Simple Man Politics

Yesterday saw our fearless Commander in Chief give his fist TV interview since taking office. That he gave a TV interview is not what is remarkable, but what is remarkable is that he gave that interview to Al Arabiya located in the UAE city of Dubai. What he had to say to the viewers of Al Arabiya was for me very interesting to hear.

During this interview he covered a wide range of topics important to the Arab world. He talked for a good bit about the Palestinian Israeli conflict. He also discussed Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan as well. There was also discussion about the Muslim faith and terrorism. The interview was about 30 minutes long and was conducted by Al Arabiya's own Hisham Melhem.

I thought that the interview was very well conducted and the questions were exactly what I would have expected from Melhem considering his primary audience. I also think that I have learned a lot about Obama’s policies with regard to the Middle East from this interview. I must say that I do not disagree with everything that Obama said, but by the same token I am not in complete agreement either.

Israeli / Palestinian conflict:
On the subject of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict I do agree that it is of paramount importance that peace be established in the area post haste. I also agree that if our President is not involved in the peace process it will go no where fast and stall out. I will further agree that Israel is a staunch ally of the US in the region as we are their ally as well. It is very true that George Mitchell who is Obama’s personal envoy to the area is one of a handful of people who does have experience brokering peace deals in the region. Obama also gave brief mention to the peace plan proposed by Saudi Ruler King Abdullah.

What I do not agree with is the Presidents assumption that we respond to things over there by dictating rather than listening. We can no more dictate Israel’s policy towards how they deal with Terrorist organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah than they can dictate ours with regards to Al Qaeda. For there to be peace between the Israeli’s and the Palestinians they both have to want it. Right now Hamas doesn’t seem to want peace and Israel has the right to defend itself and we have no right to interfere.

A Nuclear Iran:
Another question put forth by Mr. Melhem was our willingness to deal with a nuclear Iran. While I might agree with our President, that we should keep all options on the table when dealing with Iran which includes negotiation, diplomacy, and military intervention. I will also agree with the President that the people of Persia are a great people historically.

I do not agree with his unwillingness to say point blank that a nuclear Iran is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Especially, since they support terrorist organizations and the possibility that their nukes could wind up in those organizations hands. This along with their threats against the existence of Israel should be more than enough to say that we would not allow nukes in Iran.

Proof of Commitment to the Muslim World:
On the subject of proving his commitment to the Muslim world and to peace within the region he points at three key elements as his proof. One of these is his idea of a timely and safe withdrawal of our military forces in Iraq and the other is the closing of the Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility by years end.

I do agree with the President that it is time to consider an exit strategy for Iraq. As the Iraqi people become more capable of defending themselves as a nation both from within and without we should start removing our forces from the country and putting them where they can best be used. However I do not believe that we will be entirely out of Iraq for at least a couple of more years regardless of what Obama has promised.

As far as the closing of Gitmo I think that this is a big mistake. We should not close this facility just because of pressure from the international community. We have no business bringing those animals from Gitmo to our shores let alone giving them the rights that only US citizens are entitled to under our constitution. This will not impress the terrorists in any event and might embolden them more to try something against us here by attempting to infiltrate our shores even in the guise of prisoners. As for the average Joe on the Muslim street they probably didn’t even know Gitmo existed until we made a big deal out of it.

I really do think that the third part of his proof is a good idea though. I think his idea to address the Muslim world from a major Muslim capitol in the region within the first 100 days of his presidency is an excellent idea to help promote solidarity between the US and the Muslim world.

Terrorists and Terrorism:
I think he is right to say that we will go after the terrorists when and where we can. I will further agree that these animals cannot point to one single accomplishment of theirs and say that they have improved the lives of the people they say they are fighting for. I believe that our President realizes that we cannot afford to have another attack like 9/11 on his watch. He is right to say that he will be judged by his actions and the actions of his administration.

I do not agree with his statement that the terminology that has been used to describe these people is wrong, they are Islamic Fascists. I do not agree with the notion that calling what we are involved in is a War on Terror. That is exactly what it is. We are not fighting an organized governmental military we are fighting cowards who hide behind helpless people and use terror to control them and to scare us.

In closing I can only deduce that while things may get better in the Middle East it will not happen for some time. As for what Barack Obama may have accomplished with this interview, well that is anybody’s guess. I just hope that the terrorists got the message that they have not been forgotten. I also hope that Barack will not be so quick the next time to apologize for how we Americans react to threats from rogue nations, dictators, and terrorist scum. I also would wish that Obama would fear the threats to our nation’s security more than public opinion and our lack of popularity around the world.

I am sorry this post is so long but I hope you have enjoyed this post and got a little something out of it. Have a beautiful day my friends, CIAO4NOW!!!!!