Sunday July 20, 2008

I've Been Thinking:

Barack Obama is in for some serious educating.

Obama is a virtual novice entering areas with which he has little background.
While in Afghanistan and the Middle East he must be prepared for a steep and surprising learning curve.
In these areas rhetoric has no clout - it is stark reality that counts.

These realities separate the ideologues from the practicalists.
When it comes to Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran and the Palestinians it is reality that will inform a successful leader's mission and vision.

I hope that Obama comes back from this trip with a more realistic idea of the Middle East than the skewed vision he left with.
I hope that he will shift his advisors to people who have a realistic understanding of the Middle East.
I hope that he will understand what is possible and feasible in the Middle East and what is not - in terms of timetables, personalities, age old dynamics and changing sensibilities.

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