While I fully appreciate and understand the long suffering of the Palestinian people, I also realize that for Barack Obama to challenge the status quo regarding the Israeli occupation and collective punishment of the Palestinians, several unlikely events must occur:

1.  The general public must become educated about the issue in that their current position is predicated on soundbites that strongly suggest that Israel is a victim and must defend itself.

2.  Arabs should change their political approach from suicide bombs to financing American politicians and building coalitions with other American groups.

3. Arabs should do as the Jews and hire the best American publicists to reshape their image and tell their story from their point of view. 

4. They must do what Jews have done well and that is to create a formidable lobbying organization(s) to represent their political goals and objectives.  American politicians respond to money before anything and the Jewish lobby has perfected this in that it owns most if not all (Republicans and Democrats).

3.  Arab leaders need to push for a fair and objective US approach to this crisis rather than bombing US cities.

4.  Arab Americans do not seem to be interested in the political process in this country, hence their issues are overlooked.

Barack is one man, not a perfect man, and while he fully understands the plight of the Palestinian people, if he does not have a mandate from the American people to change our current policy as he does regarding pulling out of Iraq, he will not be successful. Furthermore, if he dared to even criticize Israel the political support that he enjoys as well as the general support from whites and blacks would disappear overnight and he- like Pre. Jimmy Carter - would be labeled “anti-semitic”.

To place this 40 year old burden on his shoulders is the equalivalent of expecting him to get rid of racism; it’s just not realistic.