Barack Obama has been about as impressive as is humanly possibly in his first week, and (as I somewhat fear) he seems ready to take on all possible problems at once. Including climate change (not so much on health care yet, though).
It's impressive that he gave his first TV interview to a station representing Muslims. This is clearly a guy with a very big brain above his shoulders.
Iran is sort of the weird cousin in the Middle East, so maybe Obama's letter will do a little good. But from everything I can tell, their problem with us is that we're over there in the first place, especially with large troop numbers in Saudi Arabia. Bin Laden has said so.
And why are we there? Oil. We invaded Iraq for it and we're establishing multiple permanent bases in Iraq for it and it's no wonder they resent our presence, any more than we would if the Chinese or Afghanis started to build camps in northern Montana or positioned ships in the Gulf of Mexico.
I don't see Obama's letters or interviews addressing any of that. I don't seem him as power-craven as Cheney/Bush, but he still has a lot of pressure behind him from the American business community.
And it's going to take more than a TV interview and a letter to undo that. And I can't blame anyone in the Middle East for thinking the same thing.
1 comment:
The problem with the big brain thing is that ~1/3 of the country has put all their political eggs into the anti-intellectual basket. We'll have to figger out some way ta talk ta them paypul.
Bes',
D
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