Obama Snubs Brazil (President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva)

In the wake of snubbing Gordon Brown and England by extension (Berman Post: Obama Snubs Brown), the Obama administration has now insulted Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Brazil by extension.

First, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's visit was pushed forward from this coming Tuesday to this weekend because of St. Patrick's Day. This makes it look like we really did not care about his visit. It is not like the day of the holiday suddenly changed, how could they have not seen this as a conflict when the meeting was first scheduled. Then, they miss spelled and improperly quoted his name; "the White House announcement misspelled his name as "Luis Ignacio" and put "Lula" - a nickname that decades ago became a legal part of the Brazilian leader's name - in quotes".

Make no mistake, Brazil is a player on the global scene and an important player in Latin America. Future prospects for Brazil's place on the world stage are promising. This is not a country we want to alienate; not that we should alienate any country through carelessness.

More at http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2009/03/13/is_obama_snubbing_another_foreign_leader.