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Last update - 16:27 05/02/2008 Barack Obama for Prime Minister of Israel By Bradley Burston Tags: Obama Palestinians  I'm not 100 percent certain that Barack Obama is the best choice for the presidency of the United States. But if he were on the ballot here in Israel, he'd get my vote in a heartbeat. Look at his competition. There is Ehud Olmert, one of the few attorneys amoral enough to be able to find new ways to give lawyers a bad name. If those who serve as their own attorneys have a fool for a client, Israel has managed to engage an attorney who has only himself as a client. He has proven himself to be a poor wartime consigliere, and he has shown himself as adept at sidestepping the peace process as his two main rivals: Ehud Barak - The overweight, overage Hamlet of Israeli politics, who can neither embrace the Olmert government, nor bring himself to leave it. Once a source of hope and a lightning rod for optimism, he has become a fountainhead of disillusionment, doubletalk, and sterile machination. Benjamin Netanyahu - The angry prophet of fiery inaction. Distrusted by the settlers as someone who sold Hebron out from under them. Distrusted by everyone else as a person who makes Hillary Clinton seem natural, inclusive, unifying, wholly sincere, profoundly trustworthy. Now consider Barack Obama. In Maria Shriver's ringing if quirky endorsement ["If he were a state, he'd be California"] she set out a number of the precise qualities which both typify Israel in many ways, and underscore the grave deficiencies of the mercenary, arrogant men who lead us without noticing that they have no notion of their own limitations: "Diverse. Open. Smart. Independent. Bucks tradition. Innovative. Inspiring. Dreamer. Leader." Like the United States, this is a country at war, a nation which, if it is to resolve the conflict in which it is mired, will require both charismatic, galvanizing leadership and a willingness to look at overmarketed, vested interest-bound issues from an entirely fresh, bravely creative perspective. Like the United States, youth in Israel is increasingly disaffected. In a country where the concept of alienation once had no meaning, young people are well within their rights to believe that their elected officials and civil servants are stone deaf to their concerns, their hopes, their needs, their futures, and their very real and powerful potential for public service. We, the people of Israel, no less than the people of Palestine, are hostages of our history and of our present leadership. Our extremists - perhaps the only inspirational speakers we have - bludgeon us into feeling that we must resurrect a glorious past which is not only impossible to recreate, but which blocks us from moving on into a livable future. We could use a good man like Barack Obama. We need a man who has an awareness of his own limitations, and a sense of the boundless promise of the nation and its people. We need to be uplifted. We need to heal. We need to be able to triumph over our own habits and preconceptions, our grief and our grievances, our prejudices and our blood grudges. We need someone who can see the horizon we have long ago stopped seeking. We need to resurrect the most battered of our values, the belief in the power of reconciliation and cooperation, the faith in the sheer existence of possibility. It is this message that informs the Obama campaign. It is a message that may be needed even more in this country, than it is in his. ______________ Previous blogs: This is how Islam ends What if the Hillary haters were right all along? The Qassam rocket as collective punishment Sharon, savior of the settler, killer of Palestine Mr. Bush, you were born to make peace Bookmark to del.icio.us   Convicts 4 kneidlach Demand for kosher cuisine swells ranks of Jewish prison chaplains in U.S. All the way to hell Rosner's blog: It's Obama's good intentions that pro-Israel activists fear.   1.   Given BB`s logic my dog could do it too 10:40  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 05/02/08   2.   Cutie Burston have embraced Rabin,Peres,Barak-and now speaks 10:50  |  Absolute Sweden 05/02/08   3.   bradley get your act in order haaretz creates these 11:04  |  v hardman 05/02/08   4.   100% Sure That Obama is a Desaster Choice for US Presidency 11:09  |  Joseph . E 05/02/08   5.   Oh, Bradley, this ain`t no beauty contest. 11:10  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 05/02/08   6.   Facism is not good 11:20  |  Atilla Karagözoğlu 05/02/08   7.   Why we want to have great leaders ? 11:22  |  Atilla Karagözoğlu 05/02/08   8.   To heal Israel 11:29  |  Atilla Karagözoğlu 05/02/08   9.   BARACK VS BARAK 11:31  |  indrajaya 05/02/08   10.   You`re right on the money Cipora! 11:38  |  S 05/02/08   11.   Indrajaya - It`s Barak`s fault ??? 12:07  |  Yehuda 05/02/08   12.   # 11, YEHUDA 12:29  |  indrajaya 05/02/08   13.   If Americans vote for Obama, they at least get a nice smile.... 12:54  |  Swiss (Dino) 05/02/08   14.   Israel needs a Mandela 13:26  |  The Arab Hammer 05/02/08   15.   Hope is a good idea ... 13:34  |  Bob 05/02/08   16.   in fact Israel needs me ! 13:46  |  ... 05/02/08   17.   # 13 Swiss...according to the polls 13:55  |  Lynn 05/02/08   18.   # 14 Arab Hammer...much the same can be 13:59  |  Lynn 05/02/08   19.   Obama attends anti semitic church 14:06  |  Petra 05/02/08   20.   Cipora JK #5 - This time BB is right on 14:06  |  dana 05/02/08   21.   Mr. Burston 14:09  |  a wandering Jew 05/02/08   22.   YOU THE ISRAELI YOUTH ! 14:12  |  ... 05/02/08   23.   #4 Joseph I`m 100% sure YOU"RE RIGHT! 14:12  |  Petra 05/02/08   24.   # 17, LYNN 14:19  |  indrajaya 05/02/08   25.   "A country at war"??? 14:24  |  Derek Winters 05/02/08   26.   # 24 Indy...There is no argument to my 14:42  |  Lynn 05/02/08   27.   We adore you ! Great Atilla Karagözoğlu 14:43  |  IDF Girl Soldiers 05/02/08   28.   Atilla Karagözoğlu belongs to me ! 14:45  |  Miss Tali Farkash 05/02/08   29.   to The Mayor of Jerusalem 14:51  |  ... 05/02/08   30.   Mossad ! 14:54  |  ... 05/02/08   31.   # 26, LYNN 15:00  |  indrajaya 05/02/08   32.   Powerfully Said Bradley 15:06  |  Yaakov Sullivan 05/02/08   33.   #5, Julianna Cipora Kohn 15:10  |  Anton 05/02/08   34.   # 17 Lynn "I politely disagree....." 15:16  |  Swiss (Dino) 05/02/08   35.   Dana & S 15:22  |  American in NY 05/02/08   36.   Swiss (Dino) re: Hillary 15:27  |  CHGODMK 05/02/08   37.   OBAMA = MOHAMAD ALI 15:33  |  indrajaya 05/02/08   38.   # 33 Swiss....from the US polls 15:40  |  Lynn 05/02/08   39.   # 28 Tali you and his wife 15:43  |  Petra 05/02/08   40.   # 30 Attila you wont rule Israel ever! 15:45  |  Petra 05/02/08   41.   Indrajaya...and Camp David 15:51  |  Boris S. 05/02/08   42.   That vile man refusing to leave the PM`s seat... 15:58  |  bat yam 05/02/08   43.   # 36 CHGODMK (1) 16:03  |  Swiss (Dino) 05/02/08   44.   American in NY 16:06  |  S 05/02/08   45.   # 36 CHGODMK (2) 16:18  |  Swiss (Dino) 05/02/08   46.   # 38 Lynn 16:30  |  Swiss (Dino) 05/02/08   47.   You Forgot the Obama/Israel problem Of Day Dreaming inBrutalWorld 16:38  |  Ben K 05/02/08   48.   OH Bradley this is not a beauty contest #5 16:38  |  Ella from Rehovot 05/02/08   49.   # 36 CHGODMK 16:49  |  Swiss (Dino) 05/02/08   50.   Groveling with hat in hand before the master 17:05  |  Ethel 05/02/08   51.   The Problem with That, Lynn, Is..... 17:11  |  Yaakov Sullivan 05/02/08   52.   Swiss (Dino): McCain 17:20  |  CHGODMK 05/02/08   53.   Brad Could Care Less About Obama`s Close Connection to Wright 17:24  |  Tod Zuckerman 05/02/08   54.   Barack Obama for Prime Minister 17:28  |  Matthew Clark 05/02/08   55.   The Israeli electoral system does not produce good leaders 17:30  |  Tosefta 05/02/08   56.   Swiss (Dino): Hillary 17:30  |  CHGODMK 05/02/08   57.   Fine article Mr. Burston, but believe that it`s Hillary`s turn 17:32  |  Smadar 05/02/08   58.   Politicians have no spine nor backbone 17:34  |  Ethel 05/02/08   59.   Swiss (Dino): Ralph Nader 17:35  |  CHGODMK 05/02/08   60.   Petra, better worry about loss of power for radical-right in GOP 17:55  |  Mark B. 05/02/08   61.   #4 Say Joseph 17:56  |  ballistic 05/02/08   62.   #17 Say Cupcake 18:01  |  ballistic 05/02/08   63.   #53 Say there Tod Zuckerman 18:04  |  ballistic 05/02/08   64.   #47 Say Ben K 18:08  |  ballistic 05/02/08   65.   #19 Say Petra 18:14  |  ballistic 05/02/08   66.   #60 Mark B 18:16  |  ballistic 05/02/08   67.   #50 Say Ethel 18:18  |  ballistic 05/02/08   68.   @55 Tosefta, we have exactly the same problem in Holland 18:18  |  Mark B. 05/02/08   69.   Joseph E # 4 The us is again doing nothing against 18:40  |  American 05/02/08   70.   The Republicans have ridden America into the ground 18:43  |  American 05/02/08   71.   # 56 / # 59 CHGODMK (1) 18:47  |  Swiss (Dino) 05/02/08