Jan 27 2009
What Price Peace Mr President?
Obama took and interesting, if impotent, move today by making his first press interview directed towards the Muslim World:
President Obama expressed optimism yesterday about the prospect of peace between Israel and the Palestinians, but he said a peace accord will take time and require new thinking about the problems of the Middle East as a whole.
…
“All too often the United States starts by dictating — in the past on some of these issues — and we don’t always know all the factors that are involved,” Obama told al-Arabiya. “So let’s listen.Â
…
But in tone, his comments were a stark departure from those of former president George W. Bush, who often described the Middle East conflict in terms that drew criticism from Palestinians.
By contrast, Obama went out of his way to say that if America is “ready to initiate a new partnership [with the Muslim world] based on mutual respect and mutual interest, then I think that we can make significant progress.”
Emphasis mine. America has always been ready to partner with the Muslim world and has done so for decades. Our allies in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt and Kuwait (to name a few) know this. Our new allies in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan know this. It has nothing to do with America. We are not the ones crying death to America, death to Israel. We do not use suicide bombers to wipe out markets, restaurants and schools. We do not attack ‘soft targets’.Â
We have spent our precious blood in Iraq and Afghanistan. What else do we have to give to send ‘a signal’ we are ready? President Bush ‘changed’ America. Instead of being seen as a clueless, weak and self absorbed target the world knows we can be a strong ally or deadly enemy. It is THEIR choice which side of America they want to deal with.Â
When Palestinians and other Islamo Fascists stop raising their children to be gruesome weapons, then maybe the other side will be ready to partner in common cause?Â
Are the liberals and Obama truly this naive? Its like watching 3 year olds playing with a scalpel.
Yes, please – let us criticize the President of the United States for wanting peace in the Middle East. Obviously, someone who has Muslim relatives and has lived in Muslim countries is oh so naive about how the Muslim world is, and could not possibly compare to the wisdom and experience of George W. “Bring ’em on” Bush on such subjects. The vast amounts of diplomacy we have engaged in with Iran, the major player in the area, over the past 8 years proves this point forcefully, doesn’t it?
You pick strange fights, AJ.
Yes, please – let us criticize the President of the United States for wanting peace in the Middle East.
If this interview is any clue, he wants it the way a child wants a pony for Christmas.
Obviously, someone who has Muslim relatives and has lived in Muslim countries is oh so naive about how the Muslim world is
As far as I know, he has had very little contact with those relatives, and he lived in the upper classes of those countries well before his majority.
Guy, did you ever wonder why the Founding Fathers set the minimum age for the Presidency at 35 years old? In those days, a 35-year-old man had about 20 years (if not more) of adult experience. (Incidentally, that also meant that a 21-year-old male had about six years of adulthood behind him when he first cast his ballot).
In our oh-so-modern-and-enlightened times, we give the franchise to teenagers (literally) while simultaneously extending “adolescence” into the mid-twenties. All I can say is “Thank God the youth rarely votes.” Well, except to say “Oh, Hell!” when they actually do.
We need to up the minimum ages for Congress, the Senate, and the Executive appropriately.
Was Obama alive on September 11, 2001, does he remember that Yassis Arafat ruled the Palestinian Territories? I read the transcript and heard part of the interview on CNN. I was appalled at his lack of graciousness for the work that has been done these last 8 years. That he is now sitting in that chair because of the hard work done. The problem is he will throw under the bus, the country, President Bush, Wright, his mother, and any one else that might tarnish his superior image. The lesson from Wright was not who Wright was, but how Obama operates. Bush has said many of the same things, we are not in a fight with Muslims, but only those who would kill innocents, we respect the Iranian people, not their leaders. But when Obama says the same thing it is oh so precious!
Obama is the one who doesn’t listen. We are constantly monitoring the media in those countries.
Obama is even telling people they shouldn’t listen to Rush Limbaugh.
Obama should listen and read what the Arabas write and teach people about Jews in those countries. They sound exactly like NAZIS.
I have been reading a series of articles by Jack Cashill. He has made a good case that Bill Ayers had a hand in Obama’s autobiography Dreams from My Father. I have looked into this and think he is right.
I have posted about this on my site, but here is a list of Dr. Cashill’s articles.
http://www.cashill.com/articles_all/recent.htm
There are many similar incidents in Ayers’ book Fugitive Days and Obama’s book Dreams from My Father. The word choices are very similar, too.
Ayers is now in a position to manipulate Obama with this secret.
Now Ayers is going to Boulder, Colorado to support Ward Churchill who is taking CU to court for “violating his free speech.” Actually, Churchill violated the professional research standards of his university when he mischaracterized what other scholars said. His footnoted sources don’t say what he claims they say, for example.
Obama has not denied that Ayers had a hand in his autobiography. Ayers didn’t deny it, either. He just claimed that Cashill (whom he did not name) was paranoid.
Obama wants peace the same way Neville Chamberlain desired peace – at any cost.
As Winston Churchill famously said, “You were given the choice between war and dishonor. You have chosen dishonor, and you will have war.”
It is cold comfort knowing that this administration is going to crash and burn even more dramatically than the last one. Sad because this time the country will not recover.
Snapple:
Well, that certainly is interesting, and very conducive to solving the problems of this country.
Did you also know that Obama is the love child of Malcolm X? There’s just so much information out on the Internets, it’s tough to keep up.
He sounds like Jimmy Carter. And Guy, Bush and his Secretary of State Condi Rice have taken a lot of flak from some on the right for pursuing a two state policy in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. The idea that Bush does not want peace in the Middle East is absurd.
I don’t think Obama is even serious about this. He is just wanting to sit himself aside from Bush in some ways, so he tries sucking up to the Arabs. Meanwhile he continues to allow drones to attack targets in Pakistan and he talks about sending more American soldiers to the region.
I also remember Obama being critical of Bush for being too friendly with the Saudis, now here he is talking about extending hands.
In truth, every president for as long as I can remember has tried to bring peace to this region and sometimes I wonder if that in and of itself has not complicated the issues.
[…] Jay Strata: Are the liberals and Obama truly this naive? Its like watching 3 year olds playing with a scalpel. […]
“All too often the United States starts by dictating — in the past on some of these issues —
Isn’t Obama implying here that the US is both the problem and the solution to the Israel-Palestine dilemma? I have this feeling that there is more America bashing and blaming to come from this administration. It’s endemic in liberal thought to blame America for every ill, and simply emboldens our enemies and makes us less safe, IMHO.
Terrye:
“I don’t think Obama is even serious about this. He is just wanting to sit himself aside from Bush in some ways, so he tries sucking up to the Arabs. Meanwhile he continues to allow drones to attack targets in Pakistan and he talks about sending more American soldiers to the region.”
So, let me make sure I understand you – you think that cotinuing the war against Al Qaeda (which Obama has always stated he was going to do), while extending an olive branch to the reasonable Muslim world (which Obama has always stated he was going to do), sends a contradictory message?
Why is that? Do you think all Muslims love Al Qaeda?
gwood:
You’re right – the way to win the hearts and minds of the Muslim world is definitely to insist that America is always right, has never made a mistake in its entire history, and that the other guy is always to blame for everything. That will go over great.
Why is it that none of you can consider that there is actually a whole lot of middle ground between “America is always right” and “Blame America for everything”? While you insist that all liberals believe the latter (despite all evidence to the contrary), you never consider that you do actually believe the former.
Yes, please – let us criticize the President of the United States for wanting peace in the Middle East.
You sure didn’t seem to have any problem criticizing Pres Bush for wanting peace in the middle East.
Did you also know that Obama is the love child of Malcolm X
Hey thanks for that info. You libs can come up with anything to make your guy look good.
Why is it that none of you can consider that there is actually a whole lot of middle ground between “America is always right†and “Blame America for everything�
Because some of us have gotten out of the 3rd grade and know what is in the ‘real’ world. “Blame America First” seems to be Obama’s motto, and the Libs. Tell us when America was wrong? was it when we declared war on Japan and Germany in WWII? Was it when we defended S Korea after they were attacked by N. Korea? Was it when we drove Iraq out of Kuwait after they were attacked? Was it when we dismantled Iraq after XX no. of resolutions by the UN(that had no meaning), or was it when we took the war to terrorists after 9/11? Oh, maybe it was while we are spending billions to eradicate diseases in Africa. Tell us when we were wrong.
ever hear the saying Guy, better to keep your mouth shut and have people think you are stupid than to open it and remove all doubt? you really should keep your mouth shut. You’ve already removed all doubt.
GuyF, did you do your homework last night on percentages?
I don’t have a problem with Obama listening (just like all our Presidents have listened). I’m more worried about his actions and the words that come out of his mouth. Will he elevate Ahmadinejad? Hamas? Will he be biased against Israel (like Rev Wright preached to him for 20 years)?
There has been a true change in the way the wind is blowing in the Middle East (thanks to Bush). Europe is finally coming around. They now openly put the fault on Hamas. They are about at the point to start refusing continual reconstruction aid for Gaza (who’s infrastucture destruction is now blamed on Hamas). The Palastinians are starting to blame Hamas for their state of affairs and continual war. Muslims around the world are rejecting Bin Landen and his ideology instead of wanting to elect him President of their country.
I hope Obama doesn’t blow it. Al Qaeda has already started it’s Obama propoganda. I hope he doesn’t feed it.
No Guy, I think the fact that Obama seems to think that we have not already been fighting AlQaida while extending an olive branch to peace loving Muslims is in and of itself a lie.
And btw, exactly what mistake is it that the US has made? The one where we look the other way and let dictators like Saddam slaughter their own people…or the one where we demand they live up to their own word and deal with them if they do not?
In a debate I heard Obama say we should have left Saddam in power because he was a mortal enemy of Iran and we could play them off against each other. Does that sound to you like he was extending a hand of friendship to the region?
Never mind the fact that Saddam killed more Muslims than the Crusaders, or for that matter never mind the fact that if he was indeed a mortal enemy of Iran it is very unlikely those Iranians would ever have considered giving up a nuke program so long as Saddam was in power.
Obama is just mouthing platitudes here.
Terrye:
“And btw, exactly what mistake is it that the US has made?”
Abu Ghraib.
GITMO.
“We will be greeted as liberators.”
“We know where the weapons of mass destruction are.”
“Mission Accomplished.”
“The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa.”
“It could last six days, six weeks. I doubt six months.”
And that’s just concerning Iraq.
How about our treatment of Native Americans? How long did it take for women to get the right to vote?
And please – do try and defend slavery and segregation.
The United States is the greatest country in the world, but it does have flaws. Pretending otherwise isn’t patriotism – it’s extreme nationalism.
(And yes, please have fun using this comment as proof that I “hate the US” – despite the fact that I just called it the greatest country in the world. I know you all can’t resist the knee-jerk reaction to distort anything other than “USA #1!!”)
I thought the Anchoress did a good post on this today, this is an excerpt:
Lots of people writing about Obama’s interview with al-Arabiya. Some are angry that he gave his first presidential interview to a news agency outside of the US. I don’t care much about that – the man’s entitled to speak to whomever he wants – but some of Obama’s answers seem to me just a bit disoriented or perhaps I should say purposely disorienting.
Obama does not come out and say it, he merely agrees with the dishonest framing by his interviewer – video and partial transcript here:
AL ARABIYA: And in the last – since 9/11 and because of Iraq, that alienation is wider between the Americans and — and in generations past, the United States was held high. It was the only Western power with no colonial legacy.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Right. (emphasis mine)
Not right, sir. Not right. If I may be permitted to refresh your memory, there is a rather large body of evidence suggesting that this is no recent “alienationâ€.
Or maybe the 1990’s really were a “vacation from history†– and parts of the 80’s and 70’s too.
So, the American President went on Arab television and told the Arab world and the rest of the world that, “right,†it was the Iraq war that started all the problems.
Yes, it’s disorienting. Also patently untrue.
Ultimately the whole interview is troubling. Obama seems to assert that “as recently as 20 or 30 years ago†relations between the US and the Arab world were good, and to conveniently forget the hostage-taking of 1975 or the bombings of the ’80’s – including the killing of US Marines.
And, yes, the attacks that averaged one every 18 months or so from 1992 through 2000, and focused on American interests and embassies and ummm…US Naval Vessels…they don’t seem to have happened in President Obama’s world. In his world, things were just fine until his predecessor invaded Iraq for no good reason, but because he just happened to be in the mood to invade Iraq after the Clinton Administration and every credible intelligence agency in the world, members of our own Senate Intelligence Committee and our own former Secretary of State and Former First Lady all agreed that Iraq was holding WMD, and 3,000 Americans had just died in a multi-targeted attack carried out on her soil.
And now, during this be-sotted global honeymoon, Obama is the insecure bridegroom all-too-willing to agree, in this interview, that he’s making love to a virgin.
Americans have forgotten a great deal. They have forgotten that in addition to hitting the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, there were people actively trying to fly a plane either into the Capitol Building or the White House, until they were taken down. They forget that on that particular day, September 11, 2001, Laura Bush, Ted Kennedy and numerous other education-focused lawmakers were gathering in the Capital for hearings on Early Childhood Education and that had the terrorists succeeded, an impressive portion of our leadership would have perished in a truly bi-partisan manner.
Guy:
Abu Ghraib? Are you serious? The United States military punished those people. In WW2 when American soldiers shot German POWs or Japanese POWs a good deal less was said or done about it. At Abu Ghraib, no one died. The idea that the entire country of the US or our entire government has to be held responsible for the actions of a few people who have already been tried for their crimes is ridiculous.
If GITMO was a mistake, where are the dead bodies of Americans to prove it? The idea behind GITMO was to protect the United States and its citizens while giving humane treatment to detainees. But you are a leftie, so while you are just fine with some terrorist blowing up a market place…you simply can not abide the idea of said terrorist being held against his will. You offer no viable alternative beyond butt kissing the enemy.
As for being welcomed like liberators, a lot of our soldiers were welcomed. They would have been welcomed even more if they had gone in back in the 90’s before Saddam Hussein killed hundreds of thousands of Iraqis in a failed uprising.
And are we honestly going to talk about natives?? I am part Indian myself you idiot. Cherokee, as a matter of fact. I even had ancestors who walked the Trail of Tears.
Sheesh. BTW, A lot of Arabs sold and bought slaves and the Spanish killed more natives than the American settlers ever laid eyes on.
So go lecture them.
Web Reconnaissance for 01/27/2009…
A short recon of whatÂ’s out there that might draw your attention, updated throughout the day…so check back often….