Obama to Arabs Is Just an American With a Muslim Middle Name

[Purveyor]

By Caroline Alexander

July 21 (Bloomberg) -- A year ago, Palestinian medical student Wessam al-Ghoul in the U.K. thought Barack Obama would break new ground in bringing Middle East peace. Today, he says the Democratic presidential candidate is merely ``the lesser of two evils.''

Al-Ghoul changed his mind after Obama toughened his rhetoric against Iran and said on June 4 that ``Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel, and it must remain undivided.'' Palestinians claim east Jerusalem as their future capital.

``He has become virtually indistinguishable from any U.S. politician running for office,'' said al-Ghoul, 24. He added that presumptive Republican nominee John McCain, 71, is worse only because he would continue the foreign policies of President George W. Bush, whose war in Iraq, now in its sixth year, has made him unpopular in the Arab world.

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`Radical Rupture'

Obama's comment on Jerusalem, in a speech to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, was a ``radical rupture with the Arab public,'' said Habib Samarkandi, a professor at the University of Toulouse in France who edits a journal about North African culture. ``We discovered our support was based on illusions rather than the reality of the person.''

Obama sought to clarify his position the day after his speech, saying on CNN that ``obviously, it's going to be up to the parties to negotiate a range of these issues. And Jerusalem will be part of those negotiations.''

``The damage is done,'' Samarkandi said, discounting the explanation.

BLOOMBERG: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=awWOetcOnZuU&refer=us

[benddem]

1. but but but

it is an ARABIC middle name used by Muslims, NOT a Muslim name.

[KittyWampus]

2. LOL! Keep trying, Bloomberg. Obama's been consistent in his rhetoric & even-handed approach.

I appreciate the fact he tried to bring some semblance of balance to the table in his speech at AIPAC.

[Labors of Hercules]

3. Because a professor and a medical student say it...

it must be true for all arabs. :eyes:

[NattPang]

4. Isn't that how it works?

So says the 20 or so PUMA members; whatever they say = 18 million! :rofl: