TDB | What Obama Lost By Going To The Middle East

Barack Obama's overseas trip has so far been a complete success. He has looked more presidential than I could have imagined; he has been better received than I could have hoped; he has simply done an outstanding job and proved himself capable of navigating the world's most treacherous political shoals - its most unforgiving political environment. He should get plenty of experience points for having done so. But there's one thing Obama has lost as he's traveled through the Middle East - something that was key in convincing me to give up on the Republicans and support his bid for president - to support, moreover, the ideal of an Obama presidency.

The one unique thing that Barack Obama offered America in its war on terrorism is the possibility of Muslims throughout the world looking at this man - looking at his skin color, his background, and his name - and giving America, if just for a moment, the benefit of the doubt. Obama as president would allows us to be temporarily forgiven - not that we necessarily need to be forgiven - by those that hate us; it would allow the world to suspend its negative judgments about the American hegemon or the American empire and its implied diminution of status for non-Americans; it would allow people who never thought they and their kind could fit into an American world to see themselves as Americans if just for a moment. And imagining oneself as an American has always been the best advertising tool for our country - if people can see themselves as an American they are almost sure to acquire - no matter how faint at first - a love for our country.

But traveling in the Middle East, Barack Obama could not help but go to Israel. And going to Israel, he could not help saying things like this:

I am deeply committed to helping Israel achieve a lasting peace with Palestinians who are prepared to accept the state of Israel, renounce violence and terrorism, and abide by agreements.

And while i don't disagree with the sentiment or the substance behind this statement, surely Muslims will. They have heard it before, but not like this - not from Barack Obama as he visited their world. The Palestinians will say it is the Israelis that should give up violence and terrorism and should learn to deal fairly and to abide. And regardless of who is right - regardless of who is to blame - that possible moment, when Muslims would give America the benefit of the doubt after having watched Barack Hussein Obama ascend to the American pinnacle - that moment has been muddied. From now on, the benefit of the doubt can be quickly countered by, "Don't you remember what he said in Israel - we are just a bunch of terrorists to him. He's just another American!"

The Guardian editorial page summed up the Islamic take on Obama's visit fairly well, i think:

He made no acknowledgment [ ] of the 362 Palestinians killed in Gaza in the first five months of this year, compared to the six civilians and eight soldiers Israel lost in the same period. What Ms Livni and Mr Obama said may be what Israel wanted to hear. But no US president can work for peace on this script alone. To deliver a two-state solution, Mr Obama will have to persuade Israel to halt all settlement construction, before handing back a viable West Bank - not one fragmented by settlements, exclusive roads for cars with Israeli number plates, nature reserves, military restricted areas and over 600 checkpoints, barriers and other closures. Only one of the 36 hours that Mr Obama spent in Israel was devoted to talking to Palestinian representatives.