Facebook Note: A Historic Week 
June 6, 2009


I am writing on the 65th anniversary of the D-Day invasion. This day marked the beginning of the end for the regime we call Nazi Germany. It was the lead-in to the liberation of occupied Europe, including the liberation of the concentration and extermination camps that were the result of the worst state-sponsored genocide in human history, the event now known as the Holocaust.

I am prompted to write because of the current foreign policy initiative taken by President Barack Obama this week. Designed to coincide with the commemoration of the Normandy invasion, President Obama began his week in Saudi Arabia, made a landmark speech in Cairo, reaching out to the Muslim population of the Middle East and around the world, and he is wrapping up his outreach tour in western Europe, where he visited Buchenwald concentration camp with Holocaust survivor Elie Weisel and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Today, along with Prime Ministers Brown of Britain and Harper of Canada, Prince Charles, and President Sarkozy of France, the President acknowledged the sacrifice of those who fell at Omaha Beach, and those who survived to go on to free Europe from Nazi tyranny.

There were so many times that my heart was filled with pride and my eyes welled with tears of joy as I witnessed history being made by President Obama. His speech in Cairo was a frank outline of the challenges facing the United States and the Muslim world in this post-9/11 era. He was direct in challenging Muslims to accept America, but he also stood up for Palestinian rights and the "two-state solution" to the Palestinian question. It takes courage to confront Israel, a long-time US ally, and say "Jewish settlements in the West Bank are an obstacle to peace." But he did not give groups like Hamas and Hezbullah a pass. He demanded that they recognize Israel's right to exist without the threat of violence or terrorism.

While overlooking the beaches of Normandy and the crosses of those who died there, Obama paid homage to his grandfather and his great uncle, both of whom participated in the liberation of Europe. President Sarkozy of France called Obama a symbol of hope for the world, recognizing that his presidency is a beacon of light to all oppressed peoples. It should not matter one's political affiliation or party: President Obama has faithfully and in a positive way represented American policies and aspirations to the world. He is a breath of fresh air after eight years of an American foreign policy that alienated our allies and enflamed our enemies. In Obama's leadership, we see both an olive branch to those who might be our adversaries and an extended hand to those who make up our traditional allies. His rhetoric is intelligent, eloquent, and reasonable, and he represents the best that our nation has to offer. When I see how President Obama conducts himself overseas, I feel a sense of pride that he stands for my country, and that I was a part of the movement that brought him to a position of governance.

I know that President Obama is not perfect. He has and will make mistakes. Nevertheless, his administration is charting a course for America's role in the 21st century, with its new global realities. As we look back on the sacrifice that America and its allies made to free the world from oppression during the "greatest generation," let us gain a renewed sense of patriotism, free from exceptionalism and privilege, so that we can continue to stand for what is right on the world stage.

George Cassutto
Teacher, Author, Webmaster
http://www.cyberlearning-world.com


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