Says Krauthammer:
Is it "new" to acknowledge Muslim interests and show respect to the Muslim world? Obama doesn't just think so, he said so again to millions in his al-Arabiya interview, insisting on the need to "restore" the "same respect and partnership that America had with the Muslim world as recently as 20 or 30 years ago."
Astonishing. In these most recent 20 years -- the alleged winter of our disrespect of the Islamic world -- America did not just respect Muslims, it bled for them. It engaged in five military campaigns, every one of which involved -- and resulted in -- the liberation of a Muslim people: Bosnia, Kosovo, Kuwait, Afghanistan and Iraq.
The two Balkan interventions -- as well as the failed 1992-93 Somalia intervention to feed starving African Muslims (43 Americans were killed) -- were humanitarian exercises of the highest order, there being no significant U.S. strategic interest at stake. In these 20 years, this nation has done more for suffering and oppressed Muslims than any nation, Muslim or non-Muslim, anywhere on Earth. Why are we apologizing?
Long ago I compiled a list of our efforts since World War II that have aided the Moslem world. The idea that we need to apologize for our actions is absurd. The idea that our president is leading this parade is discouraging, to say the least. Voting "present" would have been an improvement on this issue.
But no, we're going to "respect" Moslems by retreating to policies that say we'll work with any dictator who can keep the Moslem people properly quiet and passive regardless of the human rights record of the regime keeping them quiet. Now that's respect.
