isn't a complete waste of time and money.

I'd think all you "small government conservatives" would love the opportunity to get rid of an unnecessary government position, if the envoy does in fact turn out to be extraneous.

[clarice]

Now that you mention it, garret--I suppose we could take all the money we save on having an envoy to Northern Ireland and use it for O's most brilliant foreign policy notion--attacking Pakistan.

[garret]

clarice, are you referring to the Pakistan that borders Iraq or the one that is two countries over between India and Afghanistan?

[clarice]

Garret, I'm referring to the same Pakistan that your choice Obama said quite clearly he'd invade .
"he said he would go after high-value Al Qaeda targets in Pakistan if the country's president was not willing to act"

http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=3458915