This clever Moroccan site — Obama to Speak in Morocco — is marketing that country as the best candidate for Obama’s proposed Islamic world speech. They’ve even drafted my post on the issue to their cause. Note that I have no realtionship [sic] with “Obama to Speak in Morocco,” whatsoever, and operate this blog and write on my own behalf and no one else’s, and recieve no financial or material gifts or compensation from any individual or organization.

In the comments section of his blog, Tidinit responds to the claim:

Interesting. Have not read your post on Obama, but I will now, because of its implications for our “waring” countries. Don’t worry if you are accused to take side. We know you are not and you are giving us some food for thought on issues pertaining to the region. I appreciated very well your past posts on Turkey and the new OPEC gas consortium. Among others, of course: Ya Khattou, Al Majlissi and your excellent post that I responded to. That is why I m checking almost every morning or night. Keep it up. We need you and you are opening our eyes on some key issues no one is talking about.

The petition for Obama to speak in Morocco originated with The Moroccan American Board, an organization based in Washington, D.C.

The campaign's major talking points follow:

Here is why It should be Morocco

What do you call an Arab, Muslim and African country which was the first to recognize the United States independence?

Kingdom of Morocco

What do you call a moderate, tolerating, peaceful country which is the strongest ally to the United States in the region?

Kingdom Of Morocco.

What do you call Obama's first speech in Morocco after his inauguration?

A historical moment.

Although only time will tell, thus far the campaign has been successful; the petitioners have even signed Washington D.C. Mayor Adrien Fenty on to endorse it at his own birthday party:

Among the invitees and contributors were Washington Moroccan Club members and friends-of-the-mayor that chatted with the mayor and informed him of the ongoing campaign to entice President elect Barack Obama to make his first foreign policy speech from Morocco. Mayor of Washington, Adrien Fenty, said ” it is a good Idea, Morocco is an ideal location for that speech” In a subsequent encounter with Jan and Phil Fenty, the mayor’s proud parents who were on hand for the mayor's 38th birthday bash. They run their Fleet Feet running shoe store in Washington for over 24 years, while Jan Fenty , the mayor's mother, worked as a DC public school teacher. His father, Phil Fenty, informed the Moroccan Community members present that his own grandfather is from Morocco. the Group members were startled by this unexpected piece of information and promptly admitted the mayor and his family to the Moroccan American community since the mayor's own great grand father was Moroccan and celebrated the event with a well deserved glass of fresh mineral water.

Obama won because of his promises to the citizens of this country and not because of his skin color. Obama won because he is the hope to better the cursed economy of US and save the American dream of people.

I'm not really sure, why some people insist on bringing up the skin color & SLAVERY every time they make a comment about the presidential elections. I even started believing that some people can't look beyond their skin color!

Members of the Moroccan American Community Board celebrated in Washington, D.C. The group shared photos and congratulations on their blog:

Frenzied celebration broke out throughout the country, following the historic win by Barak Obama, the first African American President of the country.
in one swoop, America became the country where everything is possible, an example to the world and it made possible a chance to repair the damage done by President Bush two terms in office.

Barak Obama and the wave of victorious democrats candidates that won will try to revise, correct or repeal some of the most egregious laws that have been passed under the Bush Administration and Republican Congress, such as Patriot Act and others.
The New administration will hopefully usher in a new, and warmer relations with Morocco, Africa and the rest of the third world…

The group also posted a video:

Myrtus, a Moroccan based in the U.S., advised President-Elect Obama:

Congratulations Mr Obama! I'm looking forward to the CHANGE you promised, so hold on tight……I'll be watching you.

Australian writer Suzanna Clarke, who normally resides in Fez, reported from Times Square as Obama's victory was announced:

When Barack Obama's victory was announced, the crowd in Times Square, New York, released the pent up energy that had been held in for eight long years. They shrieked and danced in the street, high-fived and hugged one another. Cars drove past honking, passengers hanging out of windows. A chant began that continued for hours, “Obama, Obama, Yes We Can.”

“We've shown the world that we can elect a black man,” a black man said as he shook my hand. “Unity has prevailed. Next time it's a woman's turn.”

Also in The View from Fez, the story of a Fassi Obama supporter:

Driss, a twenty-five year old woodworker from the Fez Medina, said he and his friends had waited up late at night to hear the results of the election and were extremely pleased. “The curse of Bush will soon be over. This is a good thing for the whole world,” he said. When asked what he thought of the President Elect, he responded with a broad grin and said, in English, “He's so cool”.

Writer Laila Lalami, not one to mince words, was honest in sharing her relief:

At last, at long fucking last, a new leadership.

lovefrom1stbite, a Moroccan who moved recently to the U.S., acknowledges that these are the first steps toward change, and says:

Thanks to the tough to win states of Ohio, Virginia, & Florida. Obama has made it to the white house as the first black president. Obama was successful in convincing those major Republican states to vote for Change. It is a big historical day for this nation. Obama’s Electoral College landslide & the long awaited for victory, mean a lot to the Americans who are craving “Change”. The change that will bring a reconciliation with the major issues of this nation, the change that promise a better & secure future for the next generations.

CitoyenHmida [fr] celebrates Obama's election, saying:

Il est 5 heures du matin ici. Une nuit blanche pour voir BARAK H. OBAMA consacré premier homme de couleur président des Etats Unis! Un nouveau président qui représente l'espoir et le changement! J'ai beau ne pas être un admirateur fanatique des USA, de leur culture, de leur façon de vivre et de concevoir le monde, il faut bien le reconnaitre: c'est le pays où tout est possible!

Bravo, Barak H. Obama et courage! Tellement de boulot t'attend, man!

Finally, Rachid Jankari, [fr] whose tagline reads “Je partage, donc j’existe” (“I share, therefore I am”) shares his feedback on the elections as “a citizen of the world”:

J’ai assisté pour la première fois à une soirée électorale américaine à Casa. La partie officielle était dans un palace à Casa. Par contre, une autre ambiance règne dans le resto Ricks Cafe (qui est d’ailleurs supporter d’Obama).

En discutant avec plusieurs américains, dont les yeux étaient rivés sur CNN et les sites web des candidats, je me suis rappelé mes cours de droit, et plus particulièrement les notes de lecture de Tocqueville sur la démocratie et le rêve américain « de la démocratie américaine » .

Jankari continued, expressing his hopes for his own country:

J’ai eu un sentiment de malaise et de jalousie. Et pour cause, dans les pays arabes, y compris le Maroc, l’accès au pouvoir est héréditaire. C’est un indicateur sur le degré de notre retard politique.

D’ailleurs, je n’ai jamais voté à une élection dans mon pays, parce que j’avais et je continue d’avoir la conviction, que tout le processus du choix n’est qu’une chimère dans un régime marqué par une prédominance de la monarchie sur les rouages du pouvoir.

Ce n’est pas un discours alarmiste. Mais, c’est la réalité. Un modèle de pouvoir basé sur une légitimité héréditaire intègre dans ses genèses l’archaïsme et l’arbitraire quelque soit les bonnes intentions.

En tout cas, Mabrouk pour les américains, et à Obama. Au moins, le peuple a le droit de choisir et de punir ses dirigeants.
En attendant, le rêve « .ma » pour un monde de gouvernance meilleur continue….

*Editor's note: This very likely refers to the blogoma, or the Moroccan web presence in general.

Five Good Reasons

1. His experience with poverty first in Indonesia where he witnessed -reportedly- the effects of an ill advised American foreign policy, supporting an ugly dictatorship, then in Chicago where he preferred working as a community organizer and civil rights lawyer rather than choosing a promising and predictably lucrative career as a corporate lawyer, having just graduated from a prestigious law school.

2. He opposed the war on Iraq well before the illegal invasion started, then he advocated an early and phased withdrawal in concordance with the opinion of a crushing majority of the “international community” (meaning: ordinary people's).

3. Despite some early contradictory declarations, he generally seeks a renewed diplomacy with a more seasoned approach with Cuba, Syria and Iran. Of course, and as far as the middle-east is concerned, the pressure and the level of infiltration by the Israel lobby and by the Military industrial complex are such that it will be difficult in case Obama had the integrity, soundness and willingness to act as an honest broker, to overturn the flawed system in place. Of course Arabs have to walk the walk after having talked the talk, far from primitive and futile violence.

4. The power of symbolism. In other words: the simple fact of having a black, self-made, left-leaning (in American terms of course), charismatic and clearly smart American president (at least in comparison with the imbecile outgoing one) may in and of itself contribute to temper international relations, and inject hope an positive expectation not only amongst Americans but also to some extent, amongst young secular people over the world -literally.

5. He has met late Edward Saïd. This reason may sound childishly naive and senseless but this is a reason enough to me, if I were American, to vote for this guy, knowing that at some point of his existence, has been exposed to the reasonable discourse of a secular, exiled Palestinian intellectual explaining eloquently his plight and that of his people.

Now of course one could argue for hours about the nature of the political system in America, which is, as far as I'm concerned, more of an oligarchy that it is a democracy, but again an Obama president has the potential to change something of some size, to some extent positively to make the current status quo more viable.

The visionary dream of a compassionate pastor from Atlanta called King, nearly forty years ago may come soon true. Let us just hope that the man now about to achieve that dream will set about to also fulfill the other vision of Dr. King dreaming of a Revolution of Values.

Five Good Reasons

1. His experience with poverty first in Indonesia where he witnessed -reportedly- the effects of an ill advised American foreign policy, supporting an ugly dictatorship, then in Chicago where he preferred working as a community organizer and civil rights lawyer rather than choosing a promising and predictably lucrative career as a corporate lawyer, having just graduated from a prestigious law school.

2. He opposed the war on Iraq well before the illegal invasion started, then he advocated an early and phased withdrawal in concordance with the opinion of a crushing majority of the “international community” (meaning: ordinary people's).

3. Despite some early contradictory declarations, he generally seeks a renewed diplomacy with a more seasoned approach with Cuba, Syria and Iran. Of course, and as far as the middle-east is concerned, the pressure and the level of infiltration by the Israel lobby and by the Military industrial complex are such that it will be difficult in case Obama had the integrity, soundness and willingness to act as an honest broker, to overturn the flawed system in place. Of course Arabs have to walk the walk after having talked the talk, far from primitive and futile violence.

4. The power of symbolism. In other words: the simple fact of having a black, self-made, left-leaning (in American terms of course), charismatic and clearly smart American president (at least in comparison with the imbecile outgoing one) may in and of itself contribute to temper international relations, and inject hope an positive expectation not only amongst Americans but also to some extent, amongst young secular people over the world -literally.

5. He has met late Edward Saïd. This reason may sound childishly naive and senseless but this is a reason enough to me, if I were American, to vote for this guy, knowing that at some point of his existence, has been exposed to the reasonable discourse of a secular, exiled Palestinian intellectual explaining eloquently his plight and that of his people.

Now of course one could argue for hours about the nature of the political system in America, which is, as far as I'm concerned, more of an oligarchy that it is a democracy, but again an Obama president has the potential to change something of some size, to some extent positively to make the current status quo more viable.

The visionary dream of a compassionate pastor from Atlanta called King, nearly forty years ago may come soon true. Let us just hope that the man now about to achieve that dream will set about to also fulfill the other vision of Dr. King dreaming of a Revolution of Values.

What are people saying, you ask?

We start with America's northern neighbor and the path that took Canadian travel writer Daniel Sturgis around the world before settling and marrying in Rabat, Morocco. With his global perspective, Sturgis surmises an easy victory for Obama today, doubting any significant number will vote Republican:

If people around the world were going to vote for the American president, I'd wager Obama would win with at least 90% of the vote.

In Africa and the Middle East, it would be pushing 100%, with only a few extremists voting for McCain because he would be better for the hate-America campaign.

A 27-year-old female Michigan resident, also from Rabat, Morocco, writes as Kaoutar and listens to Democrats and Republicans at Michigan State University. She suggests the Middle Eastern perspective on the election does not necessarily agree on the best man for the White House:

What they believe is that the Republican policy is what is needed in the Middle East. It’s not that they are happy with the situation there, but that, according to them, the problem with Democrats is that they are “flexible” and that solving some problems, like the Syrian presence is Lebanon and Saddam’s rule (both of which ended during Bush’s presidency) need “firm actions,” like those the Republicans, rather than the Democrats, are able to take.

…I’m keeping my fingers crossed for Obama though, the candidate I personally think is more likely to make the right decisions.

Another Moroccan blogger, Ibn Kafka, believes both candidates have similar foreign policy platforms, arguing Obama would be hawkish on Israel and Afghanistan to McCain's Iraq, and both of them would pressure Iran and shut down Guantanamo.

Does all of this mean that I wouldn’t vote, if I were entitled to? Certainly not: I’d vote for Ralph Nader, of course, provided that I lived in a state having him on the ballot. Otherwise, I’d vote Obama, extremely reluctantly - the fact that Al Gore would probably act as his adviser on global warming issues would convince me that there is a small difference - although one should remember that the Kyoto protocol on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions was ditched by the Clinton administration, with Gore serving as vice-president.

Oh and yes: of course, it’d be a nice symbol to have an Afro-American president, but the only thing he has in common with Martin Luther King or Malcolm X is the colour of his skin. And I must say that I am afraid that his honeymoon with foreign media and countries could undeservedly deflect much of the criticism that his policies would otherwise warrant.

In Rwanda, an anonymous blogger and Obama fan writing under the moniker amazedlife, is nervous about the election:

I pour over maps on the internet, willing more states to turn blue, even though what is blue already is probably enough.

It gets dark at 5:00 p.m., now, and I keep thinking maybe I should buy one of those full-spectrum lights, although I think an Obama victory tomorrow could carry me through many dark evenings.

I'm arranging a steady stream of activities to keep me from chewing my own fingers to nubs tomorrow night.

Some take the middle road, such as this Ethiopian blogger who merely offers wishes of Happy Election Day:

This post is dedicated to our friends and readers who have put so much hope in the elections today in the United States. Inside and outside the country.
So, have a happy Election Day.

Este post está dedicado a nuestros amigos y lectores que tienen tantas esperanzas puestas en las elecciones de hoy en Estados Unidos. Dentro y fuera del país.
Que tengas un feliz día electoral.

The rambling Sandmonkey in Egypt says it simpler in a post titled, The End is Here:

OK, what are you doing? GO OUT THERE AND VOTE!

Flying to the southern terminus of Africa, Paul and KerryAnne of Cape Town Daily Photo shout-out to their approximate 50 percent American readers of their South African blog and offer hope for winds of change in the election:

We are watching the unfolding of your elections with keen interest - the outcome will certainly impact us, and the rest of the world too. Our wish is that today would herald a new era, and a change that we can believe in.

So if you haven't already, do go and cast your vote, and help make a little bit of history.

Coming full circle, we return to Daniel Sturgis, the Canadian expat living in Morocco:

If a President McCain pledged that any Americans remaining in Iraq hoped to be treated as temporary guests, Iraqi people would have a hard time swallowing it. But if a President Obama spoke the magic words of withdrawal and friendship, they just might. That's the key difference. Obama has a chance to do a lot of symbolic good at a time where it's sorely needed. The times of animosity, go it alone, with us or against us, stay the course and other pigheaded Bushisms needs to come to an end.

With McCain, it might come to an end politically.

But with Obama, it will come to an end politically and symbolically. That is why Americans who love their country, who hope their children can travel the world without claiming to be Canadian, or who hope for a better tomorrow, should vote for Barrack Obama.

This image though has been a bit nuanced by the fact that, in Michigan, there are some fervent supporters of the Republican Party like those who lifted signs supporting McCain on the day of Obama’s speech here at MSU. But there are also a few encounters I made recently that made me see things from a different perspective.

Some of these people I am talking about are Americans, and some are foreigners, including some of Middle Eastern descent. What they believe is that the Republican policy is what is needed in the Middle East. It’s not that they are happy with the situation there, but that, according to them, the problem with Democrats is that they are “flexible”, and that solving some problems, like the Syrian presence is Lebanon and Saddam’s rule (both of which ended during Bush’s presidency) need “firm actions”, like those the Republicans, rather than the Democrats, are able to take.

On the other hand, other people from Middle Eastern origins and even some Americans still think that no matter what problems any country might have, the solution should come from the inside, and that the contribution of foreign countries, including influential ones like the United States of America, should take the shape of diplomatic efforts rather than military action, which only creates more violence and hatred.

In all cases, none of the two candidates can be said to be the absolutely perfect solution for the challenges facing US internal affairs and foreign policy, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed for Obama though, the candidate I personally think is more likely to make the right decisions…

In about 24 hours, a new four-year era will start, and the world will have to deal with it no matter who the new president is.

Meanwhile, have fun watching the Homer Simpson trying to exercise his right to vote :)

I am of course more affected by the economic, foreign and environmental policies that would be pursued by the next US president. It can probably be blamed on my disinterest in such matters, but I have failed to notice any substantial difference between both major candidate’s economic policies - both appeared to favor the 700 billion USD Wall Street bail-out. I suppose that fiscal reality sets a firewall against any future president’s ambitions to implement further tax cuts, although even Obama voiced his intention to cut at least some taxes, although not the overall tax level.

As regards foreign policy, both major candidates are intercheangable - although Obama would appear to be more hawkish on Israel and Afghanistan, whereas Mc Cain would be fiercer on Iraq, and both seem about as terrible on Iran. As for Israel, Obama’s top foreign policy adviser would seem to be Dennis Ross, who distinguished himself during the 2000 Camp David negotiation round between Arafat and Barak as a lopsided and dishonest broker who was eventually cut out from the negotiations by Clinton - “it became evident to everyone that his more pro-Israeli feelings were coming out” (Clayton E. Swisher, “The truth about Camp David“, Nation Books, New York, 2004, p. 186). He has now set his sights on Iran, in line with Israeli priorities.

As for Morocco, it is of course impossible to tell, as Morocco is too far from the Washington radar to be addressed, even obliquely, in a presidential campaign - a good thing, as Arab or Muslim countries only seem to be of interest when they provide for a credible invasion target… The cabal of neo-con Polisario supporters around John Bolton and Suzanne Scholte will however probably not have the same access under Obama, but on the other hand pro-Moroccan neo-con Elliot Abrams will no longer be around to save the Kingdom from its abysmal diplomacy - I don’t know whether he’d be kept in place were Mc Cain to win. As Morocco is largely irrelevent nowadays on the Middle Eastern scene, I do not expect any major change to take place in either case.

As for the Great War on Terror, both candidates would of course shut down Guantanamo as a detention centre for suspected terrorists - a symbolic gesture, as none of them opposed the US Patriot Act and its sequels, although both agree to discard Bush’s torture policies. With his perceived Muslim background, it is even possible that Obama might feel the need - with a view to his re-election - to show very little courage on these issues. As for the rhetoric, Obama’s vow to increase troop numbers in Afghanistan and to take on Pakistan if need be gives very little room left for any optimism.

Does all of this mean that I wouldn’t vote, if I were entitled to? Certainly not: I’d vote for Ralph Nader, of course, provided that I lived in a state having him on the ballot. Otherwise, I’d vote Obama, extremely reluctantly - the fact that Al Gore would probably act as his adviser on global warming issues would convince me that there is a small difference - although one should remember that the Kyoto protocol on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions was ditched by the Clinton administration, with Gore serving as vice-president.

Oh and yes: of course, it’d be a nice symbol to have an Afro-American president, but the only thing he has in common with Martin Luther King or Malcolm X is the colour of his skin. And I must say that I am afraid that his honeymoon with foreign media and countries could undeservedly deflect much of the criticism that his policies would otherwise warrant.

By the way, I found these pro-vote video clips - excellent, and I’d only wish similar stuff had been floated around in Morocco last September…

PS: Désolé pour les lecteurs francophones, je passerai à une langue plus civilisée au prochain billet.

In a severe post entitled “A good show does not equal democracy” [fr], blogger baraka from Tangiers doesn't mince words: “In the United States, democracy is a pure fiction”.

The media in countries that are part of NATO offer a wide coverage to the US presidential election, and convey a double message:  the future of the allied countries lies in Washington, the United States is the model of democracy. But it is well known that the US Presidential election is tainted by money. This election is already costing over 1,5 billion USD.  Below this superficial critique, lies another hidden reality: money makes the winner, but maybe it's the other way round, money goes to the candidate who was designated all along [..]  

Baraka republishes a long article by Thierry Meyssan [fr],  a controversial French writer who still maintains that no plane crashed into the Pentagon on 9/11, that it was all a plot, but has nevertheless a large number of followers, united by a solid mistrust, if not more, of America.

Ce show régénère la société tous les quatre ans, il sert aussi à nettoyer l'image des États-Unis dans le monde. L'opinion publique internationale est invitée à suivre un spectacle qui fasse oublier les crimes précédents et lui redonne espoir. Cette année le casting est particulièrement réussi : un sémillant jeune noir assisté d'un vieux briscard de la politique contre un ancien combattant épaulé par une femme sans complexes. Déjà, la presse mondiale titre sur l'après-Bush comme si les guerres en Afghanistan et en Irak étaient des erreurs passagères imputables à la seule Administration sortante

Amazing flow  [fr] chose to zoom in on a side of Obama that has gotten very little coverage in Moroccan or French media: his support of the death penalty. In a video montage, he matches footages of public statements on this issue by Obama and Jean-Marie Le Pen, the champion of the French extreme-right, and find them perfectly in tune.  Too banal comments gloomily under the video:

 Obama ou pas, rien ne changera sur le fond des réalités de la politique étrangère américaine

Obama or not Obama, nothing will really change in the foreign policy of the United States.

Blogger chergaoui [fr]  has no time for gloominess: he is on a rush quest for online election creativity, which obviously is on Obama's side.  After Pumpkins for Obama and Design for Obama, he recommends warmly his latest finding: “Not another C student“, t-shirts adorned by the best Bush's gaffes of the decade, and Republican blunders of the year.

Leur objectif est de faire savoir aux gens qu’il est temps de mettre un terme à l’ignorance et à l’incompétence qui règne à la maison blanche depuis 8 ans. Ils dénoncent la médiocrité, et ils le font de belle manière : des modèles de stickers, posters et t-shirts, sur lesquels on peut lire des extraits de discours et  d’interviews, sont téléchargeables gratuitement

Only one day to go…

Riehl World View and Doug Ross reported this last night.

Then this morning a friend of mine sent me a copy of this article on a body of email without a link, so I did a Google search on the title of the article

“Understanding Obama: The Making of a Fuehrer

By Ali Sina” to see if anyone else is talking about it and I got only 5 hits. Only one of them actually listed the article I was looking for and another one listed 3 links with the same title, but when I clicked on them, each one redirected me to Barack Obama and Joe Biden: The Change We Need

Here is the entire article as it was sent to me:

Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD).

Obama_narc

Understanding Obama: The Making of a Fuehrer

By Ali Sina

I must confess I was not impressed by Sen. Barack Obama from the first time I saw him. At first I was excited to see a black candidate. He looked youthful, spoke well, appeared to be confident – a wholesome presidential package. I was put off soon, not just because of his shallowness but also because there was an air of haughtiness in his demeanor that was unsettling. His posture and his body language were louder than his empty words. Obama’s speeches are unlike any political speech we have heard in American history. Never a politician in this land had such a quasi “religious” impact on so many people. The fact that Obama is a total incognito with zero accomplishment, makes this inexplicable infatuation alarming. Obama is not an ordinary man. He is not a genius. In fact he is quite ignorant on most important subjects. Barack Obama is a narcissist. Dr. Sam Vaknin, the author of the Malignant Self Love, also believes, “Barack Obama appears to be a narcissist.”

Vaknin is a world authority on narcissism. He understands narcissism and describes the inner mind of a narcissist like no other person. When he talks about narcissism everyone listens. Vaknin says that Obama’s language, posture and demeanor, and the testimonies of his closest, dearest and nearest suggest that the Senator is either a narcissist or he may have narcissistic personality disorder (NPD).

Narcissists project a grandiose but false image of themselves. Jim Jones, the charismatic leader of People’s Temple, the man who led over 900 of his followers to cheerfully commit mass suicide and even murder their own children was also a narcissist. David Koresh, Charles Manson, Joseph Koni, Shoko Asahara, Stalin, Saddam, Mao, Kim Jong Ill and Adolph Hitler are a few examples of narcissists of our time. All these men had a tremendous influence over their fanciers. They created a personality cult around themselves and with their blazing speeches elevated their admirers’ souls, filled their hearts with enthusiasm and instilled in their minds a new zest for life. They gave them hope! They promised them the moon, but alas, invariably they brought them to their doom. When you are a victim of a cult of personality, you don’t know it until it is too late.

One determining factor in the development of NPD is childhood abuse. “Obama’s early life was decidedly chaotic and replete with traumatic and mentally bruising dislocations,” says Vaknin. “Mixed-race marriages were even less common then. His parents went through a divorce when he was an infant (two years old). Obama saw his father only once again, before he died in a car accident. Then, his mother re-married and Obama had to relocate to Indonesia–a foreign land with a radically foreign culture–to be raised by a step-father. At the age of ten, he was whisked off to live with his maternal (white) grandparents. He saw his mother only intermittently in the following few years and then she vanished from his life in 1979. She died of cancer in 1995.”

One must never underestimate the manipulative genius of pathological narcissists. They project such an imposing personality that it overwhelms those around them. Charmed by the charisma of the narcissist, people become like clay in his hands. They cheerfully do his bidding and delight to be at his service. The narcissist shapes the world around himself and reduces others in his own inverted image. He creates a cult of personality. His admirers become his co-dependents.

Narcissists have no interest in things that do not help them to reach their personal objective. They are focused on one thing alone and that is power. All other issues are meaningless to them and they do not want to waste their precious time on trivialities. Anything that does not help them is beneath them and does not deserve their attention. If an issue raised in the Senate does not help Obama in one way or another, he has no interest in it. The “present” vote is a safe vote. No one can criticize him if things go wrong. Why should he implicate himself in issues that may become controversial when they don’t help him personally? Those issues are unworthy by their very nature because they are not about him.

Obama’s election as the first black president of the Harvard Law Review led to a contract and advance to write a book about race relations. The University of Chicago Law School provided him with a fellowship and an office to work on his book. The book took him a lot longer than expected and at the end it devolved into…, guess what? His own autobiography! Instead of writing a scholarly paper focusing on race relations, for which, he had been paid, Obama could not resist writing about his most sublime self. He entitled the book Dreams from My Father.

Not surprisingly, Adolph Hitler also wrote his own autobiography when he was still nobody. So did Stalin. For a narcissist no subject is as important as his own self. Why would he waste his precious time and genius writing about insignificant things when he can write about such an august being as himself?

Narcissists are often callous and even ruthless. As the norm, they lack conscience. This is evident from Obama’s lack of interest in his own brother who lives on only one dollar per month. A man who lives in luxury, who takes a private jet to vacation in Hawaii, and who has raised nearly half a billion dollars for his campaign (something unprecedented in history) has no interest in the plight of his own brother. Why? Because, his brother cannot be used for his ascent to power. A narcissist cares for no one but himself.

This election is like no other in the history of America. The issues are insignificant compared to what is at stake. What can be more dangerous than having a man bereft of conscience, a serial liar, and one who cannot distinguish his fantasies from reality as the leader of the free world?

I hate to sound alarmist, but one must be a fool if one is not alarmed. Many politicians are narcissists. They pose no threat to others.. They are simply self serving and selfish. Obama evinces symptoms of pathological narcissism, which is different from the run-of-the-mill narcissism of a Richard Nixon or a Bill Clinton, for example. To him reality and fantasy are intertwined. This is a mental health issue, not just a character flaw. Pathological narcissists are dangerous because they look normal and even intelligent. It is this disguise that makes them treacherous.

Today the Democrats have placed all their hopes in Obama. But this man could put an end to their party. The great majority of blacks have also decided to vote for Obama. Only a fool does not know that their support for him is racially driven. Let us call a spade a spade. This is racism, pure and simple. The truth is that while everyone carries a misconceived collective guilt towards the blacks for wrongs done centuries ago by a bygone people to a bygone people, the blacks carry a collective rancor, enmity or vendetta towards non-blacks and to this day want to “stand up” to the white man. They seem to be stuck in the 19th century.

The downside of this is that if Obama turns out to be the disaster I predict, he will cause widespread resentment among the whites. The blacks are unlikely to give up their support of their man. Cultic mentality is pernicious and unrelenting. They will dig their heads deeper in the sand and blame Obama’s detractors of racism. This will cause a backlash among the whites. The white supremacists will take advantage of the discontent and they will receive widespread support. I predict that in less than four years, racial tensions will increase to levels never seen since the turbulent 1960s. Obama will set the clock back decades…

America is the bastion of freedom. The peace of the world depends on the strength of America , and its weakness translates into the triumph of terrorism and victory of rogue nations. It is no wonder that Ahmadinejad, Hugo Chavez, the Castrists, the Hezbollah, the Hamas, the lawyers of the Guantanamo terrorists and virtually all sworn enemies of America are so thrilled by the prospect of their man in the White House. America is on the verge of destruction. There is no insanity greater than electing a pathological narcissist as president.

Fulbrighter Morocco Road is anxious about being so far from the elections. The blogger says:

And like many Americans both abroad and back in the States, this anxiety has translated into inactivity. Or a sort of constipated nervousness where I need the days to pass as quickly as possible. Larry David, the Seinfeld guy, says, “I can't take much more of this… I'm at the end of my rope. I can't work. I can eat, but mostly standing up. I'm anxious all the time and taking it out on my ex-wife, which, ironically, I'm finding enjoyable.”

It's the same for me here in Morocco, but I feel even more disconnected. And I especially miss the commentary of the media's talking heads. It has been so difficult for me to interpret the current state of world affairs without them!

Moroccan native allal-cinemagoer, whose blog discusses cinema and movies, has a message about the arts for the candidates:

However,because of the dangerous change that our world is going through especially America’s values and its famous civil rights are now at stake and most important we are going to have a new president who might again intensify war around the world, I just want to say that whoever win the battle to Washington Dc to become the president of The U S A ,Hollywood should reconsider its policy to produce movies of great talent based on dialog , love and especially altogetherness rather on discrimination,xenophobia,hate of Arabs,blacks,Hispanic,women,homosexuals etc.. .

Peace Corps volunteer Elizabeth of the blog adventures of a young twentysomething has found US politics to be meaningful to her Moroccan host family. She shares an amusing anecdote:

Yesterday, it started snowing heavily. So I did what I usually do when I don't want to be in my house along; I went to my host family's. I sat around the fire and read a book. After a couple of hours, I turned on the TV. To my surprise and pleasure, the Daily Show came on. Ali, the now 15-month old, started pointing to the TV when the guest, Barack Obama, appeared. I wish my camera had been with me.

Just this week, Ali said his first word, ‘Baba,' which is oh-so-close to ‘Obama.' For about an hour, I practiced the word ‘Obama' with Ali. But there was no luck. Maybe with more time, it will become his second word.

Author and blogger Laila Lalami shares a link to a story in the Guardian, explaining:

On the eve of Election Day, the Guardian newspaper has asked a few American writers what they think of the presidency of George W. Bush. As you might expect, none have anything good to say about him. There is outrage, there is anger, but there is also humor. Here’s Tobias Wolff:”When I see someone being rude to a waiter, or blocking the road in a Ford Expedition, or yakking loudly on a cell phone in a crowded elevator, I naturally assume they voted for George W Bush.”

But the rhetoric of “change” is never far away. Moonlight shares a simple image to highlight her feelings on the subject:

See what Taheri has to say about Obamania in Arabia in the following article:

MUSLIMS IDENTIFY WITH BARACK OBAMA - New York Post

‘OBAMA! Inshallah!” - Obama! Allah willing! That slogan, scribbled on walls in Gaza, indicates the hopes that Barack Obama has inspired among Arabs.

While Obama has tried to push his origins into the background, his “Islamic roots” have won him a place in many Arabs' hearts.

One columnist, Mohamed Al-Menshawi, hails Obama as “the candidate with Muslim roots” and as the “harbinger of solidarity between Americans and the Muslim world.”

Another, Al-Jazeera's Aala al-Bayoumi, notes: “Had it not been for Obama, Arabs would not even bother to follow the US presidential race.” What makes the difference is Obama's “Islamic and African roots.”

Marwan Bishara hails Obama's “radical politics”: “For the US to vote in an African-American progressive liberal would certainly mark a departure from the hyper and violent conservatism of the Bush-McCain camp,” he writes. An Obama presidency “would be better for both the US and the Arab world.”

Obama especially appeals to pan-Arab nationalists angry at the United States for having ousted Saddam Hussein. Obama's promise to leave Iraq gives pan-Arabs their only chance (albeit slim) to destroy the new Iraqi democracy.

While radical Arabs, including the Hamas leadership, favor Obama, most Arab officials are wary of him. They fear his inexperience and leftist connections might destroy all that has been gained in Iraq, provoke a bigger mess in Afghanistan, trigger a war with Pakistan and open the way for Khomeinist hegemony in the region.

Note that Obama wouldn't be the first politician with Muslim roots to lead a major non-Muslim country. Carlos Menem, a Muslim of Syrian descent, served as Argentina's president from 1989 to 1999. But he dropped his Arab-Islamic first name and adopted his baptismal Christian name before entering politics.

Obama, by contrast, has retained his Arabic-Islamic names. (Barack means “blessed” and Hussein means “beautiful.”) His family name is Swahili, an East African lingua franca based on Arabic. Arab commentators note that his siblings also all have Arabic Muslim names. His sister is called Oumah, Arabic for “the community of the faithful his older daughter, Malia, bears the name of a daughter of the Caliph Othman, who commissioned the compilation of the first edition of the Koran. That Obama's stepfather was also a Muslim (from Indonesia) strengthens the empathy that many Arabs feel for him.

The Syrian regime has also indicated its preference for Obama, not least because President Bush forced it to end its 29-year military occupation of Lebanon. Buthaina Shaaban, an adviser to President Bashar al-Assad, has welcomed Obama's call for radical change in US policy. She writes, “The change suggested by Obama is essential not only for the US but for the entire human family.”

Also enthusiastic for Obama is the Lebanese Hezbollah. The party's No. 2, Sheik Naim al-Kassim, went as far as inviting Americans to vote Obama as a step toward peace with Islam. (The party disowned his comments as “personal opinion.”) Pro- Hezbollah columnist Amal Saad-Ghorayeb has no doubt that Arabs should welcome an Obama presidency because “African-Americans are more sympathetic to Arabs because they, too, are oppressed.”

Hussein Shobokshi, a liberal Saudi commentator, predicts that “Obama's ascent to power in America would mark an important moral transformation in the superpower and is a healthy indicator of the long-awaited improvement in the international arena.” He envisages a new system in America in which “nongovernmental institutions will participate in the political decision-making process in an effective manner,” while “capitalism will undergo fundamental adjustment.”

Another liberal writer, Diana Makkled, sees Obama's success as a sign that America is still the place where dreams are realized. That a man with a Muslim-African background might become president “could only take place in the US, not in the banana republics we live in,” she writes.

Arabs welcomed and widely commented on Colin Powell's assertion that, even if Obama were a Muslim, it should not be held against him.

Some columnists have also noted Obama's close ties to a number of Palestinian radicals, including Rashid Khalidi and the late Edward Said, as signs that the senator would change US Middle East policy in the Arabs' favor. Strengthening that impression was an interview the Rev. Jessie Jackson granted to several Arab media outlets, including Al-Jazeera and the popular Internet newspaper Elaph, in which he promised an end to the United States' allegedly pro-Israel policy.

Not all Arab commentators are struck by Obamania, however. His flip-flops on issues - including the future of Jerusalem, withdrawal from Iraq and dealing with the Iranian nuclear threat - have prompted some to counsel caution.

Tareq Al-Houmayed, editor of the daily Asharq Alawsat, warns Arabs not to expect too much: “Every American president would be governed by American interests. Obama's understanding of politics is not important here.”

Abdulrahman al-Rashed, a Saudi commentator, also notes that no president can radically alter US global policies. He advises Arabs to neither have exaggerated hopes nor be dispirited when Obama tells the Israelis “more than they hoped to hear” to win Jewish support.

Amir Taheri's latest book, “The Persian Night: Iran Under the Khomeinist Revolution,” is due out next month.

Al Jazeera had its crew at a small town in Ohio and here are some reactions:

Palestinian/Jordanian Hala, writing on Soul Blossom, reacts to this video as follows:

Other than WOW, I have nothing to say. I am almost sure Obama will get assassinated if he becomes president. What gets to me is that what people think is simply untrue. Oh Gosh. Stupid
people, at least know what you are talking about; he is not Muslim neither Arab. Also, being black does not mean he will oppress whites. Even though it is sarcastic to think that many years ago, whites had the right to discriminate against blacks
openly … So there you have it, the most powerful nation in the world is still full of hatred, injustice, and racism. It was
hidden, but now it slowly is coming out. Scary.

Writing at No Longer at Ease, in Doha, Qatar, Abdurahman sheds more light on the video:

A report on the role of race (and racism) in the US election by Al Jazeera English's Casey Kaufman received more than a million views, and was written about in Washington post. Casey speaks to people attending a Sarah Palin rally and most of them have clearly racist feelings Obama, here is some of what they've said:

From an older white woman: “I'm afraid if he wins, the black [sic] will take over. He's not a Christian. This is a Christian nation! What is our country gonna end up like?”

An older white man: “When you got a Negro running for president, you need a first-stringer. He's definitely a second-stringer.”

A young white man holding a child: “He seems like a sheep — or a wolf in sheep's clothing to be honest with you. And I believe Palin — she's filled with the Holy Spirit, and I believe she's gonna bring honesty and integrity to the White House.”

An older white man: “He's related to a known terrorist, for one.”

An older white man: “He is friends with a terrorist of this country!”

An older white man: “He must support terrorists! You know, uh, if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it must be a duck. And that to me is Obama.”

A young white woman: “Just the whole, Muslim thing, and everything, and everybody's still kinda — a lot of people have forgotten about 9/11, but . . . I dunno, it's just kinda . . . a little unnerving.”

A white woman: “Obama and his wife, I'm concerned that they could be anti-white. That he might hide that.”

An older white woman: “I don't like the fact that he thinks us white people are trash . . . because we're not!”

A Political Glimpse from Ireland, meanwhile, posts this shocking video showing supporters at a Sarah Palin rally in Johnstown, PA:

Tune in to listen to people calling Obama a Muslim, terrorist and a baby killer, among other descriptive cliches. Did I hear someone yell ‘Barak Mohammed Obama?'

On racism in the campaign, Malcolm Clark from the UK, who blogs at SixFifty notes after watching the final presidential debate between Barack Obama and John McCain:

Firstly, was McCain failing to directly and unequivocally “repudiate” (that his word for what he wanted Obama to do on several other matters) the worst excesses of the racism and threats of violence made by Republican supporters at some rallies.  Instead, McCain was happy to “say, categorically, I’m proud of the people that come to our rallies.”   McCain should rightly take a lot of stick on that.  And it is why the perversion of the McCain campaign slogan is so apt: The Hate Talk Express.

In conclusion, Eatbees from Morocco says:

Obama is pretty well immunized by now against attacks on his character, because the American people have seen him respond calmly under pressure, while McCain is the one who seems erratic and radical; and most Americans are sick of manipulation based on fear, having seen where it leads, to war and economic collapse, so they are eager to reject it on election day. It didn’t work in 2006 against Congressional Democrats, and it won’t work against Obama unless he does something completely out of character between now and November 4 to destroy people’s trust.
If that is all McCain has to hope for, he has lost the election.