Friedman's column

Thomas Friedman writes a very insightful column on the positive impact of Obama's candidacy on US-Arab World relations- but starts off on the wrong foot.

His column talks about being in Egypt when Obama clinched the nomination and savoring the the Muslim world's excitement. Friedman states that Egyptian officials "were particularly excited about Obama's nomination because it might mean that being labeled a 'pro-American' reformer is no longer an insult here, as it has been in recent years." One of the main obstacles to West-East healing (even before 9/11) has been that being considered pro-American in the Middle East is not only a danger, but looked down upon. Changing this paradigm could help immensely, especially at a public-diplomacy level.

Friedman continues that the excitement over Obama's candidacy reveals "how much many foreigners, after all the acrimony of the Bush years, still hunger for the 'idea of America' — this open, optimistic, and, indeed, revolutionary, place so radically different from their own societies." We'll take anything we can these days, after years of failed Bush policies, to connect with more people in that region.

But strikingly, Friedman starts off his column by saying: "This column will probably get Barack Obama in trouble, but that's not my problem. I cannot tell a lie: Many Egyptians and other Arab Muslims really like him and hope that he wins the presidency."

That's exactly what we have to counter. Why is being respected and celebrated (even if on a slightly superficial level) by the MODERATE Muslim world a liability? We have many allies in the region - but they're governments. We've had serious trouble convincing the people. Would we prefer the Arab countries' populations to grow more wary and disdainful of our country? The answer is no, and we need a leader who combines a sound foreign policy vision with excitement and respect from people across the world - especially the part where most of the anti-American sentiment comes from.