No apologies in the so-called “apology tour”
In tonight’s third 2012 Presidential debate, Governor Romney once again referred to President Obama’s diplomatic tour in Spring 2009 as an “apology tour.” He rebuked Obama for “criticizing America” and went on to say:
Mr. President, the reason I call it an apology tour is because you went to the Middle East and you flew to — to Egypt and to Saudi Arabia and to — to Turkey and Iraq. And — and by way, you skipped Israel, our closest friend in the region, but you went to the other nations. And by the way, they noticed that you skipped Israel. And then in those nations and on Arabic TV you said that America had been dismissive and derisive. You said that on occasion America had dictated to other nations. Mr. President, America has not dictated to other nations. We have freed other nations from dictators.
I visited the transcript of President Obama’s interview with Al-Arabiya news network as well as the transcript of his June 4th, 2009 address to the Muslim world from Cairo. Word searches for “dismissive” and “derisive” yielded no results from either text. Variations on the word “dictate” appeared once in each transcript, although one could hardly characterize the use of the word as an apology for US foreign policy.
When asked by Al-Arabiya’s Hisham Melhem about how he would see his “personal role” in facilitating peacemaking between the Palestinians and the Israelis, President Obama divulged the advice he offered George Mitchell, his personal envoy to the Middle East.
And so what I told him is start by listening, because all too often the United States starts by dictating — in the past on some of these issues — and we don’t always know all the factors that are involved. So let’s listen. He’s going to be speaking to all the major parties involved. And he will then report back to me. From there we will formulate a specific response.
Apology or strategy? You can be the judge. In his Cairo speech, entitled “A New Beginning” used the word “dictating” not to apologize for US policy but to defend religious freedom:
Freedom of religion is central to the ability of peoples to live together. We must always examine the ways in which we protect it. For instance, in the United States, rules on charitable giving have made it harder for Muslims to fulfill their religious obligation. That is why I am committed to working with American Muslims to ensure that they can fulfill zakat.
Likewise, it is important for Western countries to avoid impeding Muslim citizens from practicing religion as they see fit – for instance, by dictating what clothes a Muslim woman should wear. We cannot disguise hostility towards any religion behind the pretense of liberalism.
Obama’s speech in Cairo laid out a beautiful dream of peace for the Middle East and the world. He focused on global similarities across cultures and religions, rather than re-enforcing our differences. He apologized for nothing.
So long as our relationship is defined by our differences, we will empower those who sow hatred rather than peace, and who promote conflict rather than the cooperation that can help all of our people achieve justice and prosperity. This cycle of suspicion and discord must end.
I have come here to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world; one based upon mutual interest and mutual respect; and one based upon the truth that America and Islam are not exclusive, and need not be in competition. Instead, they overlap, and share common principles – principles of justice and progress; tolerance and the dignity of all human beings.
I do so recognizing that change cannot happen overnight. No single speech can eradicate years of mistrust, nor can I answer in the time that I have all the complex questions that brought us to this point. But I am convinced that in order to move forward, we must say openly the things we hold in our hearts, and that too often are said only behind closed doors. There must be a sustained effort to listen to each other; to learn from each other; to respect one another; and to seek common ground.
President Obama continued in this same speech to tactfully defend the US invasion of Iraq, while admitting that war is not always the answer.
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