by Mark Silva
Barack Hussein Obama - he swore his oath of office to his given name at inauguration in Washington in January, and he mouthed his given name today in Turkey - as the president attempts to deliver a simple message to a watching nation and world: The United States is changing.
"America, like every other nation, has made mistakes and has its flaws,'' the president said at a "town-hall'' styled session with college students in Istanbul before making a surprise flight to Baghdad today.
In Iraq, the president has pledged a new course for a six-year-old war: A phased withdrawal of U.S. combat forces by next summer.
In his travels through Europe and in his closing visits to the largely Muslim yet secular nation of Turkey, a key U.S. ally in a difficult region, Obama has presented a new face of American foreign policy: A cooperative pledge to find a "common ground'' with erstwhile adversaries and rivals.
And with that has come a new face for America.
"For more than two centuries we have strived at great cost and sacrifice to form a more perfect union, to seek with other nations a more hopeful world,'' the president said. "We remain committed to a greater good, and we have citizens in countless countries who are serving in wonderful capacities as doctors and as agricultural specialists, people -- teachers -- people who are committed to making the world a better place.
"We're also a country of different backgrounds and races and religions that have come together around a set of shared ideals,'' Obama told his student audience.
"And we are still a place where anybody has a chance to make it if they try,'' the president explained of his homeland. "If that wasn't true, then somebody named Barack Hussein Obama would not be elected president of the United States of America. That's the America I want you to know.''
(President Barack Obama, second from right, and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan (second from left) with religious leaders today during a tour of the Sultanahmet Mosque, better known as the Blue Mosque, in Istanbul. (Photo by Salih Zeki Fazliolug / AFP / Getty Images)
Some have questioned where all this is headed - why the U.S. has not taken a more aggressive stance toward the launch of a missile by North Korea, for instance, instead pursuing a diplomatic course through the U.N.
"What actions will you take (for) peace at home and peace at the world,'' one student at the Istanbul town hall asked, "and what do you think, as Turkish young men and women, how can we help you at this purpose you have?''
"Well, some people say that maybe I'm being too idealistic,'' Obama said. "I made a speech in Prague about reducing and ultimately eliminating nuclear weapons, and some people said, 'Ah, that will never happen.'
"And some people have said, 'Why are you discussing the Middle East when it's not going to be possible for the Israelis and the Palestinians to come together?' Or, 'Why are you reaching out to the Iranians, because the U.S. and Iran can never agree on anything?'
"My attitude is... that all these things are hard,'' Obama said. "I mean, I'm not naïve. If it was easy, it would have already been done. Somebody else would have done it. But if we don't try, if we don't reach high, then we won't make any progress. And I think that there's a lot of progress that can be made.
"And as I said in my opening remarks, I think the most important thing to start with is dialogue,'' he said.
"When you have a chance to meet people from other cultures and other countries, and you listen to them and you find out that, even though you may speak a different language or you may have a different religious faith, it turns out that you care about your family, you have your same hopes about being able to have a career that is useful to the society, you hope that you can raise a family of your own, and that your children will be healthy and have a good education -- that all those things that human beings all around the world share are more important than the things that are different.''
Comments
The voters of the United States made the right choice.
Posted by: Kenneth Janowski | April 7, 2009 10:52 AM
It's a new day, in America, with President Obama. Belligerence, seems to be on the back-burner, where it always should have been !! We, Americans, the melting pot of the world, should be working for world unity, instead of fomenting disunity !! President Obama represented America, in a manner we have not been accustom to, in many years, too many years !!
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, BRING THEM HOME, ALIVE AND WHOLE. NOW.
Posted by: Don Fitzgerald, America | April 7, 2009 11:06 AM
As a Turkish-American now living in Turkey I had a chance to watch live on local and international TV the entire Obama visit which has been a tremendous success in restoring the American image. He came across as able,intelligent,sincere and trustworthy. As a former Chicagoan I was proud and overjoyed.
Posted by: Cemal Egemen | April 7, 2009 11:24 AM
[[Some have questioned where all this is headed - why the U.S. has not taken a more aggressive stance toward the launch of a missile by North Korea, for instance, instead pursuing a diplomatic course through the U.N.]]
what should he have said or done differently with regard to north korea? china and russia blocked initial moves in the security council.
some are questioning why you don't use a more active style of writing, instead trotting out the vague and weak "Some have questioned where all this is headed..."
Posted by: otoh | April 7, 2009 11:33 AM
This guy Obama is such a niave idiot. Whoopdeedoo, so the Frenchies might like us more. Tell me what affect that has on North Korea? Oh yeah, no effect.
Ya think North Korea would have EVER launched a missle when Bush was at the helm? Yeah, I didn't think so either.
Obama's such a pushover and everyone knows it. The sooner this dolt is removed from office, the better it'll be for our nation.
Posted by: Darrynyn | April 7, 2009 11:41 AM
If Bush/McCain were in charge, they would probably want to start another war with N. Korea. Yeah, that's real smart, would do wonders for our economy. Thank God Obama won.
Posted by: MR FACE | April 7, 2009 12:06 PM
Bowing to the King of Saudi Arabia
was just too much, no explation needed.
Posted by: Inky | April 7, 2009 12:11 PM
Quote: “Ya think North Korea would have EVER launched a missile when Bush was at the helm? Yeah, I didn't think so either.”
Hey guess what? They did launch multiple missiles when Bush was at the helm in 2006!! On July 4th!
Get off your Obama bashing and learn the facts.
Posted by: Jim D | April 7, 2009 12:14 PM
Ya think North Korea would have EVER launched a missle when Bush was at the helm? Yeah, I didn't think so either.
Obama's such a pushover and everyone knows it. The sooner this dolt is removed from office, the better it'll be for our nation.
Posted by: Darrynyn | April 7, 2009 11:41 AM
Darrynyn, hate to break it to you buddy, but North Korea launched missiles during the Bush Administration.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/07/04/korea.missile/
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/asia/jan-june08/nkorea_03-28.html
Are you righties incapable of doing basic research?
Posted by: Lou | April 7, 2009 12:17 PM
"bowing to the King of Saudi Arabia"
I guess he shouldn't have met with the Queen of England since we once had a war on our soil with England? A little thing called the revolutionary war.
By the Obama bashers "logic" we still wouldn't be on diplomatic terms with England!
Posted by: Reality | April 7, 2009 12:27 PM
If Obama would take time to learn his history, he would know that nuclear weapons have done more to prevent war than to cause them. In the past 64 years with nuclear weapons, World War III has been prevented at least several times. Prior to that, large scale wars of conquest were common place. If he eliminates nuclear weapons, someone will cheat. And even if not, we'll be back to how things were in 1940 and the era of large scale war.
Posted by: Danforth | April 7, 2009 12:49 PM
Posted by: Danforth | April 7, 2009 12:49 PM
I agree with your logic. It's very compelling. That's why Iran needs the bomb. Once Iran has the bomb, peace will reign in the Mid-east. No more wars of conquest. Nuclear weapons are flowers of peace, the more the better!
Posted by: M. Ahmadinejad | April 7, 2009 12:57 PM
More perfect Union????
This a a big fault of the socialists. They want a perfect world with perfect humans with perfect government with everybody happy all the time and everybody equal. this is a line of (not very deep) thought destined to fail.
Every time. Past, present and future.
Posted by: Tim | April 7, 2009 1:14 PM
More perfect Union????
This a a big fault of the socialists. They want a perfect world with perfect humans with perfect government with everybody happy all the time and everybody equal. this is a line of (not very deep) thought destined to fail.
Every time. Past, present and future.
Posted by: Tim | April 7, 2009 1:14 PM
Yeah! What was with our lousy pinko socialist founding fathers sneaking that phrase into the Constitution? It's unamerican to want a "More perfect union'! And don't get me started on that "equailty" nonsense!!!!
Posted by: Rabid Righty | April 7, 2009 2:17 PM
Mr. President, it is not only possible, it is essential. That is the whole idea of this machine, you know. Deterrence is the art of producing in the mind of the enemy... the FEAR to attack. And so, because of the automated and irrevocable decision-making process which rules out human meddling, the Doomsday machine is terrifying and simple to understand... and completely credible and convincing.
Mein Führer! I can walk!
Posted by: Dr. Strangelove | April 7, 2009 4:20 PM