American Review | Global Perspectives on US Affairs

(Not) Bound for Botany Bay: Obama stays home

By Jonathan Bradley in Seattle, WA
13 March 2010

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Well, the USSC's Lesley Russell called it, and now we have confirmation: Barack Obama will be delaying his trip to Australia. Russell's prophecy, from this past Wednesday:

For Australians anxious to see Obama and his family Down Under including surely the Prime Minister and his government the chances of that happening look increasingly iffy. It would be quite difficult for the President to cancel his trip to Indonesia, the political ramifications of that are significant.

But telling an understanding ally like Australia that issues with health-care reforms back in Washington require that a planned visit is rescheduled is an easier matter. Such news should be received with considerable understanding by a Prime Minister just beginning his slog to sell health care reforms prior to an election campaign.

Fortunately for Australia, the visit was not rescheduled, but merely delayed. The New York Times' Caucus blog is reporting that the President will leave three days later than planned; on the 21st rather than the 18th of March, and will leave the wife and kids back in D.C.:

The president’s international trip had grown into a source of frustration among many House Democrats, who complained privately to the White House that they were being forced to take a quick vote on health care so Mr. Obama and his family could leave on the overseas trip next week.

 In fact, the president is no longer taking the first lady, Michelle Obama, and their two daughters on the trip, an administration official said. The president agreed to delay his departure from March 18 to March 21, an administration official said, shortening the trip for official business only in an effort to show flexibility in the final push on health care legislation and to give Mr. Obama more time to win over skeptical House members. The three-day delay effectively sets a new timetable for the House vote on the measure.

Good.

That new timetable could see the House pass the Senate's version of health care reform as early as next week, according to the Times. The vote would be held on Thursday or Friday if the Congressional Budget Office issues its report on the legislation, and if the legislative text of the package of changes the Senate is to adopt under the reconciliation process can be written in time. 

While I must extend my utmost sympathy to Michelle, Malia, and Sasha Obama for having to miss out on this trip, and I commiserate with my fellow Australians, who I´m sure are eager to have the President over for tea and biscuits, I am glad Obama is to stay in the States. While Russell is right to say his visit to Indonesia is too important to America's foreign policy interests to cancel, Obama does not need to be visiting Australia without delay. I have little doubt that seeing health care reform through these final votes, providing 30 million Americans with insurance, and helping to control costs of a dangerously metastasising sector of the U.S. economy is a better use of Obama's time over those three days than anything he may do in Australia. And that includes crumpets with Kev.

I'm sure many Australians will be disappointed by the delay. But if it will help bring America even this small amount closer to the kind of affordable and accessable health care we enjoy Down Under, then we should gladly accept Obama's apologies. 

Tags: Health Care, Obama Down Under 2010

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