Obama's trip

Obama's trip
The Stanford Daily

Opinions

Thursday July 31, 2008

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Stu's Views: Obama's World



July 31, 2008
By Stuart Baimel
Obama's trip to the Middle East and Europe last week was one of the most impressive displays of political skill?, orchestrated symbolism and rhetoric in recent memory. While showing his rapport with European leaders, he more importantly buttressed his foreign-policy credentials. The media ate up the trip like I eat up red curry--voraciously. The press coverage was so extensive and positive that John McCain's campaign, desperate for attention, was forced to "leak" false rumors to reporters that his Veep choice would be announced soon.
The trip was brilliantly planned from start to finish. Obama got himself photographed wearing a yarmulke at the Wailing Wall, which is certain to reassure Jewish voters. The visit to Iraq coincided nicely with his repositioning on his strategy for the country. And,Obama's big public speech, to an enormous 200,000 people, was in Berlin. As a friend pointed out, Germany is a noncontroversial (and popular) country to Americans. Had the speech been in France, it would have been much easier for Republicans to attack him.---
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Ted Rudow III,MA


The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs (WRMEA) conservatively estimates cumulative total direct U.S. aid to Israel at $107.961 billion. It is not of Israel’s cost to the U.S. or the American taxpayer, nor of the benefit to Israel of U.S. aid.
The distinction is important, because the indirect or consequential costs to the American taxpayer as a result of Washington’s blind support for Israel exceed by many times the amount of direct U.S. aid to Israel. Only rarely is a critical word uttered among politicians regarding AIPAC and its associates that support unjust and aggressive (and disastrous) U.S. policies toward the peoples of the Middle East. For too long, policies that support Israeli militarism and occupation have gone unchallenged. Political voices raising even minor disagreements with prevailing policies are silenced or subject to campaigns of intimidation.

What little we have been told is pure anti-Arab propaganda. Nothing good is ever said by the West about the Arabs; I never heard anything good in school about the Arabs. I think is it racism, but try as they will, Israel will never willingly withdraw from the Israeli-occupied Arab territories and has said flatly she will never give up Jerusalem.