Not quite all along the watchtower

The US President and his Secretary of State have been hopping all over Pacific Asia of late, and hopping right over Guam, the most eastern point of American sovereignty in the Pacific.

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Obama in Hawaii, Australia and Indonesia: Briefing

Obama to vow bigger Asia footprint on Pacific tour

Here's a map Guambat posted a almost a couple of years ago. The radius of the circle on the map, centered on Guam, is the distance between San Francisco and Hawaii. The circle pretty pretty much covers the relevant footprint of the President's visit.



The circle begins at the Pacific side of the international date line. Hawaii is way out of the circle, almost as far again to Guam as San Francisco is from Hawaii.

America's Asian footprint is in Guam's waters. Guam is where East meets West. It is The Crossroads of the Pacific, north to south, east to west.

America has a toe-hold on Asia, but, evidently, that is not part of the footprint. The President is just cruising past as though its Colors were as insignificant as, say, Nauru's.

Guambat wonders if the fact that Guamanian US citizens have no vote is a factor in in the Administration's $trategic geographic amnesia? After all, it's not like a US President passes by this neck of the Pacific just every day.http://www2.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
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Guambat will return to his Burrow over the Bay to nurse his eye. It feels poked.

UPDATE: It's being reported that the President will possibly be putting down on Guam on his way Stateside. For fuel. Behind the fences of the air base. No public. Might not even put foot on ground. Guambat's other eye is now feeling sore, too.

Meanwhile, notwithstanding the shallowness of his interest in things Guamish ...

Obama, in Australia, Vows Deeper Regional Ties

But... is this a sign of support for more domestic defense spending (Guam is domestic, Senator/Congressman/woman), or just more foreign aid?:

Budget Won’t Constrain U.S. Pacific Plans: Obama

(On a side note, Obama is cementing what is implied to be some kind of new arrangement whereby USAF planes will have closer working relations with the RAAF in Darwin. Guambat remembers personally leading a delegation of Darwinian Dignitaries on a tour of Guam about 25 years ago as part of what was then a well established "sister" base relationship with the US Guam base and the Australian Darwin base. So, what's new and how is the world treating you?)