I just spent 10 days traveling in Turkey, that nebulous Euro-Asian, secular-Islamic country that borders Iraq.  What do they think about Clinton’s initial support for the Iraq war?  Well, let’s just say they aren’t too happy about losing billions of dollars in trade because of the war, not to mention the unrest in the Kurdish areas of Turkey and Iraq.  So, who does the average Turk support for the next president?  From what I heard, it’s Obama! 

One of the crucial factors in ending the occupation of Iraq will require the involvement of all of the nation’s neighbors.  Should we expect either the hawkish Clinton or one of the republicans to accomplish this?  Obama is the only one who has declared his willingness to sit down with the rulers of the region to secure Iraq’s dire situation.

Nicholas Kristof wrote an excellent op-ed about Obama’s experience in the New York Times yesterday (here).  Kudos to Kristof for putting McCain’s experience over Hillary’s, not to mention the timely comparison of Obama with Abraham Lincoln for MLK day.  So, let’s hear it for Obama’s experience, not as a Washington politician, but as a peacemaker and a man of the people.