For more excellent analysis of President Obama’s Al-Arabiya interview, read Charles Krauthammer’s column here. In particular, he disputes Obama’s characterization of U.S. policy as lacking interest in and respect for the Muslim world. As Krauthammer says:

“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.”

Nor were the ‘good old days’ all that great: Krauthammer points out that 20-30 years ago is a period that encompasses the takeover of the U.S. embassy in Tehran, the Arab oil embargo, the kidnapping and murder of U.S. diplomats in Sudan, the Marine barracks massacre in Beirut, etc. So why is returning to the pre-Bush world such a great idea?

Obama and many other Americans may not want to admit it, but the United States has been targeted by radical Islam. We can pretend that never happened - but it did, and the folks who hate us aren’t going to be satisfied with anything but U.S. defeat.

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