Uh... they'll probly think he's Muslim. After all, he was raised Muslim. He's making Muslim dialogue and "reach out" his #1 priority. So, they'll figure he's "signalling" to the Muslim world that they have a Muslim in the office of President of the United States of America.

That they do, quite obviously... to anyone who looks at it logically.

That they do.

Of course he's signaling that he's Muslim!!!!

No kidding? The One's first phone call as president was to Abu Mazen!

And they gave Bush sh*t about his alleged connections to the House of Saud!

UFB!

You failed to mention that Abbas happens to be the President of the Palestinian Authority.

Obama made a string of phone calls which included Abbas, Olmert, Mubarak, and King Abdullah. It's called basic diplomacy. Who gets called first isn't very relevant unless you have a limited ability to grasp what's important.

And who else is Obama going to talk to concerning Palestine if not Abbas? Friggin' Hamas?!

I'd also point out that if Abbas is so reviled, then why did Bush have him over to the White House in 2005?

Answer: Because he is the go to contact in dealing with Palestine.

And please spare us the patronizing tone that "Obama deserves some credit for making the attempt."

If you really believed that then you wouldn't have posted such a slanted interpretation of the phone call depicting Abbas as a terrorist rather than the President of the Palestinian authority. The intent there is to paint picture of Obama as terrorist sympathizer.

That is some weak sauce your dishing out.

Well, gee, SPW, I can't think of any people he might have called first, except may the PM of Great Britain, the leaders of other NATO countries, the PM of Canada, the President of Mexico, Medevev, maybe the PM of Israel...

My issue isn't so much that he called Abu Mazzen, but it sure seems an odd choice as the first.

Great Britain is our foremost ally.

Japan is one of our foremost trading partners, and a major US ally.

China is one of our largest trading partners, with the ability to affect the ongoing Great Recession.

Russia has the most nukes.

But Abbas is the first person that Obama calls as POTUS?

It'll be an interesting four years.

This is not going to end well for free people of the world. You can feel the storm brewing.

Thankfully heads of state have stronger egos than you seem to think. This is a non-issue.

Nice changing of goal-posts, SPW.

So, calling Abbas first is meaningful to him, but other leaders should pay no mind?

In reality, who the newly sworn-in POTUS calls first is taken as very important, especially by allies in places like Asia.

When one President (I think it may have been Bill Clinton) called the President of South Korea before calling the Prime Minister of Japan, this was seen as a significant statement about how the US was going to deal with Tokyo (as well as Seoul), by both Japanese and South Koreans.

Nice changing of goal-posts, SPW.

So, calling Abbas first is meaningful to him, but other leaders should pay no mind?

In reality, who the newly sworn-in POTUS calls first is taken as very important, especially by allies in places like Asia.

When one President (I think it may have been Bill Clinton) called the President of South Korea before calling the Prime Minister of Japan, this was seen as a significant statement about how the US was going to deal with Tokyo (as well as Seoul), by both Japanese and South Koreans.

this Obama will prove to us (U.S.) that he is the most incompitent president ever... he is dangerous and evil.....

If he can talk to Sen Boner, there's nothing wrong with talking to Mazen.

Lurking Observer,
I don't think I'm "changing goal posts." A short war had just taken place in Israel/Gaza. Obama called all leaders in that region as his first priority. I don't think Russia or the U.K. are going to be upset about that. Is Israel going to be upset? I sincerely doubt it. They all got phone calls and I don't think they are splitting hairs about who he talked to first. They aren't that petty.

"this Obama will prove to us (U.S.) that he is the most incompitent president ever... he is dangerous and evil....." -danpa

Well I bet his spelling is better than yours. It's 'incompetent.'

Has Obama gotten around to calling Israel yet??

Or is that a message in and of itself??

The cold shoulder?? And Muslims getting all the first calls?

Maybe Obama should have placed an overseas phone call first to the nation of which he's a legal citizen: Indonesia.

Can we deport him?? I mean, I'm not really sure he's a domestic enemy. I think Obama's a foreign enemy posing as a domestic enemy.

l,
read the linked article. He called Israel along with all the other major nations of the Middle East.