That whole "Change Thing" is starting to kick in!!

EXCERPT FROM OBAMA'S INTERVIEW ON AL ARABIYA (video is imbedded in previous post)

OBAMA: [The terrorist's] ideas are bankrupt. There’s no actions that they’ve taken that say a child in the Muslim world is getting a better education because of them, or has better health care because of them.

In my inauguration speech, I spoke about: You will be judged on what you’ve built, not what you’ve destroyed. And what they’ve been doing is destroying things. And over time, I think the Muslim world has recognized that that path is leading no place, except more death and destruction.

Now, my job is to communicate the fact that the United States has a stake in the well-being of the Muslim world that the language we use has to be a language of respect. I have Muslim members of my family. I have lived in Muslim countries. [Indonesia]

I am really excited about this. The difference between Obama and Bush--or Obama and any of our recent presidents, really--could not be more pronounced!

Not only is he addressing the Muslim world directly, respectfully, and repeatedly, but he openly acknowledges his Muslim relations and his history in Indonesia in an age where "Arab" and "Islam" translates into "dirty terrorist" in most minds.

OBAMA: And my job is to communicate to the American people that the Muslim world is filled with extraordinary people who simply want to live their lives and see their children live better lives. My job to the Muslim world is to communicate that the Americans are not your enemy. We sometimes make mistakes. We have not been perfect. But if you look at the track record, as you say, America was not born as a colonial power, and that the same respect and partnership that America had with the Muslim world as recently as 20 or 30 years ago, there's no reason why we can't restore that. And that I think is going to be an important task.

But ultimately, people are going to judge me not by my words but by my actions and my administration's actions. And I think that what you will see over the next several years is that I'm not going to agree with everything that some Muslim leader may say, or what's on a television station in the Arab world -- but I think that what you'll see is somebody who is listening, who is respectful, and who is trying to promote the interests not just of the United States, but also ordinary people who right now are suffering from poverty and a lack of opportunity. I want to make sure that I'm speaking to them, as well.

Wow--An America who listens respectfully--one who tries to "promote the interests not just of the United States"?

Could it be??

It's been a while since I've been proud to be an American...Living overseas has made me acutely aware of how self-serving and single-minded American foreign policy can be...The word is desperately ready for Obama to make good on these promises!

But he's right...we are ultimately going to judge him based on his actions, not his glib speech.