Obama gives first formal TV interview of his Presidency, not to Fox or CNN or MSNBC or CBS or NBC or Bloomberg...... but to al-Arabiya

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Interesting....I wonder what their viewership is among Arab nations? In any case, I'm sure a lot of them will be watching tonight. I hope this will be a positive experience for all.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Interesting....I wonder what their viewership is among Arab nations? In any case, I'm sure a lot of them will be watching tonight. I hope this will be a positive experience for all.

Not all. The 'militants' can't be happy.

[luckytxn 2,265]

Way to go Obama on trying to quash that little rumor and accusations everyone was saying about you during the campaign.

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

Middle East Broadacasting (MBC) channels have some really anti-American programs on their schedule like Oprah and The Young and the Restless. I think this needs to be treated with extreme suspician.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Middle East Broadacasting (MBC) channels have some really anti-American programs on their schedule like Oprah and The Young and the Restless. I think this needs to be treated with extreme suspician.

(good to see you posting, Robin!)

[mRx 16]

I actually think that this is a good thing.

Bush created and/or intensified a phalanx of enemies in that region, and Obama is doing the right thing about addressing it immediately.

He is, after all, the "spokesman" for the United States now. Why would he even need to do an interview in America? Are we really de-evolving back to the centuries where the citizens fought for the attention of the new and powerful King?

[alienlovechild 75]

Are we really de-evolving back to the centuries where the citizens fought for the attention of the new and powerful King?

Worse, we're going back to an era where we have to amuse the emirs, sultans and viziers.

[caybee 21]

Rebecca,

Yes an interview this early on with CNN would have been celebratory. By talking to al-Arabiya right from the get go, he's putting the American administrations perspective out where it needs to be - on the Arab street.

I'm also very pleased he didn't pick al Jazira. Those guys are a bunch of snakes and al-Arabiya needs all the support it can get in their media 'war' against al Jazira.

Who runs al-Arabiya? Can anyone get access to the broadcast?

We got it on FTA satellite until we moved. I don't think it was a bad move on Obama's part at all. There's plenty of time for CNN, and it's good to make a strong first impression in the Arab world since that's where so much of his foreign policy will be focused.

[Uncle Wally 2]

Not to make a strawman argument here, but we all know damn well this is gonna piss a lot of Americans off.

I say there's nothing wrong with it. The previous administration gave a lot of middle fingers to that part of the world, a part of the world where there are certainly some seriously dangerous a$$holes, but where most people are just your average nice friendly folks going about their lives. I think it's a nice gesture, and it shouldn't be read as the US 'extending an olive branch to the terrorists' or anything like that.

At any rate, it's a nice contrast from "You're either with us or against us."

And correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the POTUS traditionally grant the first interview to a foreign news service anyway? Heck, here in the US, we practically know what color undies this guy wears on Tuesdays by now. They might as well give the first interview to the foreign press...

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Not to make a strawman argument here, but we all know damn well this is gonna piss a lot of Americans off.

Those are the Americans who's candidate lost in November Let's not give their political views any more relevance than they've earned.

Edited January 27, 2009 by A.J.

[nowhereman 1]

Not to make a strawman argument here, but we all know damn well this is gonna piss a lot of Americans off.

Those are the Americans who's candidate lost in November Let's not give their political views any more relevance than they've earned.

AJ shame on you for rattling the right winger's cages!

[mRx 16]

Are we really de-evolving back to the centuries where the citizens fought for the attention of the new and powerful King?

Worse, we're going back to an era where we have to amuse the emirs, sultans and viziers.

I don't see it like that.

Bush's "compassionate conservatism" morphed into a monster that led to the total destruction of a sovereign country. This has created alot of enemies for us (See AQI). Those persons that will be directly affected by our new president's foreign policy have a right to know first, I would think.

On a side note, I find it ironic how we "bring democracy and freedom" to these "oppressed" countries by imposing martial law, curfews, confiscating their beared arms that they use for their own security, and then the politicians pat each other on the back, and say we've made great "progress"

[chri'stina 190]

Not to make a strawman argument here, but we all know damn well this is gonna piss a lot of Americans off.

Those are the Americans who's candidate lost in November Let's not give their political views any more relevance than they've earned.

Mean!

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Not to make a strawman argument here, but we all know damn well this is gonna piss a lot of Americans off.

Those are the Americans who's candidate lost in November Let's not give their political views any more relevance than they've earned.

Mean!

[chri'stina 190]

Not to make a strawman argument here, but we all know damn well this is gonna piss a lot of Americans off.

Those are the Americans who's candidate lost in November Let's not give their political views any more relevance than they've earned.

Mean!