Rift Forms Between Obama and Other G-20 Leaders

The G-20 summit concluded in Toronto late Sunday with signs of an economic policy rift between President Obama and other world leaders.

The debate played out against a backdrop of violent protests outside the summit that resulted in more than 500 arrests but no serious injuries.

The president came to Toronto hoping to convince his G-20 colleagues to put more emphasis on stimulus spending to keep the economic recovery alive, reports CBS News chief White House correspondent Chip Reid. For the most part he did not succeed.

The G-20, the top industrialized and developing nations of the world, ended the Toronto summit with a pledge to cut their budget deficits in half within three years. It's something Mr. Obama has been pressing for but he has also urged more stimulus spending in the short-term to keep the recovery going, a position rejected by Great Britain and some other European nations that say cutting debt should be the top priority.

Arrests of Activists at G-20 Summit Top 500

The summit host, Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper, said finding the right time to switch from stimulus spending to budget cutting is like walking a tightrope.

"Advanced countries must send a clear message that as our stimulus plans expire we will focus on getting our fiscal houses in order," said Harper.

Mr. Obama says he agrees with the G-20 goal of cutting deficits in half. Republicans in Washington say they haven't seen evidence the president will display the kind of leadership needed to make that happen.

[Revoltin1]

Un-Fund the Fake War on Terrorism and Bring Our Troops Back Home

[Earth2CBS]

The two of them (obama & emanuel) just look like a couple of sleazy used car salesmen.

[smellyecoli2]

THE POWERFUL WORLD LEADERS LAUGH AT OUR (?) LEADER!! ALL HE KNOWS IS TAX THE HARD WORKING HONEST PEOPLE AND GIVE TO THE SIT ON THEIR AZZES AND DO NOTHING WELFARE PARASITES !!

[ericgarrison]

You are a pathetic excuse for an American.

[GraniteCitizen]

larry, where did you get the "50%" figure? I haven't seen a poll that says 50% of Americans believe that President Obama is "the worst thing to EVER happen to this country." To what poll are you referring?

[JustYourAverageReader]

The G-19 will recover with no action required since America continues to export jobs.

[ChrisLA1]

I would like any of the democratic on this blog to show 1 socialist country that is not restrictive on it's people & denying even more freedom to it's people. Socialiam DOES NOT WORK. All it does is repress the middle class to become the lower class, The elite still remain the elite because they have more money than they can deal with now, But it is there money, to do with what they want!! Not to be told by Obama that they have to give it to me or anyone!
HE IS WRONG PURE AND SIMPLE< the black americans can please stop give him credence because of his color, democrats stop giving him credence because he is a democrat. Him and his adminstration has backdoored more of you than, a soap dropping in the worst jail shower-area.
And he will continue until all of you are laying on your fat behinds living off of the goverment. WAKE UP! That means you Kaite Couric!

[renonv5]

by Brokennews June 28, 2010 11:50 AM EDT
Once, just once I would like to be able to discuss an issue that is fully owned by Obama without someone dragging up something that some past Prez did 30 years ago.

The only problem with that, as I see it, is that there are very few people that post here that want an actual discussion. Most are just happy to throw insults and accusations to the point of total incomprehension as to what they were intending to say.

This "rift" the article is referring to sounds as if it was concocted by the reporter who wrote the article. So it turns out to be just his opinion and thousands of people have jumped on it solely for the chance to diss our President. It is despicable at best when you beat that proverbial dead horse on a daily basis because no one hears you anymore.

[Earth2CBS]

WAKE UP and smell the stinky truth, Reonov5! This president is the most devisive political figure in decades. Why would he not cause a rift over there? It's all he does wherever he is -

[Perish1]

I agree with the basic tenet of "you have to spend money to make money". Usually that is good advice. UNLESS, you don't have any money to spend. We can't afford more stimulus spending on borrowed money. I see where the arguments for the bank bailouts might have some plausibility but I haven't seen any good from the stimulus spending. Any more might just lead us to an economic collapse.

[ericgarrison]

We've been spending in the red for decades, Democrats and Republicans. The last time we had a balanced budget was during the Clinton years.

[mary-miami]

Most countries in Europe and Scandinavia have socialist societies where the people dont have to worry about expenses related to medicine or university education. People have that extra money to spend on their living expenses. They are also "free" countries, with freedom of speech, press and elections. Socialism is not bad. Communism is bad and so is Fascism (extreme right) because they take away peoples rights. Republicans and Tea groups want to silence anyone opposing them. Democratic party is the only group that believes in equal opportunity for all and liberty of speech and press.

[patocc123]

Ahh thats why the countries are rich in wealth with an excess of money for even more programs.

[Perish1]

I always said that the best drugs were in Miami.

[RatPackSixGun]

The supposed "Bush tactics" that got us into this mess was an over-reliance on economic modeling based on Keynesian economics.

The "Obama tactics" that continues to make it worse is..an over-reliance on Keynesian economics. Both the Republicans and Democrats look to the same failed economic schools of thought like a dog returning to vomit at this point.

Even the "more socialist" G-20 nations are abandoning blind Keynesian stimulus spending as ineffective and not affordable. It has bankrupt nations. Why is the US insisting on following failed policy even as the rest of the world looks more like old-school US Conservatives by comparison at this point?