Wonderland

Be what you would seem to be -- or, if you'd like it put more simply -- Never imagine yourself not to be otherwise than what it might appear to others that what you were or might have been was not otherwise than what you had been would have appeared to them to be otherwise.

The Duchess
Alice in Wonderland

In an interview prior to his departure for a trip to the Middle East and Europe, President Obama stated that the "U.S. could be considered one of the largest Muslim countries in the world." I already know that our president is intent on creating a "kinder, gentler" image of the United States in international circles. On the other hand, it's doubtful this approach will work if he keeps feeding his audience complete fantasies. As I've said before, Obama either has no training in world history or he's been exposed to delusional revisionists for so long that even the basic facts can't get through. This strategy may work if your audience is equally ill-informed which unfortunately for us, it is not. Despite all the "histortions" beyond our border, I believe other nations and leaders have a much better grasp of historical reality. Saudi Arabian royalty knows full well that Muslims are a tiny minority - less than two percent - in the United States. While most Americans might challenge such a statement, then move on, students of Arab culture know that a man who makes such a statement will be played to exhaustion much like a hooked fish. To us, it is a statement of ignorance; to Arab culture, it is submission. In diplomatic history, little good has ever come out of a submissive posture.

As our president departs for what appears to be another international "apology" tour, it pains me to think about what I'm going to hear from the leader of the free world.