I don't think this particular blind spot is anti-Americanism more than a few percent, John.

I think the blind spot is that they are looking at the wrong abstraction. For all the reflexive rhetoric about thinking of themselves as 'Europe' the evidence seems to be that Germans and French are thinking of the problem (or lack thereof) as existing in Germany or France. They look around their own country and think that things perhaps are not so bad because the social safety net is working.

The question they aren't asking is how well the safety net is working in the less-prosperous countries, in the new members. Eastern Europe, Ireland, and to a lesser degree the mediterranean members of the EU.

The US is no better in a way - I don't think people in the US is really seeing the problems in Mexico and Argentina. But people in the US ARE aware of the pain within the US itself, and the US economy is less dependent upon foreign exports than the German and French economies are.

Germany seems to be further along in bailing out their own banks than the US is, the problem again is they seem blinkered by the national borders. Again I would argue that the problems of the Austrian, Swiss, and perhaps even Irish banks are in a very real sense also German problems - because they impact Germany's external markets.

I think Germany will discover themselves sitting on acres of BMW's and Mercedes, and only then realize that it's not Germany which needs the stimulus; it's Poland et al.

I think everyone is missing the obvious about the financial crisis; it is not about trans-Atlantic relations.

It is much more serious and fundamental than that, and whether the feelings of Americans are hurt, or conversely those of Europeans similarly hurt - matters relatively little.

Nor does the failure of most of Europe again to raise their game in Afghanistan matter as much as is being made out - in the short term. That is, it matters a great deal going forward - but it's also old news. I doubt many in the US (apart from those like David) expected any other response - I certainly didn't!

What matters is the financial crisis; the fact that much of Europe is sliding into deep crisis. Greece is hovering on the edge of bankruptcy, Ireland, Portugal, Italy are in fiscal shambles, Eastern Europe more of the same but with the added twist that their currencies are cratering against the harder currencies, and as a result of all this the German economy is shrinking at an OECD-forecast rate of 5.3% this year, the worst rich-country figure this side of Japan.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/anatole_kaletsky/article6062204.ece

What is worse is that the core Eurozone countries appear to be just waking up to these facts and begun to discuss remedies. Much of German public opinion seem to believe that Obama and the US will somehow magically pull Europe out of it's slump. That won't happen; the US has problems closer to home and it's not strong either. Protectionist sentiment is growing in Congress.

Obama has a growing political problem at home; He came to Europe with a number of reasonable requests - but is coming home with empty hands. The US is sending 17,000 troops to Afghanistan, how many is Europe sending? Very few, and those which are going aren't staying for long. A reasonable request the Europe recognize the depth of the crisis and take stronger measures to refloat itself was met with either denunciation or a simple nein. Apparently it's the US' jonb to refloat Eastern Europe, not that of Europe.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/5121615/President-Barack-Obama-is-going-home-with-non-nein-and-no-ringing-in-his-ears.html

The results are likely that Obama is on the road to becoming Jimmy Carter I, and Congress taking the bit between it's teeth - expect more 'buy American' legislation. Europe will be 'shocked - shocked!' when that happens.

A 'growing frustration'? No, John. I voted for Obama because I thought he was the best candidate on offer last year. He was without doubt the best of the Democrats (HRC and 'Big Hair' Edwards were not much competition). The GOP is a clapped-out mess at present, not unlike the condition they were in after Nixon in 1976. They need time out of office to work out what they can offer.

I never thought that Obama would make everything better with Europe because I never blamed Europe's disaffection and unwillingness to lift a finger on Bush. It wasn't going to change no matter which candidate was elected.

The fundamentals haven't changed - it's 'nein' all the time, and smile a lot and hope Obama is too stupid or naive to notice.