Conffederate
Confederate

January 26, 2009

Obama's al-Interview

I see that Drudge is linking Jake Tapper's post on Barack Obama granting his first television interview to al-Arabiya, a Dubai-based cable news channel that reaches 23 million in the region. That he would now attempt to woo this audience as he successfully did so many American voters is hardly surprising. Whether or not he succeeds is another matter entirely.

While his first phone call as President was to Abu Mazen, the terrorist leader of Fatah who financed the massacre of Israeli athletes in the 1972 Olympics and was therefore a revolting first act, Obama seems to be attempting a direct diplomacy of sorts with the people of the region, and deserves some credit for making the attempt.

I somewhat suspect that the people who receive the channel will be fascinated and a bit curious for the short term before writing Obama off as simply another American President, but the larger issue is what the region's dictators and royals make of him. I suspect they'll write him off as a bloviating dandy without the sand to engage in any meaningful deterrence in the region.

Sadly, I'm afraid that they are probably spot-on with that assessment, though only time will tell.

Posted by Confederate Yankee at January 26, 2009 09:10 PM
Comments

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!!!!

Posted by: l at January 26, 2009 09:26 PM

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!

Posted by: Da Possum at January 27, 2009 11:33 AM

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?!

Posted by: SPW at January 27, 2009 11:49 AM

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.

Posted by: SPW at January 27, 2009 01:36 PM

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.

Posted by: XBradTC at January 27, 2009 06:23 PM

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.

Posted by: Lurking Observer at January 27, 2009 06:39 PM

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

Posted by: bill at January 27, 2009 08:36 PM

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

Posted by: SPW at January 27, 2009 08:42 PM

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.

Posted by: Lurking Observer at January 28, 2009 08:23 AM

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.

Posted by: Lurking Observer at January 28, 2009 08:26 AM

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

Posted by: danpa at January 28, 2009 12:35 PM

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

Posted by: Flash Override at January 28, 2009 06:52 PM

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.'

Posted by: SPW at January 28, 2009 07:08 PM

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.

Posted by: l at January 28, 2009 09:29 PM

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

Posted by: SPW at January 30, 2009 05:04 PM