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The June 6 edition of this column, titled “Oreo,”
managed to draw very strong reader reactions, some quite
lengthy—despite the fact that it dealt with US politics, or maybe
because of it. The readers’ e-mail addresses seem to indicate
residence in the United States. By their names, they are presumably
of Filipino origin.
Whatever are their personal
circumstances, they obviously harbor strong views about Barack Obama.
A sampling of the opinion of two readers—abridged due to space
constraints—follows.
Obama supporter
Dr. Rafael Y. Castillo Jr. <rafaelycastillo@yahoo.com>
wrote in part:
“I read your column in the
[June 6] online edition of The Manila Times.
“I take issue with the
following selection from it: ‘Given his declaration of undying
support to Israel, any hope that an Obama presidency would lead to
genuine change in US foreign policy—and turn America into an
impartial arbiter of international disputes—quickly vanished.
Obama merely confirmed suspicions that he is indeed an Oreo—black
outside, white inside.’
“As an Obama supporter, I take
issue with this. You have seemingly taken Obama’s stance on one
foreign policy issue and dismissed him out of hand. This stance, by
the way, has been the stance of the US government for 60 years.
“Senator Obama takes a much
more nuanced approach to foreign policy than the current
administration and with that of his opponent, Sen. John McCain. If
you think that an Obama presidency will be no different than the
present administration or a McCain presidency, I believe you are
mistaken. It’s akin to Ralph Nader saying back in 2000 that there
would no substantive difference between a Bush administration and an
Al Gore administration.
“And regarding your last
sentence, I haven’t seen ANY sentiment that he is a so-called
‘Oreo.’ (This is a very charged and derisive word, sir).
Personally, I haven’t regarded his race at all when I decided to
support him. I am captivated by Obama the person and his message of
hope and change. I agree with his stance on many issues. As a young
voter, he has inspired me to follow politics and to get involved.
For the first time ever (and I’m not alone among Obama supporters)
I’ve contributed financially to a political campaign.
“I believe Barack Obama will be
elected president in November. And contrary to your view, I believe
his foreign policy will be a night-and-day difference from the
current administration or what John McCain has to offer.”
Political positioning
Juanito Fuerte <GlenAllenGemini@aol.com>
wrote:
“If you look at it closely, the
only difference between Obama and the other die-hard Washington
politicians is Obama’s remarkable gift for words and his uncanny
ability to deliver those words in such a fashion that make them
sound like they’re coming from the ‘savior’ the liberals have
long been waiting for. Other than that, he’s just another
politician who will say and do anything and everything to get the
people’s votes.
“Given his penchant for using
powerful rhetoric, it’s oftentimes hard to say how honest and
straightforward he is. For instance, on this year’s anniversary of
Selma’s bloody civil rights march Obama said, ‘There was
something stirring across the country because of what happened in
Selma, Alabama, because some folks are willing to march across a
bridge. So, my parents got together and Barack Obama Jr., was
born.’ The problem with that statement is that Obama’s birth
year (1961) came four years before Selma’s 1965 bloody Sunday’s
march.
“It’s all political
positioning which, Obama has quickly mastered even in the early
stage of his young political life. He will declare his positions on
the side of the issues where he thinks he could benefit most. And
his stand on Israel is no exception. There are enough influential
Jews in the US that can make a difference in winning or losing a
presidential election, and Obama knows this. He’s too smart not to
capitalize on this knowledge. This is the reason why, while he has
never in the past so openly and lavishly spoke of America’s
commitment to the existence of Israel, he’s now loudly singing the
song making sure that every Jew hears it.
“One of Obama’s often stated
goal as president is to restore America’s positive image around
the world especially in the Middle East where America’s image has
suffered largely because of the Arab world’s resentment over
America’s deep commitment to the continued existence of Israel. My
concern is that, as soon as he gets elected president (assuming he
gets by past McCain), in his eagerness to impress and showcase his
much touted capacity to unify, and because he may not be as
pro-Israel as he would like us to believe, Obama might, one way or
the other, make enough concessions to the Arabs (to the disadvantage
of Israel) to accomplish his goal of bringing peace and regaining
America’s favorable reputation in the Middle East.
“And we all know what the end
result could be if Israel felt unwittingly pushed to the corner by
those concessions with no recourse but to act on her own in order to
free itself. The result could even be worse and devastating than our
current problem in Iraq.”
dansoy@yahoo.com
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