“Simply Unprecedented” — President Obama and the Gay Rights Movement

“This was a historic night when we felt the full embrace and commitment of the President of the United States. It’s simply unprecedented.” Those words were spoken by Joe Salmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, just after President Barack Obama spoke to the group’s 13th annual national dinner. > more.
foto: wikicommons,wikipedia.de

Are Arab Leaders Really So Unhappy to See Ahmadinejad Re-elected?

So far most Arab leaders have reacted to the Iranian electoral crisis in typical Middle Eastern fashion: they haven’t. Amir Moussa, the head of the Arab League, took one for the team and made this non-statement statement: “We hope that the next term will witness progress on the relations between Iran and the Arab world [...]

Obama in Cairo: The Making of a Prophet ?

President Obama’s speech in Cairo a few days ago is the most important address ever given by an American leader about the Middle East. As he told 1,000 people at Cairo University and millions more around the world, everything won’t be solved by a speech. Yet it was an unprecedented reach-out to Muslims and particularly [...]

Arab Opinion: Bush Bad, Obama Good

Professor Shibley Telhami’s annual survey of Arab public opinion is out this week. It shows me that Barack Obama, who is due here in Cairo on June 4 to give an address to the Islamic world, has the chance to significantly reverse negative Arab attitudes toward the U.S. His mere election has already produced some welcome changes [...]

Barack Obama defends America’s global image

“US president rejects stereotype of Americans as ’selfish and crass’ as he addresses students in Istanbul. - Barack Obama today called for greater understanding between countries as he addressed students in Istanbul at the end of his European tour. 
Seeking to repair the damage to America’s international reputation by his predecessor, George Bush, the US president rejected the [...]

Barack Obama: Humility, Gratitude, Sacrifice

“Humility, gratitude and sacrifice. From his first words, Barack Obama let us know that even on a day so bright he was not blinded. Not by the cloud of witnesses in front of him. Not by the lights of cameras sending his words across the planet. That he was willing to sound so somber on his day [...]

America chose Obama

“Well, here we are on the other side. A watershed moment. An historic election. And we, the American people, have made our choice. –  Barack Obama will be the 44th President of the United States, and the nation’s first black president. And in elections across the country, Democrats won their seats in the Senate. When [...]

Obama: The New President’s First Words

“Barack Obama’s speech in Chicago late last night contained glancing references to the Middle East, the first glimpse into his mindset as the president-in-waiting, as he prepares to set up his transition team for taking office in January. - He referred to America’s “two wars” in Iraq and Afghanistan as among the top challenges that “are the greatest [...]

Obama: ‘This is your victory’ (+ videos)

“Barack Obama has won the 2008 U.S. presidential election, defeating John McCain, and will be sworn in as the first African-American to hold the nation’s highest office.” > full story
Also read: 
> America’s first black president (video)
> Obama speech (video)
> World media comment
> All videos
> Russian Pravda: A change for the better
Bild: threecee, flickr.com

Who are they: Obama – McCain ?

Barack Obama (born 1961) is the junior United States Senator from Illinois and presidential nominee of theDemocratic Party in the 2008 United States presidential election. Obama is the first African American to be nominated for president by a major political party. Obama graduated from Columbia University and Harvard Law School, serving as the president of the Harvard Law Review. He served three terms in the Illinois Senate and taught constitutional law at theUniversity of Chicago [...]

The New P.L.O.? (Palestinians Love Obama)

“Will Palestinians have a “friend” in the White House if Barack Obama is elected president on Tuesday ? Many supporters of the Palestinians think so or at least hope so. My advice to them: Don’t hold your breath. Get too close to a Palestinian, or voice too much sympathy for his cause, it seems, and [...]

Why Some Anti-Abortion Catholics Support Obama

“Over the past quarter-century, most anti-abortion Roman Catholics have voted Republican in hopes of overturning Roe v. Wade. But some are rethinking their strategy on abortion and other social issues — and some staunchly conservative Catholics are supporting Democratic Sen. Barack Obama because they believe the battle over Roe is lost.” > more.
picture:willem velthoven, flickr.com

Harold Isn’t a Muslim Either

“Harold isn’t Muslim. He’s Catholic. I’m Methodist. Somehow we’ve managed to live peacefully married for 57 years. We didn’t get married in the church. As far as I am concerned that was no great loss. A short ceremony meant I got to eat cake sooner.
And just like Harold, Barack Hussein [...]