MORE THOUGHTS ON OBAMA AND THE ARABS, at The Belmont Club:

There are two ironies here. The first is that while Barack Obama has gone out of his way to say that he is ‘not a Muslim’, in a wider sense the Muslims have taken him into their bosom. An acquaintance, writing from Jakarta says the same feeling is pretty strong over there too. While in America he projects the image of rallying America he simultaneously conveys the impression of being on the side of the Arab too.

The other irony of course is that the Arab attraction for Obama is potentially at odds with the Arab desire for a powerful America which can contain Iran. So far Obama has managed the remarkable feat of being all things to all men, even men who are mortally opposed to each other. What happens when he has to come down on one side or the other?

My guess is that someone will be disappointed.