Monday, July 21, 2008
Giving Barack Obama bad advice
This seems like bad advice:
My suggestion to Obama: forget Berlin, go to Mecca. If you really want to be seen in a Kennedy / Reagan light in the diplomatic arena, you should use your popularity and your unique heritage to address the Christian and Muslim worlds. A thoughtful speech that focuses on our similarities, rather than our differences, is clearly needed between both communities of faith. Kennedy and Reagan in their speeches addressed the major foreign policy concerns of our country. Obama has the opportunity to do something similar if he takes up this challenge. However, the issue is much trickier and more dangerous than either Kennedy or Reagan had to face. Instead of disarming conventional and nuclear weapons, Obama has to disarm fear and prejudice on both sides, Christian and Muslim.
This is where the “Audacity of Hope” meets the reality of fear…let’s see if hope can transform the world once again.
Among the many reasons why this is a terrible idea, non-Muslims are not allowed in to Mecca under the law of Saudi Arabia. Obama's admission into Mecca would constitute recognition from the seat of fundamentalist Islam that Barack Obama is, well, a Muslim. He really does not need that kind of trouble.
3 Comments:
By 
Unknown, at
Mon Jul 21, 06:32:00 PM:
By Anthony, at
Mon Jul 21, 08:16:00 PM:
More than bad advice, it's a silly suggestion, one the author has to know would never come about. The rulers of the Kingdom would never let such a speech be made in their country, where Jews are barred and other religions are persecuted, even when practiced in private. The House of Saud made a deal with Wahhabi clerics in the 18th century: political support by the clerics in return for giving them control of the country's religious policy. Allowing this kind of speech by Obama would be seen as a major violation of that deal.
It'll never happen.
By Dawnfire82, at
Tue Jul 22, 01:00:00 PM:
"More than bad advice, it's a silly suggestion, one the author has to know would never come about. "
I don't believe that for a moment. I'm sure that Mr. Campbell honestly thinks that this is a superb idea.
