Media

Rejecting Allah-like powers, Obama vows end to ‘dictating’ in Mideast

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Al Jazeera‘s morning report, proving once again that it’s ridiculous censorship for U.S. cable outlets to not carry the Arab world’s most powerful news outlet.

Dick Cheney‘s dream of an imperial vice presidency lording over all the world’s oil fields is now officially dead.

President Barack Obama snuffed it out during his first formal interview on Arabic TV. He did it with Al-Arabiya, not Al Jazeera, but it’s a stunning change from the bellicose Bush regime, as this excerpt from the AP proves:

“What I told [envoy George Mitchell] is start by listening, because all too often the United States starts by dictating,” Obama told the interviewer.

The president reiterated the U.S. commitment to Israel as an ally and to its right to defend itself. But he suggested that both Israel and the Palestinians have hard choices to make.

“I do believe that the moment is ripe for both sides to realize that the path that they are on is one that is not going to result in prosperity and security for their people,” he said, calling for a Palestinian state that is contiguous with internal freedom of movement and can trade with neighboring countries.

Obama also said that recent statements and messages issued by the al-Qaida terror network suggest they do not know how to deal with his new approach.

“They seem nervous,” he told the interviewer. “What that tells me is that their ideas are bankrupt.”

You mean not all Muslims are bomb-throwers? And you can blast the ones who are while still pressuring the ones who aren’t? And you can even put pressure on Jews to start making nice? What an unusual thing for a U.S. president to say.

Slow on the uptake this morning was the New York Times, this country’s version of Al Jazeera. Several hours after the rest of the world noted the Obama interview on Al-Arabiya, the Times makes it truly official with “Obama Interview Signals New Tone in Relations With Islam.”

Now, if Obama’s people could start working quietly behind the scenes to get U.S. media goniffs to start carrying Al Jazeera on their cable systems.

Then, he could actually do an interview on Al Jazeera, and most Americans could watch it.

While you’re waiting for the cable guys, start clicking…

NO PARTICULAR ORDER:

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From Clusterstock’s Henry Blodget:

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