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When it comes to discussing the Middle East, there are two Barack Obamas -- and both could cause problems for the United States. First, there is Obama the Environmentalist. He says he wants to deprive Middle Eastern states of oil revenue because those oil revenues fund terrorists and because burning Middle Eastern oil in American cars and factories is destroying the planet through global warming. Then there is Obama the Man of Peace. He is less worried about sending oil money to the Middle East than sending bad vibes. Obama the Environmentalist hit the campaign trail last summer, giving speeches...

President Barack Obama is being praised for choosing an Arabic TV network for his first formal television interview on the Dubai-based, Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya news channel. I think we can all appreciate the thinking behind such bold outreach, given that the media at home has chortled to the world that our new guy’s unusual background, in sort of Zen-fashion, has befuddled the radical Islamic movement.The subtext of our satisfaction has been that Obama—African-American, son of a Muslim father, erstwhile resident of Muslim Indochina, with Hussein as his middle name—makes it far harder for the Arab Islamic world to typecast America unfairly...

On Nov. 4, 2008, America lost the war on terror. President Barack Obama’s feckless, pathetically apologetic perspective on foreign policy spells the end of the quest for liberty in the Middle East. It spells the end of America’s moral leadership in the global war for freedom. And it spells the end of a hard-fought campaign to protect America. Our enemies must be happily celebrating their great good fortune in America’s election of this platitudinous, morally relativistic, Jimmy Carter carbon copy in the midst of battle. On Jan. 26, 2009, Obama granted his first television interview as president of the United...

Will Obama be any more successful than George Bush in reaching out to Muslims? Bush confidante and friend Karen Hughes ran a high profile effort out of the State Department that was supposed to counter the propaganda coming from the Arab press about the United States while extending a hand to the worldwide Muslim community in friendship. For a variety of reasons -- not all of them Bush's or Hughes' fault -- the effort fell flat on its face. Hughes not only had to counter propaganda from Muslim countries but also the hysterical and oftentimes false reporting from the western...

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama gave his first formal television interview as president to an Arabic cable TV network, telling Al-Arabiya that when it comes to Middle East matters "all too often the United States starts by dictating." Obama taped the interview with the Dubai-based network Monday as his envoy to the Middle East, former Sen. George J. Mitchell, set out for an eight-day trip to the region and elsewhere. "My job to the Muslim world is to communicate that the Americans are not your enemy," Obama said. "We sometimes make mistakes. We have not been perfect." The interview complemented...

"Ultimately, we cannot tell either the Israelis or the Palestinians what's best for them. They're going to have to make some decisions,'' Obama said. "But I do believe that the moment is ripe for both sides to realize that the path that they are on is one that is not going to result in prosperity and security for their people.

CAIRO, Egypt - President Barack Obama chose an Arabic-language statellite TV network for his first formal television interview as president, delivering a message Tuesday to the Muslim world that "Americans are not your enemy." ........... The president expressed an intention to engage the Middle East immediately and his new envoy to the region, former Sen. George J. Mitchell, was expected to arrive in Egypt on Tuesday... "My job to the Muslim world is to communicate that the Americans are not your enemy," Obama told the Dubai-based Al-Arabiya news channel, which is privately owned by a Saudi businessman.

CAIRO, Egypt – President Barack Obama chose an Arabic-language satellite TV network for his first formal television interview as president, delivering a message Tuesday to the Muslim world that "Americans are not your enemy." The interview taped Monday underscored Obama's commitment to repair relations with the Muslim world that have suffered under the previous administration. The president expressed an intention to engage the Middle East immediately and his new envoy to the region, former Sen. George J. Mitchell, was expected to arrived in Egypt on Tuesday for a visit that will also take him to Israel, the West Bank, Jordan,...

Here is video of President Barack Obama giving his first formal interview as President to the Al-Arabiya Network, which broadcasts to more than 23 million Muslim homes across the Middle East and Persian Gulf. In the interview, notice that Obama at one point says, "my job is to communicate to Muslims that 'the Americans' are not your enemies." Now, I know what Obama means by that statement, but it seems strange to me that Obama uses the third person in his referral to "the Americans," which usually means the speaker is not part of the group. I doubt he did...

President Barack Obama on Tuesday chose an Arabic satellite TV network for his first formal television interview as president, delivering a message to the Muslim world that "Americans are not your enemy." The interview underscored Obama's commitment to repair relations with the Muslim world that have suffered under the previous administration. The president expressed an intention to engage the Middle East immediately and his new envoy to the region, former Sen. George J. Mitchell, was expected to arrived in Egypt on Tuesday for a visit that will also take him to Israel, the West Bank, Jordan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia....

President Barack Obama gave his first formal television interview as president to an Arabic cable TV network, telling Al-Arabiya that when it comes to Middle East matters "all too often the United States starts by dictating." Obama taped the interview with the Dubai-based network Monday as his envoy to the Middle East, former Sen. George J. Mitchell, set out for an eight-day trip to the region and elsewhere. "My job to the Muslim world is to communicate that the Americans are not your enemy," Obama said. "We sometimes make mistakes. We have not been perfect." The interview complemented the new...

As special envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell heads off to the region to begin work on negotiating a cease fire between Israel and the Palestinians, President Obama has sat for his first formal TV interview with the Arabic cable TV network Al-Arabiya, ABC News has learned...

President Obama Does First Formal TV Interview as President with Al-Arabiya January 26, 2009 6:29 PM As special envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell heads off to the region to begin work on negotiating a cease fire between Israel and the Palestinians, President Obama has sat for his first formal TV interview with the Arabic cable TV network Al-Arabiya, ABC News has learned.

President Obama said his administration will offer a hand of friendship to the Muslim world, but will hunt down terrorist organizations that kill innocent civilians.President Obama said the United States will go after terrorist organizations that kill innocent civilians. "My job to the Muslim world is to communicate that the Americans are not your enemy," Obama said in an interview with the Al-Arabiya satellite television network. "We sometimes make mistakes. We have not been perfect."

From Times Online January 27, 2009 Barack Obama tells the Middle East: 'Americans are not your enemy' US President Barack Obama has told the Muslim world that "Americans are not your enemy" and renewed his pledge to travel to make an address in the capital of a major Muslim nation. In his first interview with Arab television since becoming president, Mr Obama told the al-Arabiya television that his administration would adopt a more comprehensive approach in its relations with the Muslim world. He also said that Israel and the Palestinians should resume their peace negotiations and he praised Saudi King...

In Indonesia alone, 19 million Muslims support violent jihad but Barack Obama believes the problem is only with a few rogue Al-Qaeda terrorists.In a 2006 Pew international survey a majority of Muslims believe that Arabs are not behind the 9-11 and millions believe that violent attacks against civilians are acceptable. The Politico reported on Obama's interview with Al-Arabiya tonight.The post-partisan president once again bashes President Bush: The interview with the Dubai-based Al-Arabiya Network was a dramatic piece of public diplomacy aimed at capitalizing on the new American president's international popularity, though it balanced America's traditional commitment to Israel, whose security...

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- President Barack Obama said in an interview with Al-Arabiya television news that the U.S. isn't an enemy of the Muslim world. Obama told the Dubai-based network that he had Muslim relatives and that he lived in the Muslim-majority nation of Indonesia for several years.

AL ARABIYA: Mr. President, thank you for this opportunity, we really appreciate it. PRESIDENT OBAMA: Thank you so much. AL ARABIYA: Sir, you just met with your personal envoy to the Middle East, Senator Mitchell. Obviously, his first task is to consolidate the cease-fire. But beyond that you've been saying that you want to pursue actively and aggressively peacemaking between the Palestinians and the Israelis. Tell us a little bit about how do you see your personal role, because, you know, if the President of the United States is not involved, nothing happens – as the history of peacemaking shows....

Of course, Obama's first interview was with Muslim TV - Al Arabiya. I'm just watching it now, but I have a good idea what to expect... Obama's gonna get 'em to see it our way, right? Just wanted to share it with you all. History and all that stuff...

As special envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell heads off to the region to begin work on negotiating a cease fire between Israel and the Palestinians, President Obama has sat for his first formal TV interview with the Arabic cable TV network Al-Arabiya, ABC News has learned. The interview was taped this evening and is set to air at 11 pm ET, as Mitchell is in the air and on his way to the region. Based in Dubai, Al-Arabiya estimates that it has a potential audience exceeding 23 million in the Gulf region. -- jpt