Sure, he was charming, affable, and even stopped for a Beavertail in the Byward Market on his way home. But there are far more strategic reasons for giving Barack Obama a Touchdown for his efforts in Ottawa yesterday. From a communications standpoint, the U.S. President needed to do a couple of things: first, show himself as comfortable and credible in the role of statesman on this, his first venture out of the United States as its leader. Ottawa makes a great off-Broadway perch in terms of the world political stage, and Obama was very solid indeed in his debut performance. He showed he could engage a foreign leader on some sensitive bilateral issues (i.e. NAFTA, Afghanistan) while holding true to his vision of working co-operatively together for mutual benefit. He needed to show that he will deliver on his promise of change in the way the U.S. deals with the rest of the world. And, he also needed to speak – as all leaders must – to the voters at home, specifically reassuring them that he is capable of balancing global issues with the ultimate best interests of the American people. And finally, it didn’t hurt to also show them that, despite now getting to tour around in Air Force One and being greeted by honour guards and dignitaries, he’s still a regular guy at heart – and that stop in the Byward Market to pick up some presents for the girls was a capper of a photo-op.
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