Obama's policies. The Way to Hell.

Mirek Topolanek, the prime minister of the Czech Republic and head of the EU presidency described Obama's bailouts and fiscal policies as the "Way to Hell". This is unusually harsh language that European politicians never used even when Bush was president despite the fact that negative/angry feelings were running very high back then and despite the fact that European politicians, on the whole, were completely opposed to Bush's policies in Iraq and his handling of foreign affairs. Why such language now for Obama?

Are Europeans feeling less fear to speak out their minds than before? Is it because they feel the US has declined and weakened in their eyes that emboldens them to speak up more freely?

Or is it a sign of fear and panic as the credit tsunami is expected to hit Europe's shores harder this year?

I think it's probably more a sign of European panic and fear than a feeling of relative European strength or self-confidence from perceived weakness of US power. Most of the foreign debt of the US is held by the Chinese and the Japanese, so in my mind if anyone should be excused for using such tone it should be them. Yet the language in the statements by Asian officials is measured and less emotional.

In addition, Obama's critics here in the US accuse him of trying to turn the country into some kind of European-style social democracy with his policies, those on the extreme accuse him of wanting to implant outright socialism. In view of that, it seems odd to me that Obama receives the kind of criticism he receives from Europe.

What is it exactly that the Europeans fear? Do they feel helpless to handle the crisis?

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