Obama And Protests In Turkey

From the New York Times:
President Obama, directly addressing a majority Muslim country for the first time in his presidency, said Monday that the United States “would never be at war with Islam.”In a wide-ranging speech before the Turkish Parliament in the capital, Ankara, Mr. Obama extended his campaign of outreach to the Muslim world, painting himself as a man who understands it and would seek to build a bridge between Islam and the West.“America’s relationship with the Muslim world cannot and will not just be based on opposition to Al Qaeda,” he said. “We seek broad engagement based upon mutual interests and mutual respect.”He drew applause when he said, “The United States is not, and will never be, at war with Islam.”And in a move with potential political risks at home, he drew on his personal ties to Islam. Introduced as “Barack Hussein Obama,” he told the Parliament that the United States had been “enriched by Muslim-Americans.”“Many other Americans have Muslims in their family, or have lived in a Muslim-majority country,” he said. “I know, because I am one of them.”Then he paused. And waited. And, after about five seconds, as the translator caught up, the applause came.The line was a bold one for Mr. Obama, who has been falsely labeled a Muslim by detractors. The accusations persist on some right-wing Web sites, which may try to interpret the last sentence as proof of those views.But Mr. Obama, who has become increasingly confident and sure-footed as his one-week maiden overseas trip is drawing to a close, is seeking to use Turkey as an example of the type of relationship that can be struck between the United States and a Muslim country. Turkey is a secular Muslim democracy that is pivotal to American foreign policy goals from Iraq to Afghanistan to Middle East peace....Mr. Obama also waded into the fraught issue of Turkey’s relations with Armenia, and the genocide of more than a million Ottoman Armenians beginning in 1915. Turkey acknowledges the killings but says they were casualties of war, not a systematic genocide, and has vehemently opposed the introduction of a bill in the United States Congress that would define it that way.When he was a Senator, Mr. Obama said he supported that view, but during a press conference with Turkish President Abdullah Gul before the Parliament speech, he did not use the word genocide and said that Turkey and Armenia had made progress in talks.During the Parliament speech, he spoke eloquently of the Armenia issue, saying that “history unresolved can be a heavy weight.”“Our country,” he said, “still struggles with the legacy of our past treatment of Native Americans.”Good grief.Once again, Obama is playing the "U.S. should be ashamed" card.Is that his idea of diplomacy and building bridges? Obama seems to think he scores points every time he disses America.Maybe he does score points, at least abroad and with his fellow Leftists at home.
...The visit was the latest of Mr. Obama’s efforts to change the tone of American relations with the Muslim world. In his inaugural address in January, Mr. Obama pledged to extend a hand of respect to the Muslim world, a sentiment which he also repeated in his interview with the Al Arabiya satellite television network later in January.The Times touts Obama's efforts to change the tone.What isn't reported here is that the Muslim world isn't entirely on board with accepting a new tone.Check out these photos of the protests against Obama and the U.S.Protesters call Obama a murderer and an assassin.That's right, libs. Obama, not President Bush, is now the murderer and assassin.