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Obama's Mideast Success Jacks Expectations

By Drew Nelles,  Newser Staff

Posted Jun 7, 2009 1:45 PM CDT

(Newser) – Barack Obama’s trip to the Middle East has established even higher standards for his presidency, Politico reports. Obama is using his global celebrity to restart Israel-Palestine talks and improve relations between the West and the Muslim world, proving he’s “not a president who has ever shied away from setting high expectations, and then trying to meet them,” a White House official says.

French and German newspapers went wild when Obama toured Europe, and his Cairo University speech was reportedly a hit in the Arab world. But officials are also hoping Obama’s diplomatic image will entrench his popularity in the US by differentiating him from previous presidents. “This is a different time with different opportunities, and we can move forward,” an aide says.

President Barack Obama, right, tours the Sultan Hassan Mosque with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, left, in Cairo, Egypt, Thursday, June 4, 2009.
President Barack Obama, right, tours the Sultan Hassan Mosque with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, left, in Cairo, Egypt, Thursday, June 4, 2009.   (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
An unidentified Bahraini sits at a Manama, Bahrain, coffee shop watches through the smoke of water pipes as President Barack Obama delivers a speech reaching out to the Muslim world.
An unidentified Bahraini sits at a Manama, Bahrain, coffee shop watches through the smoke of water pipes as President Barack Obama delivers a speech reaching out to the Muslim world.   (AP Photo/Hasan Jamali)
President Barack Obama speaks at Cairo University. President Obama delivered a speech aiming to set a new tone in America's often-strained dealings with the world's 1.5 billion Muslims.
President Barack Obama speaks at Cairo University. President Obama delivered a speech aiming to set a new tone in America's often-strained dealings with the world's 1.5 billion Muslims.   (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
A live TV broadcast showing President Barack Obama delivering his speech in Cairo University is reflected in the sun glasses of a man at a coffee shop in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
A live TV broadcast showing President Barack Obama delivering his speech in Cairo University is reflected in the sun glasses of a man at a coffee shop in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.   (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
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[Obama has] shown that he’s willing, at appropriate times, to spend the time both privately, and also speak publicly, to move the process along and to put pressure on governments if he feels they’re being recalcitrant. - senior administration official

The visual of the students in that room applauding him and cheering for him says more powerfully than anything we could assert: This is a different time with different opportunities, and we can move forward. - administration aide

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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 5 comments
Reader63782555
Jun 8, 2009 2:02 AM CDT
The US is screwed you cant be friendly to an area that for thousands of years has only respected the most forceful people. It all starts by shaking hands with chavez and then bowing to the saudi king and then the next thing you know those two are trying to dictate what goes on in the US, and then when they don't get what they want what happens? Also we do have the best medical system in the world its just that democrats are too lazy to get jobs or figure out how to pay for things they actually need instead of what they want. These same democrats need to stop spending other peoples futures away as well as to stop giving it away, ie welfare, food stamps, and other government subsidies, make people work for something instead of just having another kid to get more money. Obama, the campaign is over stop campaigning and lead the country and make some decisions, a lot of promises were made that are not being kept. Think about that democrats you elected a leader about change and what change have we seen? To close both parties suck right now and government officials need to work for us instead of having pissing matches with each other. Later
Fondue
Jun 8, 2009 1:30 AM CDT
I'd say about 85% of Christians disagree.
justme
Jun 7, 2009 11:41 AM CDT
So far, Obama has done very well getting the world to like him. We shall wait and see how well he does getting the world to follow him. So far, a vague promise from France for help with Gitmo, refusal from everyone else. Israel/ Palestine is just talk until Israel stops settlements and Hamas and others stop threatening genocide . From that point, perhaps, there will be a chance. I'm not holding my breath. Failing any of that, Obama is just a better spoken failure than Bush, Clinton and the rest. It's about actual change not just better rhetoric. Beat up on Bush all you want, it's the programs he began and Obama continues that are preventing attacks on this country.(unless you deny that plots have been stopped, which puts you on the Follow the Fearless Leaders train..)

Obama finishes trip
AFP

Obama kicks off 'global populism'
Christian Science Monitor

 
Barack Obama • Middle East • West • Europe • Muslim • Cairo • Arab Israeli conflict • Arab

 
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