Obama Gives His First Formal TV Interview as President to Al-Arabiya Arabic TV Network

From Fox News:

Obama Gives First TV Interview To Arabic Network

President tells Al-Arabiya, a Dubai-based network, that when it comes to Middle East matters "all too often the United States starts by dictating."

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama gave his first formal television interview as president to an Arabic cable TV network, telling Al-Arabiya that when it comes to Middle East matters "all too often the United States starts by dictating."

Obama taped the interview with the Dubai-based network Monday as his envoy to the Middle East, former Sen. George J. Mitchell, set out for an eight-day trip to the region and elsewhere.

"My job to the Muslim world is to communicate that the Americans are not your enemy," Obama said. "We sometimes make mistakes. We have not been perfect."

The interview complemented the new administration's first efforts to reach out to Arab leaders in the region, who have been wary at best of U.S. efforts to broker peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

Obama said he felt it important to "get engaged right away" in the Mideast and had directed Mitchell to talk to "all the major parties involved." His administration would craft an approach after that, he said in the interview.

"What I told him is start by listening, because all too often the United States starts by dictating," Obama told the interviewer.

The president reiterated the U.S. commitment to Israel as an ally, and to its right to defend itself. But he suggested that Israel has hard choices to make and that his administration would press harder for it to do so.

"We cannot tell either the Israelis or the Palestinians what's best for them. They're going to have to make some decisions. But I do believe that the moment is ripe for both sides to realize that the path that they are on is one that is not going to result in prosperity and security for their people," he said.

Obama added: "There are Israelis who recognize that it is important to achieve peace. They will be willing to make sacrifices if the time is appropriate and if there is serious partnership on the other side."

Obama stopped short of giving a timetable, but he said he is certain progress can be made.

Yesterday, when I first heard that Obama chose to give his first formal presidential interview not to an American TV station or talk show, but to an Arabic one, I was surprised and dismayed. After all that time during the election being told it was wrong to use his middle name because it was a tactic to tie him to Muslims... we find that his first call to a leader is to the Palestinians and his first interview is with an Arabic tv channel. Bad enough.

But this morning I get to read some of the quotes. I am even less comfortable with it. Lip service to Israel... but his commitment is clearly to the Arabs. His energy is with them. His apologies are to them. And I think he should have run with his middle name... it is who he is: Barrack Hussein Obama.