George W. Bush once described himself as "a uniter, not a divider". But talk is cheap. America arguably became more divided under Bush than it had been since Lincoln's day.
Obama's speech in Cairo on Thursday proved to the world that Obama is a true uniter.
Obama called for an end to divisions between the Muslim world and the western world.
He called for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian mess, and an end to the violence on both/all sides.
He called for a unified approach to more effectively fight violent extremism.
He called for a world in which nuclear weapons are no longer seen as a defensive necessity by any party.
And he condemned Bush's attempts to arbitrarily spread "democracy" at the point of a gun by rationally acknowledging that "[n]o system of government can or should be imposed by one nation by any other."
He emphasized that "no matter where it takes hold, government of the people and by the people sets a single standard for all who would hold power: You must maintain your power through consent, not coercion."
Amen.
Take that, George W.
During the campaign season last year, the Republicans ridiculed Obama's background as a community organizer. But now we see how those skills can pay off in a very big and global way.
Obama's strong, calm, diplomatic tone is far more conducive to an agenda of unity than the smirking, bullying, cowboy-style approach of his predecessor.
And, that considered, it is clearer than ever that Bush never wanted true unity -- only a forced "with us or against us" kind of "unity" that is neither true nor destined to endure.
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