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You say moo-lah, I say mullah
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It was supposed to be centered on foreign policy in general, but the first debate between President Bush and Senator Kerry was really about how the US will deal with – and more importantly, change – the Muslim world. Of course, Muslims have been the focus of US foreign policy since 9/11, but in the intervening three years the level of sophistication has not risen much. “I know that Osama bin Laden attacked us,” Bush reminded Kerry, realizing that some in the audience think he forgot. “I know that.” Kerry responded with an even more insightful reference to “Islamic Muslims,” which he must have learned during his 20+ years as a US foreign policy expert. President Bush in particular had interesting observations such as “A free Iraq will help secure Israel” (that should go over well with the new Iraqi electorate) and “The A. Q. Khan network has been brought to justice” (which, I’m sure is news to Khan, a nu-cu-lar proliferator who is a free man and a national hero in Pakistan). Bush also took credit for Libya’s decision to disarm, a move that the US found out about only after the fact. Both candidates raised the prospect of a confrontation with Iran, although while Bush reserved the right to preemptive force (sounding a bit like the pre-Iraq invasion days), Kerry stressed the need to get European allies to use more diplomatic pressure (although he reserved the right as well). There were no references to the Israel/Palestine conflict, but both candidates got in their obligatory reference to protecting Israel, with Kerry even going so far as to say that getting Iraq right was “important to Israel, it’s important to America.” (Notice the order.) There were some good statements, though, including Kerry’s “flat statement” that the US should have no long-term designs on staying in Iraq (Bush countered that it is “essential we not leave”) and Bush “strongly” agreeing that Muslims desire freedom – a statement that both sides in Iraq’s internal conflict would heartily agree upon.
Shahed Amanullah is editor-in-chief of altmuslim.com.
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