Amir Taheri on Obamaoid engagement | pandering to Muslims

If Taheri is right, then what is going on here? Why pander to religious fanatics just because they wrap themselves in thirdworldist references? There must be a better plan than this.

clipped from www.timesonline.co.uk From The Times June 2, 2009 Barack Obama is blind to his blunders over Islam The new President's approach discourages change in Middle Eastern countries that need it most Amir Taheri In trying to prove that he is not George Bush, Barack Obama has committed big mistakes on key issues of foreign policy. His Cairo address, and his “one-size-fits-all” Islam policy, is just the latest. It encourages Islamists and ruling despots, discourages the forces of reform and change and, ultimately, could produce greater resentment of the United States among peoples thirsting for freedom, human rights and decent governance.