French, American Caricatures...

Obama decried what he described as "caricatures" on both sides of the Atlantic, with Europeans viewing the US as militaristic and unilateral in their foreign policy, and Americans viewing Europeans as unwilling "to get their hands dirty" in world affairs.

He said Sarkozy had "shattered many of those stereotypes and has reminded Americans of the long tradition of friendship" between the two countries that dates back to French support for American revolutionaries in the 18th century (The Guardian)