Zakaria engages Obama

I'm semi-back from my month long hiatus.  Still trying to rest and recuperate from a few long weeks of prep at work, I'll be back on a more regular basis hopefully soon...

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Just this afternoon, one of my favorite foreign policy experts- Fareed Zakaria- interviewed Barack Obama on his weekly political round-table show (Fareed Zakaria- GPS).

Here's a quick excerpt from the interview- of which in my opinion kind of paints the overall picture of why Obama is exactly what this country needs starting in January of 2009.

ZAKARIA: You are going to Europe and the Middle East. You know that in places like France you have 85 percent approval ratings.

Isn't that going to make some Americans very suspicious? If all of Europe likes you, if France likes you, there must be something wrong.

OBAMA: Well, I tell you what. You know, it's interesting. As I travel around the country, here in the United States, I think people understand that there has been a price to the diminished regard with which the world holds the United States over the last several years.

It's something that bothers people. It's something that's brought up.

You know, when I'm doing a town hall meeting in some rural community, invariably, somebody will raise their hand and they'll say, "When are we going to restore the respect that the world had for America?"

And, you know, the American people's instincts are good. It's not just a matter of wanting to be liked. It's the fact that, as a consequence of that diminished standing, we have less leverage on a whole host of critical issues that have to be dealt with.

So, I think the American people are ready for a president who is not alienating the world. And if that president is liked a little bit, well, that's just a bonus.

Now, I don't know how long that will last. We'll see if my approval ratings hold up after I'm president.

ZAKARIA: You're bound to disappoint people. I mean, with approval ratings that high, it's bound to be a letdown. Don't you think?

OBAMA: You know, my job is to make sure that, here in the United States, the American people feel confident that I'm going to be advocating for their interests, that I'm going to keep them safe.

The way to do that though, I believe, is to make sure that we're paying attention to the rest of the world, their hopes, their aspirations, as well, and that we're leading with our values and ideals, and not just with our military.

I'm a tad too tired to (nice alliteration eh!?) analyze the entirety of the excerpt, but I will say that answers with this much foresight, bipartisan sensitivity, intelligence, and "greater good" mentality have got to be remembered and considered when pulling that lever in November.

Peace and Barack the Vote!

AM Son