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July 24, 2008 | 1:40 am

Obama world tour strikes gold

Posted by Raphael J. Sonenshein

Photo

Image courtesy
http://usversusthem.wordpress.com/

Be careful what you wish for.  John McCain practically dared Barack Obama to go to Iraq, and he did, with a vengeance.  He has been on a world tour, going to three key areas Iraq and Afghanistan, where US troops are fighting; to Europe, location of America’s principal allies; and the Middle East, where America has a fundamental commitment to Israel and to regional peace.

By most accounts, the trip has been a huge success.  Obama has seemed presidential, and has been treated as a world leader in world capitals.  Media coverage has been very positive and extensive, and he has not made any serious mistakes that could undermine his foreign policy credentials.

In particular, he seems to have navigated the Israel/Palestinian/Jordan scene successfully.  Of all the American voters watching this trip, nobody is more attentive than Jewish voters.  Obama made all the right visits, struck the right chords (no peace agreement just to have a peace of paper), and smartly met with the right-wing opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu as well as the current government.  He pushed the envelope a bit by going to Ramallah.

The most significant portion of the trip was the interchange with Iraq’s leadership.  When Maliki endorsed Obama’s plan for a timed withdrawal from Iraq it placed McCain in a dreadful position.  It’s impossible to argue for staying longer than the Iraqis want us to stay, unless our presence is actually an occupation.  Even worse for McCain, President Bush undercut him by moving toward Obama’s position, leaning toward a “time horizon” for withdrawal. 

Now McCain, who has built his campaign on unwavering support for the Bush policy of an open-ended commitment in Iraq, finds himself to the right of both Bush and Obama.  The lesson?  Even a president of your own party will put his own legacy ahead of you, no matter how loyal you have been.  The good news for Americans?  We are probably closer to ending the war in Iraq today than we were a month ago.

This world tour reminds me of the bus tour that Bill Clinton and Al Gore, along with their wives, took right after the 1992 Democratic convention.  A young, untested ticket running against an older Republican in a bad economic climate lit a spark by getting out into the streets of America.  Obama’s world tour works in a different way, by potentially elevating his standing from the new young candidate to the potential commander-in-chief.

It probably won’t show up in the polls right away, but Obama may have helped close the “gravitas” gap with McCain.  If he does, McCain’s position becomes serious.  On domestic matters, it’s a Democratic wipeout.  I’d watch Jewish voters very carefully in the next few weeks.  They are “canaries in the mine” when it comes to Democrats and foreign policy.  Convince Jews, and you’ll win the foreign policy argument with everybody else. 

And no matter how great the trip, Obama is going to have to work right through to November to close that sale.

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Obama took the opportunity to take advantage of the fawning media and INVITED them on his PHOTO OP.  The networks, of course, fell all over themselves to oblige.  The man is nothing if not an egotistical opportunist.  True, he changes his position on issues on a daily basis, has little substance, miniscule experience, weak credentials, bad judgment and questionable friends. But liberals swoon over this man-made Messiah.

Comment by Jaycee on 7/24/08 at 8:16 am

C’mon, Jaycee, tell us what you really think!

wink

Comment by The Web Guy on 7/25/08 at 3:53 am

There seems to be two camps.  Those who bless Israel will be blessed, but those who curse Israel seeking her eradication will be cursed-(Genesis 12:3, 3:15)  The worst thing for US policy makers would be to turn their back on Israel in spite of mounting pressure.  It wouldn’t change the highly organized and motivated encroachment agenda revealed in documentaries like “Obsession,” or in the video clip provided by Mary McCurry above.  If anything, it would only encourage it. The Hebrew scriptures revealed this struggle between the “chosen people” and those identifying with the chosen people in covenant hopes, and those opposing them in the first book of the Bible.  It is really the difference between a “gospel of death” and a “gospel of life” as we have moved through history.     

http://www.noothergospel.com

Comment by Jl on 7/28/08 at 9:54 pm

The worst thing for US policy makers would be to turn their back on Israel in spite of mounting pressure.  It wouldn’t change the highly organized and motivated encroachment agenda revealed in documentaries like “Obsession,“ or in the video clip provided by Mary McCurry above.

Comment by goldankauf on 4/30/09 at 6:16 am

at the beginning of obama as prasident i was full of hope, and now i read that he says we dont have money so we print it. that is not good.

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Comment by grut on 6/26/09 at 4:38 pm

Obama will catch a lot of new fans with this tour, like armstrong in france grin

Comment by Veyton Templates on 7/07/09 at 5:44 am

Obama is not the Jesus for the USA. I know most of the people there see him as a prayer but for me it`s not the right way for printing money like he does it.

Comment by MiyukiBeads on 7/16/09 at 4:26 pm

I really like Obama

Comment by Online Banking on 7/17/09 at 3:05 pm

We alle like him now…

Comment by Bleaching on 7/17/09 at 4:21 pm

He is terminator?

Comment by Kontaktlinsen on 7/17/09 at 4:21 pm

LOng time ago….

Comment by Depressionen on 7/17/09 at 4:23 pm

I know the time….

Comment by Raucherentwöhnung on 7/17/09 at 4:23 pm

It’s a cool site…

Comment by Kinderunfallversicherung on 7/17/09 at 4:59 pm

Never visited such a site again

Comment by Narbenkorrektur on 7/17/09 at 4:59 pm

Mother?

Comment by Kundengewinnung on 7/17/09 at 5:02 pm

Obama is best !!!

Comment by Verstecken on 7/21/09 at 10:18 am

Obama is just cool

Comment by Gesundheit on 7/22/09 at 5:30 am

Great !!!

Comment by Riester Förderung on 7/22/09 at 1:27 pm

The best president…

Comment by Girokonten im Vergleich on 7/26/09 at 6:44 am

Was a cool time…..

Comment by Ratenzahlung on 7/27/09 at 10:33 am

Hell of a guy

Comment by Haarentfernung on 7/27/09 at 10:34 am

So many products???

Comment by Schweizer Konto eröffnen on 7/27/09 at 10:34 am

But never Bush again….

Comment by Factoring Kosten on 7/27/09 at 10:35 am

wow cool

Comment by jam on 8/03/09 at 3:13 pm

Wie wild er aussieht…

Comment by Auto on 8/15/09 at 8:03 am

Bush was a nightmare but i think Obama is just a dream…

Comment by Girokonto Vergleich on 9/13/09 at 7:16 am

A lot of german websites here!

Comment by Creatin Monohydrat on 9/19/09 at 2:02 pm

Nice Photoshop work smile
Looks like Obamanator!

Comment by Werbetechnik Köln on 10/11/09 at 5:38 pm

nice article. i really love the picture alot.

Comment by Alleinunterhalter Köln on 10/26/09 at 7:00 am

obama als roboter? wer steckt hinter der maske?
vielleicht sollten polotiker namensschilder tragen die ihre wahre identität zeigen

gruß vom namensschilder shop

Comment by namensschilder on 10/28/09 at 5:52 am

thank you for the great help
the wedding rings are very nice

Comment by TRAURINGE on 11/02/09 at 8:22 am

What a crazy photo!

Comment by Kostenloses Girokonto on 11/11/09 at 9:11 am

“Obamanator” ...what a word…. and what a photo

Comment by Silber kaufen on 12/07/09 at 8:44 am

Barack Obama is not a really president. All presidents who want to be a president of the people were killed. But I hope so much that he could do more related to world peace.

Comment by Waldkraiburg City on 12/08/09 at 4:44 am

Ein Kompliment für diese tolle Seite.
Eigentlich bin ich durch Zufall darauf gestoßen und dachte mir,
einen netten Eintrag und viele Grüße zu hinterlassen.
_____ \\\!!!///____
______( ô ô )_____
___ooO-(_)-Ooo___
Vielleicht schauen sie mal auf meiner Homepage vorbei!

Comment by Ferienwohnung Sylt on 12/17/09 at 2:53 pm

Obama ist einfach GEIL :D

Comment by mbremje rinore on 1/04/10 at 9:12 pm

beste amerikanische president

Comment by tifozatkuqezi on 1/04/10 at 9:21 pm

nice photo from Obama wink

Happy New Year from the Baltic Sea
Gaby

Comment by Ferienwohnung Ostsee Schönberger-Strand on 1/06/10 at 5:11 am

Hehehe, Obama as Terminator, really frightful…

Comment by Märchen on 1/07/10 at 9:23 am

Happy New Year from Britta…

Comment by Ferienwohnung Ostsee on 1/13/10 at 12:00 pm

Best wishes for 2010
Michael

Comment by Ferienwohnung Ostsee Schönberg on 1/15/10 at 3:23 am

Best regards from the north of germany….
Enjoy your holiday at the Schönberger Strand at the baltic see (Ostsee)……
_____ \\\!!!///____
______( ô ô )_____
___ooO-(_)-Ooo___

Comment by Birgit Gosch on 1/18/10 at 4:16 pm

Obama is a god wink

Comment by Tagesgeld Online on 1/28/10 at 2:23 pm

yes good article

Comment by Gold on 2/02/10 at 6:55 pm

there is only one you could change the world
obama
best wishes
chipkarten

Comment by chipkarten on 2/09/10 at 6:18 am

_.~*°*~~~~ _..-+*~~~~°*+-.._*.-
_.~*°*~~~~ _..-+*~~~~°*+-.._*.-
_..-_..-+*~~~~°*+-.._*.-+*°*+-.._
_..-+*°*+-.._ \\\!!!///_..-+*°*+-.._
_..-+*°*+-.._ ( ô ô ) _..-+*°*+-.._
_..-°*+-.._ooO-(_)-Ooo_..-+*°*+-.._
_..-+*°*+-.._ ~~~*°*~~~ _..-+*°*+-.._
~~~ _..-+*°*+-..~~~~ _..-+*°*+-.._
_..-+*~~°*+-..__..-+*~~~~°*+-.._*+-...-
_.~*°*~~~~ _..-+*~~~~°*+-.._*.-+*°*+-.._
Ich möchte einen netten Gruß hinterlassen
und ich würde mich freuen, wenn Sie auf
meiner Homepage auch einmal
vorbei schauen würden!
Viele Grüße von der Ostsee !!!

Comment by Volker on 2/20/10 at 12:37 am

Nice Photoshop work

Comment by reiner on 2/21/10 at 2:27 am

Passt mir gut auf Obama auf!

Gruß aus Ostfriesland

Günter

Comment by Günter Hogrefe on 3/16/10 at 9:38 am

Grüe aus Kalifornien an der Ostsee

Comment by Ferienwohnung Ostsee on 5/11/10 at 9:44 am

Obama cool aber man weis ja nie

Comment by heiko on 5/14/10 at 5:26 am

Tolle Seite, viele Informationen.
Grüße aus Schönberg an der Ostsee
Gaby

Comment by Kalifornien Ostsee on 5/25/10 at 1:19 am

Grüße from Freiburg

Comment by küchen freiburg on 6/17/10 at 8:57 am

Whats that? Obamanator? Awesome!

Comment by Geschenke aus Bayern on 6/23/10 at 8:33 am

Lol, cooler Obaminator(tm) picture - good work! :D

Comment by Platinbarren on 7/03/10 at 4:27 am

Hehehe, Obama as Terminator, really frightful…

Comment by Silber Kaufen on 7/03/10 at 4:29 am

It is amazing to see how the first humanitarian president of the us ist getting more and more popular all around europe and still has a large number of enemys in his country wathichg his every move.

Comment by kreuzfahrten on 8/25/10 at 8:14 am

This is a very interesting site!

Comment by Ursula on 9/03/10 at 7:33 am

I think always so!

Comment by Norbert on 9/03/10 at 7:35 am

Thank you very much for this nice article!

Comment by Ursula on 9/03/10 at 7:38 am

i really love the photoshop work on obama :D
great article also ^^

Comment by Poster on 9/20/10 at 3:10 am

Thanks for article. Obama is good

Comment by Autofinanzierung on 10/14/10 at 9:14 am

Grüße vom Schönberger-Strand
Michael

Comment by Schönberger Strand on 11/27/10 at 1:57 am

viele Grüße von der Ostsee

Comment by Schönberger Strand on 11/28/10 at 9:12 am

Hehe, love the Obamanator picture!

Comment by My Home on 12/02/10 at 3:41 pm

Many greets from Dusseldorf, Germany.

Comment by Pizza online bestellen on 12/30/10 at 7:16 am

I think this is silly! Maybe you do not mind if I respond, but the president deserves respect! I am Dutch but I think it’s just not normal!

Comment by tamara on 1/13/11 at 11:35 am

Hey echt ne super Homepage viel Imformationen habe viel Zeit drauf verbrachen da kommt man gern mal zu Besuch. Weiterhin viel Erfolg. 
Gruß  von der Ostsee.
http://www.ferienwohnung-ostsee-holm.de

Comment by Christel on 5/10/11 at 12:20 pm

Greeting from California (Germany, Baltic Sea)
Michael

Comment by Schönberger Strand on 5/12/11 at 7:31 am

greats from istanbul the city of news

Comment by Özel Okul on 7/19/11 at 2:32 am

Greeting from bavaria and sicily. lukas

Comment by Olivenoel on 7/26/11 at 1:34 pm

Barack Obama is not a really president. All presidents who want to be a president of the people were killed. But I hope so much that he could do more related to world peace. http://www.immowelt-sizilien.de

Comment by Frank on 10/03/11 at 2:24 pm

Obama is a good President. He cares about the People. Greetz Kreuzfahrt 2012 2013

Comment by Kreuzfahrten on 1/20/12 at 5:16 am

Obama is a good President. He cares about the People. Greetz Kreuzfahrt 2012 2013

Comment by Kreuzfahrten on 1/20/12 at 12:39 pm

Good for Security Training and Bodyguards. This will be good for Security Ausbildung

Comment by Security on 1/20/12 at 12:44 pm

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