Category: 
by Obama Pundit
We’ve heard over and over again how the advent of the Obama Presidency would go a long way toward cleaning up our image around the world. It was a big selling point during his campaign.
Since his inauguration, Obama has undertaken steps to address those areas in which the Left had found the United States to be lacking image-wise under Bush. We’ve prohibited torture, introduced habeas corpus for terrorist suspects and begun the process of unraveling the Gitmo detention policy.
These are all initiatives that are far more popular outside the United States than inside, by the way. But since world opinion is more important than the opinion of the American people, we do them anyway.
Unfortunately, Obama seems to believe World Opinion is a monolith comprised of Middle Eastern autocrats and their toadies in Western Europe. After all, every move to improve the U.S. standing in the world has been designed to placate the very kind of ruler who cares nothing for his own image. To think that Assad or Mubarak are truly offended by torture is more fuzzy-headed than anything the neo-cons have been accused of.
Most recently, Obama has been reticent to lend much rhetorical support to the Iranian protesters. He states that he doesn’t want to meddle in Iranian affairs, evoking the 1953 CIA-supported coup of an elected Iranian leader.
In doing so, however, Obama shows great disdain for the rest of world opinion, which seems to be mostly on the side of the protestors.
If Obama is so concerned with world opinion, why is he only worried about the opinion of one part of the world? Furthermore, it’s a part of the world where ‘opinion’ is hard to come by. Indeed, too much of a certain kind of ‘opinion’ can result in getting your head cracked.
When Obama talks about American image, it’s really a code word for “what the Arab and Muslim world thinks of us.” Sort of like how Democrats use the term ‘working people’ to describe blue-collar types, as if a doctor, lawyer or small business owner doesn’t really work.
So when it comes to image, Eastern Europe, Asia, South America, Africa…they don’t really matter. In fact, starting trade wars with these regions, or snubbing their leaders is completely cool. All that matters is that the Middle East power structure and various Western politicians are on board with us.
You could probably narrow this ‘world opinion’ down to less than 100 people. It certainly has nothing to do with the ‘Arab Street’, which is a useless term used in lieu of actual polling data.
In the end, Obama is out to please mainly Mullahs, dictators, thugs and their apologists in Western Europe.
The rest of the world can just go to hell, I guess.
