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Great (American) Expectations: Barack Obama shows why foreigners consider us naive.
Opinion Journal ^ | January 8, 2008 | BRET STEPHENS

Posted on 01/08/2008 3:25:11 PM PST by forkinsocket

Barack Obama, still fresh from his victory in Iowa last week and confident of another in New Hampshire tonight, has as his signature campaign theme the promise to "end the division" in America. Notice the irony: The scale of his Iowa victory, in a state that's 94% white, is perhaps the clearest indication so far that the division Mr. Obama promises to end has largely been put to rest.

Meanwhile, in Kenya last week a mob surrounded a church in which, according to an Associated Press report, "hundreds of terrified people had taken refuge." The church was put to flame, while the mob used machetes, Hutu-style, to hack to death whoever tried to escape. The killers in this case were of the Luo tribe, their victims were of the Kikuyu, and the issue over which they are bleeding is their own presidential election.

When foreigners assail Americans for being naive, it is often on account of contrasts like these. A nation in which the poor are defined by an income level that in most countries would make them prosperous is a nation that has all but forgotten the true meaning of poverty. A nation in which obesity is largely a problem of the poor (and anorexia of the upper-middle class) does not understand the word "hunger." A nation in which the most celebrated recent cases of racism, at Duke University or in Jena, La., are wholly or mostly contrived is not a racist nation. A nation in which our "division" is defined by the vitriol of Ann Coulter or James Carville is not a truly divided one--at least while Mr. Carville is married to Republican operative Mary Matalin and Ms. Coulter is romantically linked with New York City Democrat Andrew Stein.

(Excerpt) Read more at opinionjournal.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Foreign Affairs; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: andrewstein; barackhusseinobama; churchburnings; kenya; kikuyu; luo; obama
A nation in which obesity is largely a problem of the poor (and anorexia of the upper-middle class) does not understand the word "hunger."

I definitely agree with this.

1 posted on 01/08/2008 3:25:14 PM PST by forkinsocket
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To: forkinsocket

Interesting read.

Thanks!


2 posted on 01/08/2008 3:35:09 PM PST by patriciaruth (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1562436/posts)
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To: forkinsocket
"When foreigners assail Americans for being naive

I've been through more than 50 countries and don't find people in other countries to be the Illuminati they like to portray themselves as. They claim that we're naive because many Americans aren't intimately familiar with other countries...fine, but does it make more sense that someone from America would be familiar with, say, Namibia, or is it easier for someone in Namibia to be familiar with the world's most powerful nation, America, the nation with the most pervasive culture, America? So much of this is jealousy and resentment of American power, not true naivete on the part of Americans.

3 posted on 01/08/2008 3:40:04 PM PST by americanophile
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To: americanophile

Bingo! Exactly.


4 posted on 01/08/2008 3:42:03 PM PST by bill1952 (The right to buy weapons is the right to be free)
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To: forkinsocket
A nation in which our “division” is defined by the vitriol of Ann Coulter or James Carville is not a truly divided one—at least while Mr. Carville is married to Republican operative Mary Matalin and Ms. Coulter is romantically linked with New York City Democrat Andrew Stein.

1) Ann is not vitriolic. She may be brutally honest and with zero PC, - and thats why I like her!

2) Ann is no longer “romantically linked with New York City Democrat Andrew Stein.”

Hah!

5 posted on 01/08/2008 3:46:52 PM PST by bill1952 (The right to buy weapons is the right to be free)
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To: forkinsocket
And for the keepers of the rule:


6 posted on 01/08/2008 3:47:57 PM PST by bill1952 (The right to buy weapons is the right to be free)
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To: forkinsocket
The scale of his Iowa victory, in a state that's 94% white, is perhaps the clearest indication so far that the division Mr. Obama promises to end has largely been put to rest.

Somebody please speak up at a press conference and confront him with this fact!

7 posted on 01/08/2008 4:56:23 PM PST by Clock King (Bring the noise!)
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To: forkinsocket

Why is Ann Coulter romantically linked to Andrew Stein. Inquiring minds want to know.


8 posted on 01/08/2008 5:23:04 PM PST by Emrys (Fashion says "Me, too." Style says, "Only me.")
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To: forkinsocket

thanks, bfl


9 posted on 01/08/2008 9:14:45 PM PST by neverdem (Call talk radio. We need a Constitutional Amendment for Congressional term limits. Let's Roll!)
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To: Emrys
Why is Ann Coulter romantically linked to Andrew Stein. Inquiring minds want to know.

Because I'm spoken for.

10 posted on 01/08/2008 9:38:54 PM PST by the invisib1e hand
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To: forkinsocket

btt


11 posted on 01/09/2008 12:30:06 AM PST by Cacique (quos Deus vult perdere, prius dementat ( Islamia Delenda Est ))
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To: forkinsocket

MEGA BUMP

One of the best editorials ever.

bookmarked!


12 posted on 01/09/2008 12:54:17 AM PST by GovernmentIsTheProblem (The GOP is "Whig"ing out.)
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To: americanophile
They claim that we're naive because many Americans aren't intimately familiar with other countries.

They also forget that we are a melting pot... and that Americans can encounter many cultures right here.

13 posted on 01/09/2008 7:50:13 AM PST by syriacus (It's hard to say when we will see -- a Lib as glib as Huckabee.)
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