New Statesman
22 May 2011
Andrew Marr landed the big interview with US President Barack Obama ahead of his state visit to Britain this week. Marr covered Osama Bin Laden, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Israel, but there are so many other questions he could have asked but didn't. Here are ten of them:
1) You've doubled the number of drone strikes in Pakistan that Bush ordered, and civilian casualties are up year on year. Do you have any regrets? Or remorse?
2) Why is Bradley Manning being held 23 hours a day in solitary confinement and denied access to underwear at night? Is that humane?
3) You promised to stop extraordinary rendition before you were president; but you havent. Why?
4) Do you think the US can be a disinterested broker of peace in the Middle East given the $5-6bn of annual support you give to Israel?
5) Why did you instruct your ambassador to the UN to veto a UN resolution endorsing official US policy against illegal Israeli settlements?
6) Given you've intensified the war in Afghanistan and kicked off new war over the skies of Libya, do you think on reflection that you were the right man for the Nobel Peace prize?
7) Will you be sticking to your original pledge to start pulling troops out of Afghanistan in July of this year?
8) Why isnt Gitmo shut yet? Who's to blame?
9) Do you believe in a "special relationship" with the UK? What's it based on? (And do you regret the jibe about "British Petroleum"?)
10) What's your response to those people who say you should have arrested an unarmed Osama Bin Laden and brought him to trial?
Protest when Obama the war president meets the Queen
