Vanity, Thy Name Is Barry

Speaking with Israeli media following his meeting earlier in the week with PM Benjamin Netanyahu, President Obama attempted to explain the anxiety felt by some Israelis toward his administration:

"Some of it may be just the fact that my middle name is Hussein, and it creates suspicion."

For one who was supposed to transcend race and religion, he sure is quick-on-the-draw with the race and religion cards.

Putting aside President Obama's 'it's all about me' complex for a moment, maybe the anxiety felt by some Israelis has to do with Obama's reversal of his position on Israel's claim to Jerusalem, or his Kennedyesque Muslim outreach speech in Cairo (Ich bin ein Muslim!) where he sought to parallel the 'suffering' of the Palestinians with the Holocaust of the Jews, or the administration's very public rebuke of Netanyahu earlier in the year for Israel's decision to build settlements in East Jerusalem. Or perhaps some of it can be traced to NASA's recent mission change to prop up the Muslim world's eggshell-fragile self esteem.

Ugh, just what we need - giving Hezbollah and Hamas access to bigger and better rockets.