Obama, Why a Favorite?

193 countries belonging to a website for English have stated that their choice for the next American president is Barack Obama. This represents 750,000 students between the ages of 18-30. I notice that the positive statements were from Iran, United Arab Emirates, Bulgaria, Yemeni, China, and Malaysia that were mentioned in the paper. These young people can barely read English, let alone write in English well, but from what they have gathered on the web and TV have caused them to choose Obama with 55%, Hillary Clinton 35% and MacCain and Huckabee getting the last 9%. I also note that there are a lot of Arab students in this poll who are favoring him.

Hamas's top adviser also endorsed Obama. Why is it that these people favor him so? Could it be that it's because he would talk to terrorists like Carter has just done?

This endorsement has caused an informal campaign role person, Robert Malley, to quit Obama because Malley, a prominent critic of Israel, had already been talking with Hamas. This was reported by the Times of London.

Obama has stated that his foreign policy will be a break from the regular Washington thinking which means he wants to talk to Iran, among other things. I'm afraid that his new policy will be anti-Israel, despite his AIPAC speech. It might mean that he will favor Palestinians in the conflict. Ali Abunimah, a Palestinian, said that recently Obama has been known to want to move in this direction. Obama had spoken in 2000 at a fundraiser. He criticized US Policy and called for an "even-handed approach". In 2004 Obama told Abunimah that he wanted to say more about the Palestinians, and when things calm down he'll be more up front. Abunimah can't prove all this but does have a picture of Obama and Edward Said eating together in 1998 at an Arab community event in Chicago. Edward Said is a very anti-Israeli Palestinian who is a writer. I have one of his books. Obama also has ties with Rashid Khalidi, a man connected with Edward Said at Columbia U. He was with Yasser Arafat's PLO, and of course feels that the US policy is too favorable to Israel. Obama also spoke at a party honoring Khaliki in Chicago in 2003. "His many talks with the Khalidis had been "consistent reminders to me of my own blind spots and my own biases...it's for that reason that I'm hoping that, for many years to come, we continue that conversation--a conversation that is necessary not just around Mona and Rashid's dinner table,' but around 'this entire world." Obama. Other quotes from Obama were, "nobody's suffering more than the Palestinian people". "I think there is a strain within the pro-Israel community that says unless you adopt an unwavering pro-Likud approach to Israel, then you're anti-Israel, and that can't be the measure of our friendship with Israel."
When Carter met with Hamas, Obama refused to criticize him, naturally, since he said he would speak to them.

Is he two-faced? When he was speaking to Canadians he assured them that he wasn't serious about the anti-NAFTA rhetoric he was telling people in Ohio. This is what worries me. So often things are said to audiences just to get their vote with the knowledge that people never check into what you're promising.

This candidate is not experienced. He's sending mixed messages and people are believing what they want. He doesn't have much of a public record that anyone can go to and find out what his intentions could be. What can we really expect?

Right now it looks like Hillary has lost the contest with Edwards giving his endorsement to Obama. Obama, a man who has surrounded himself with Israel-bashers, may just get the nomination.

Resource: Oregonian Newspaper www.englishbaby.com/lessons/election2008

The Americn Spectator: Philip Klein-Stop Believing Obama