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Wooing the Middle East
As US presidential candidates visit the region, what is their real motive?
- Gulf News
- Published: 00:03 July 24, 2008
Barack Obama, the presumptive US Democratic presidential candidate, toured the Middle East this week, apparently to raise his profile on international affairs and silence his critics. The visit followed a recent tour by Republican presidential hopeful John McCain. Such visits raise questions about each candidate's motives. Are these mere public relations exercises or is there more to it?
Both met with the Middle East leaders when they should be meeting with average American citizens who are trying to come to terms with the credit crunch and subprime crisis - billed as the mother of all bubbles. Obama and McCain should be spending more time with their fellow Americans, especially at a time when companies are going bankrupt and banks are being forced to write down billions - resulting in massive job losses. A number of US airlines have had to supend their operations as they no longer could afford to operate amid rising fuel prices and lower passenger traffic.
Are these tours aimed at showing each candidate's seriousness to the Arabs in solving the Middle East crises or are they mustering the support of the Jewish lobby for the November elections? It is high time US leaders focus more on their domestic problems and stop highlighting the Middle East for the wrong reasons.
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