October 8, 2008 4:56:57 AM CDT
(Newser) – Barack Obama sat down tonight for a meeting and dinner with Jordan’s King Abdullah II, a leader much like the Democratic candidate (both are 46) in being seen as crossing age and societal gaps, USA Today reports. Abdullah’s Jordan is the most Western-friendly of Arab countries, but is in perhaps the tightest geographical spot—sandwiched between Israel, Palestine, and Iraq.
“If Jordan were a TV program, it would be called American Idol,” one expert tells the newspaper. Abdullah, educated in the UK, has fought to modernize his country even as he pursues peace. But he’s also deeply concerned with Iranian power, insiders say, and is certainly anxious to see how serious Obama is about frustrating Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
Source USA Today
Jul 23, 08 12:45 PM CDT Barack Obama waded into the thicket of Mideast politics today, siting down with Israeli and Palestinian leaders and visiting Sderot, an Israeli city near the Gaza border that's a frequent target of rocket attacks. If Iran were to obtain nuclear weapons, Obama said at a press conference, it would mark a "game-changing situation not only in the Middle East but around the world," he said. "America must always stand up for Israel's right to defend itself against those who threaten its people." More »
Jul 23, 08 12:19 PM CDT The better Barack Obama’s foreign excursion goes, the more nervous Republicans get, Maureen Dowd writes in the New York Times. Images of John McCain happily sharing a golf cart with Bush 41 don’t contrast well with images of Obama happily sharing a helicopter with David Petraeus. But there is also an element of arrogance in the trip. More »
Jul 22, 08 3:35 PM CDT The presidential race has broken so hard in Barack Obama’s direction that Michael Grunwald asks “the question the horse-race-loving media are never supposed to ask” in Time: “Is McCain a no-shot?” The Republican is in dire straits, having lost advantage on Iran (Bush is moving toward negotiation), the economy (voters want federal intervention) and now Iraq (Maliki is with Obama on withdrawal). More »
Jul 22, 08 1:27 PM CDT With the war leg of his foreign tour behind him, Barack Obama must next navigate the Middle East peace process. He’ll meet with top Israeli and Palestinian leaders tomorrow, the New York Times reports, and will visit the rocket-bombarded town of Sderot. US Jewish voters will be particularly attentive after the Democrat’s recent slip over the status of Jerusalem. More »
Jul 21, 08 8:58 PM CDT On the eve of Barack Obama’s visit to Israel, Yossi Klein Halevi writes to him in the New Republic about Israel's fears. Like many nations, Israel is well-inclined towards Obama: It has no fear of his Muslim middle name and recently hailed his description of Israeli security as "sacrosanct." Yet Israelis worry that as president, Obama would fail to deter Iran’s nuclear ambitions. More »
Barack Obama • Iraq • Iran • Israel • Palestine • King Abdullah II
