Obama has opportunity amid turmoil

John Bremmer, Las Vegas

Thursday, Feb. 3, 2011 | 2:04 a.m.

Contrary to the conservative talk show hosts, who seem to see evil in every word uttered by President Barack Obama, I thought our president’s speech Tuesday regarding the current state of affairs in Egypt was one of historic importance. It was, in essence, an extension of the core idea in our Declaration of Independence — that all men are created equal.

In his speech, Obama suggested the United States was going to proceed with a goal of assistance toward free elections in the Middle East, as opposed to propping up despots. Obama knows that only such an approach can help bring about the difficult job of creating democratic freedoms. He was one of the few to vote against the war in Iraq. Until now our inept approach has been based on brute force. President George W. Bush’s method resulted in chaos.

Obama has recognized, in what many might see as turmoil, an opportunity in the Middle East. If he manages to assist, guide and aid — taking advantage of what appears to be a toppling of dictatorial dominoes — and thereby helps transform the region into a democratic fabric by nurturing an apparent upswing of public demand, he could be instrumental in bringing about a movement toward greater peace and harmony in the region, and be looked on as one of the greatest statesmen in history.