Obama and the World

Now that Edwards is out, I support Barack Obama (despite my subconscious desire to jam another "r" into his name). It's hearting to read that Barack Obama might possess some advantages his competitors (Hillary Clinton and John McCain) don't have, when it comes to dealing with the Islamic world. Or so an article by Hooman Majd over at Salon argues.

A crucial question about who should be the next president is whether Obama, Hillary Clinton or John McCain is most likely to be able to heal the rift between the U.S. and much of the rest of the world, a rift not created but dangerously widened by the administration of George W. Bush. What is abundantly clear now -- at least to many foreigners and particularly to Muslims in the Third World -- is that Barack Obama is the candidate by far the best suited to begin healing that rift and restoring America's global reputation, and perhaps even to begin reversing decades of anti-Americanism. Obama would begin a presidency with a huge advantage in terms of world perception.

Of course there are plenty of Americans who don't see any difference between the terrorists who are blowing us up and any other Muslim; they aren't going to cotton to this possibility seeing it as us wanting to negotiated with people who want to kill us.

Still it seems like the middle east is going to be a trouble spot in American Diplomacy for the foreseeable future; so there's nothing wrong with getting a bit of a handle on this area.