President Barack Obama toasted Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Iceland at a star-studded state dinner on Friday, lauding the nations for their global influence on civil rights, humanitarian issues and curbing climate change.<br />The red carpet glamor followed a White House summit where Obama and the leaders of the five nations presented a united front against Moscow's recent military aggression in Ukraine and the Baltic region.<br />But the meeting was more about soft diplomacy than launching ambitious foreign policy endeavors, given that Obama's second and final term ends in January.<br />Americans will vote in presidential elections on Nov. 8.<br />"I thought this was a very useful and important conversation, although there was probably too much agreement to make for as exciting a multilateral meeting as I sometimes participate in," Obama said.
