Obama, the Middle East and Islam - An Initial Assessment

Submitted by Henry Efroymson (United States), Feb 3, 2009 at 13:49

This viewpoint relies on an incorrect premise - that Obama changed his tune with respecct to Islam after the election. That is false. Obama never denied, or even downplayed, the fact that he lived in a Muslim Country, or that he has Muslim relatives. No change there. And reaching out to the Muslim world is smart. One of reasons many voted for Obama is because we think Obama is better positioned to deal with the Muslim world. Nothing upset the Muslim world more than Bush's references to a "crusade". In the Muslim world, respect means everything.

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