Obama hopes to push the reset button on US-Arab relations

In just a few hours President Obama will deliver arguably one of the most important speeches of his presidency in Cairo, Egypt.

But I believe that in order for Obama to get the Arab world actively engaged in the issues that are important to us and our allies he must do three things.

One reiterate that the US is NOT at war with Islam. Reinforce our support for Palestinian statehood. And three show respect for the view held by many people across the Arab world (and arguably the entire world) that the American way is not the ONLY way.

These are the three main points Obama has to hammer home in order for his words to resonate with the average muslim man and woman in the Middle East. 

Every rational American can accept that the US is not at war with Islam however a majority of muslims believe that we are actively seeking to destroy Islam. This perception has arisen primarily due to conflicting political interests and it will disolve into thin air after his speech.  But what Obama and diplomats can do is to highlight our common interests-the establishment of a free and secure Palestinian state and the  mutually desired withdrawal of our troops from Iraq.

If we can actively work to align these two key interests and maybe even achieve one of them in coming years we can then begin to work on our differences. However, in order to achieve a desirable outcome on those two issues I believe that we must be willing to accept and adjust our way of thinking.  

Now I’m not suggesting that the adjustments have to made solely on our end, not at all. Arab states and muslim men and women everywhere must be willing to do more than simply pay lip service to the idea of rejecting radical elements within their communities. Instead they must wholeheartedly renounce and squash those elements within their midst before members of their citizenry have become radicalized and a threat to America and its allies. We can’t do that for them they must do that on their own.

As a hyperpower the United States could tell any state or nation  ’to shove off’ but we tried that route  look how far it got us?  Our influence and dominance on the world stage can be increased tenfold if we admit to a few mistakes.

And this is one of those occasions.

To admit a mistake as a nation doesn’t make us apologists as some have suggested instead when a world leader is willing to admit his or her mistake what it says to the rest of the world is that the country is big enough to admit its shortcomings, accept that it doesn’t have all the answers and is wise enough to seek counsel and assistance from others in an effort to never repeat that mistake in essence it is a state deserving of the mantle of leadership.

However the idea of our President acknowledging past mistakes bothers millions of Americans.

And I can understand that.

Forgive me for using my own character as an example but like most people I hate admitting mistakes but what I hate even more is act of admitting to others that I was WRONG that gets under my skin. And I don’t know a single individual as strong willed and stubborn as I am that likes to admit that she/he could’ve been wrong on anything…LOL!.

But there are times in our lives when a simple acknowledgment of a past mistake is enough to garner us respect and admiration from our loved ones and even our enemies and I believe this principle can be applied to a state as well. 

How we go about rectifying those mistakes will say more about us as a country than any wrong we have committed in the last past years. Let’s hope that those men and women in the Arab world are also ready for a fresh start because I know that we are. 

 

 

For the next 48hrs billions become American..

On the eve of Barack Obama’s inauguration people across the world are celebrating the significant (albeit partial )realization of Martin Luther King’s dream for America.

For years to come millions will speak of that moment tomorrow, when Barack Obama is sworn in as the 44th President of the United States. Billions more will tell and re-tell his story for generations to come. And as fact becomes myth and his name becomes legend Obama will be the newest member, of that highly exclusive club, of earthly inhabitants to have earned a spot on the walls of human immortality.

So for the next 48 hours regardless of  where you are, your race, religion, national origin, gender or sexuality lift your head and raise your voice in celebration of our founding fathers’ wisdom, Lincoln’s bravery, King’s dream and Obama’s promise and all those whose stories and greatness have gone untold.

Realize in ALL of them the embodiment of humanity’s collective hopes and aspirations- for a better tomorrow.

In 2012 we could see President Sarah Palin…

 

 

Sarah Palin is NOT a diva.

Divas don’t or wouldn’t muddy themselves in the dirty, dog eat dog world of politics.

Sarah Palin is a shrewd, ideologically rigid politician that has cultivated and energized the base of her political party, the Republicans, and will undoubtedly remain a force within it for years to come.

Many have preoccupied themselves with her clothing allowance/expenses (yes, 150 000 is a bit much..but hey I would take it in a heartbeat wouldn’t you? ..lol) interview missteps and basic lack of knowledge of  critical international issues.

However, Sarah Palin, in the last few months has come to symbolize the modern conservative woman. And many in the conservative movement recognize that she will not compromise or wither, as other chosen ones have when confronted by democrats, in her support of their  signature issues-pro life, anti-gay marriage and closer ties between religion (Christianity) and the state.

Palinhas them fired up and ready for ‘war’ and with the Republican party in shambles, the leaders of specific fractions of the Republican base will emerge and ultimately one of these leaders could assume control of the entire party. Palin is in a unique position at the moment, not only does she have a built in base of support but no other individual has emerged to challenge her for control after the election.

Mccain is not a threat since he has never had any real creditability or power within his party and if he loses the election any power he did have will be gone. So, Sarah Palin will brush him aside in a heartbeat and who else is there? Governor Bobby Jindal? Governor Tim Pawlenty?

While both men are widely regarded as rising stars Palin’s star far outshines theirs and that will continue well into the future.

Palin should be watched very, very closely by democrats because she has no plans of going gently into the night and if she emerges as the savior of the GOP  and it looks like she could, then 2012 could prove to be the toughest year yet for Democrats.

And should she become and even more effective communicator and better versed in the ways of Washington and the world she may yet ascend to the highest office in the land…remember stranger things have happened-a man by the name of Barack Obama is on the verge of becoming the 44th President of the United States.

A tale of two men, Obama and Kilpatrick a tale of America..

One was born with almost every advantage and was destined to succeed.

Family:  A powerful well connected upper class political family.

School: Attended one of the top historically black colleges in the nation and earned his law degree from Michigan State University.

Political Life:Guaranteed. A bit of money. The right family. The right connections. A successful early entry into US political life by becoming mayor of one America’s largest cities at the age of 31.

What he did: He is the first sitting mayor in the history of Detroit to face felony charges.

What do the people say?: Easy come, easy go.

Born with EVERYTHING. HE lost EVERTHING

The other man had the wrong name, the wrong background and to many the wrong views.

Family: Raised by an educated single woman and middle class grandparents with few political connections.

Schools: Attended a two year liberal arts college before attending two of the top schools in the nation. Graduated with a law degree from Harvard.

Political Life: Toss up. Not wealthy. No family. No connections. He won his first race by signatures. His second race his major opponent dropped out.

What he did: He became the first black man to hold the presidential nomination for a major political party.

What do people say? By the sweat of your own brow, shall you eat bread…

Born with NOTHING. He earned EVERYTHING.

Why such divergent paths for these two politically talented men? One didn’t have anything to prove, the other had everything to prove. One got everything handed to him the other had to work for it all. One had a HUGE sense of entitlement. The other felt and knew he was entitled to nothing.

Yes, their stories are complex and I have indeed simplified them here but I think their stories are more reflective of our society than many of us would care to admit.

August 28th 2008, Obama’s acceptance speech……

And just in case you were wondering. why I didn’t blog after Obama’s historic speech.

An explanation, I figure (it might just be me that thinks this..lol)  is indeed necessary.

You see, although, I had seen this day coming for months now, when it finally happened I was and if I’m honest with myself and with you I continue to be overcome with emotion. If I sit and think about what happened that night my brain is flooded with images.

And I’m not talking solely about the image of him on that stage, or the thousands of flashing lights that greeted him as he walked onto the stage to the deafening cheers of thousands (millions if you count the ones watching on tv)  in fact the most pronounced images of that night, for me, were created by strangers I had met only a few minutes before Obama’s speech.

You see, I watched Obama’s acceptance speech holding the hand of my husband, in the living room of the home a young, jewish family surrounded with strangers of every race, of every persuasion and of every age group.

Young, old. Black, White and Asian. Jewish, Christian and Muslim. We all sat together in hushed silence listening to a man we have come to admire and to trust. A man that we want to lead us and this nation to better days.

And as I looked at these people cheering and clapping loudly in support of this black man, who happens to share the same skin tone of my mother, I was instantly transported to a moment I once shared with my historian father (a man of the 60s and 70s but a realist of the 80s..lol) one afternoon while driving, we were discussing the state of black America and how far we’ve come when he said that he would know that things had really changed in the world when America elected a black man as its president.

I remained silent as I had often done when he made this observation. Unusual for me, but what is there to say when you do know that this one change would indeed speak volumes about the state of the world in which we live?

I should add that my father didn’t think that day would happen in his lifetime and he went to his grave believing that it may never come at all.

Over the years, I came to believe that in my lifetime I WOULD see a black president but I thought, to be honest, that day would come when I was in my later years.

But to watch Obama that night and to watch his supporters of every race, of every background in that living room, holding the hand of my husband was such an intensely personal moment to me..that to be honest I didn’t know if I wanted to or even more honestly if I could accurately articulate my feelings about what I witnessed that night.

To understand and to come to a realization, that you are helping to shape a future that will be infinitely better than the one your parents gave you while recognizing their sacrifice and the role that they have played, including my pessimistic father, in helping to create that moment I witnessed on August 28th..at times fills my heart with such pride, my throat with a lump and my eyes with tears because it took so long but at the same time, thoughts of that moment,  of that day leaves me breathless…because I KNOW for a fact that the world has finally changed and it will never, ever be the same again  and I could finally say these words to my father. “Dad, the world has finally changed.”

The next time I visit his grave I will.

So Rev.Jesse Jackson wants to rip Barack’s b#$%s off…

 

 

And apparently these comments will be aired tonight exclusively on FOX News since Jackson made the comments while conducting an interview at FOX News.

Jackson made the disparaging comments about Obama in response to a question about recent Obama speeches on morality.

I have no doubt that Rev. Jackson supports Obama ‘on the surface’ at least  but if your friends say such things about you who needs enemies right? LOL

Now I cannot or would I seek to disrespect Rev.Jackson’s service or contributions to the African American community in the past. However, that’s just it he’s a past, black leader. He is to be honest no longer relevant.

What Rev. Jesse Jackson or Rev. Al Shaprton for that matter thinks about Obama is off little consequence in my world and I would argue in the worlds of many, young professional black people. Their views and opinions on race are somewhat antiquated and I would even argue the views of a lot of older Americans black or white as it pertains to race are also in that vein as well.

For far too long, the African American community and the national media in general have relied on a handful of black leaders to discuss the issues and problems affecting the he black community not recognizing that the community is as diverse as the American population and that there is no longer a need to solicit specific black opinion on so called ‘black matters’.

In the past we did need leaders like the Rev. Jesse Jackson and the Rev. Al Sharpton but they are no longer necessary and if an Obama candidacy has proven anything at all, it has proved that the fights have changed and that the African American community is not in need of black leadership but leadership in general as is the entire United States.

Obama has sought to define himself as a leader and that to me is true racial progress.

It may be upsetting to some black leaders but if they truly have craved racial progress and truly want to see Blacks in America progress they must stop harping on the fact that Obama does not talk about black issues at every turn or that any criticism of a specific segment of the black population is off limits for a black politician.

Instead they should fully embrace the fact that solutions to the problems facing many black Americans does not lie in the search for or embrace of a new black messiah or a handful of black political leaders and that Obama’s candidacy and future presidency will mean more to race relations than almost anything that has occurred in the last fifty years!

True solutions can only be reached if we recognise that the problems facing black Americans require solutions and discussions with all Americans and that we CANNOT AND MUST not re-fight old fights but focus our energy and attention on new ones.