A Hug from Obama -- UPDATED

Once upon a time, not too long ago, Turkey was a secular nation and an ally to both the United States and Israel. Keep in mind that a Muslim country which considers itself an ally to Israel is a huge deal as they are few in number.

Then, along came a new prime minister to Turkey by the name of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and everything changed as he turned his nation towards alliances with hardliners like Iran and Syria. Erdogan has grown increasingly hostile toward his former ally, Israel and was a sponsor of the flotilla headed toward Israel to break the blockade of Gaza in May, 2010.

And speaking of flotillas, there is another one currently in Israeli waters heading toward Gaza which has been confronted by Israel.

Needless to say, Erdogan is clearly not a friend to America and a threat to stability in the Middle East region. Why has Obama chosen to embrace such a man, while merely shaking the hands of real allies from Europe? Perhaps, it's because the two men have something in common: the utter disdain for Israel and the shared desire for its annihilation.

Read from Israel Matzav:

There are friends and there are FRIENDS

"At the G-20 summit in Cannes, France, President Obama shows who really matters to him (Hat Tip: Amnon N).



An interesting bit from White House reporter Tangi Quéméner's latest pool report from the G-20 in Cannes, France:


'[President Obama] entered the room at 1:15 and took to his left, heading to Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy. They chatted for a few seconds before British Prime minister David Cameron joined them. Hard to understand what they were saying amid the cameras noise. POTUS then took a stroll to Australian Premier Julia Gillard who got a hug as European president Herman van Rompuy, European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso and Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan were watching. Eventually the Europeans got a handshake but Erdogan got the hug treatment. POTUS then walked all the way around after noticing that "people are really far away around there". He stopped for quick handshakes and reached out to President Hu of China, telling him 'ni hao' (hello). They cordially shook hands and posed for photographers...POTUS then greeted his Argentinian counterpart Cristina Kirchner who just got reelected without runoff. Angela Merkel was just congratulating her (in English). "So Nicolas, we all have to take lessons" of Kirchner's victory, joked POTUS, who's up for reelection in '12, as Sarkozy is (next May).'


Isn't this whole scene pretty standard for President Obama? The Europeans get a handshake and the Islamist Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan gets a hug. And all the president seems to have in mind is campaign politics and his reelection effort."


UPDATE: Obama hugs an Islamic supremacist