Huge Relief: Obama’s Awesomely Awesome Charm Means Anti-Americanism Isn’t A Problem Any More

I’m beginning to think that maybe I’ve been a little too harsh about State’s spectacularly disastrous public diplomacy efforts. Apparently Obama’s been able to boost our image around the world after all.

You can be sure of that because Brent Scowcroft and Zbigniew Brzezinski say so. And who would know more about anti-American blowback than those two geopolitical success stories?

Obama’s first priority was boosting America’s standing in a world angered by the Bush administration’s arrogance and unilateralism. Obama rightly saw this as a major national security threat, and he used his charisma to change that image in a hurry. And to a large extent, Obama has succeeded. “We have taken off the table reflexive anti-Americanism as a reason not to deal with us,” says Rahm Emanuel, the White House chief of staff. “We’re not shimmying in the end zone. But we are a long way from where we began.”

Obama’s success in defusing anti-Americanism wins plaudits from Brent Scowcroft… “Obama had to tackle the mood first, and I think he has done a brilliant job,” he says. “The change around the world is dramatic.” Similar praise comes from Zbigniew Brzezinski, who served as national security adviser for Democrat Jimmy Carter. But Brzezinski adds the caveat that changing America’s image is the easy part.

Amazing that the people who’ve been advocating supine Presidential apology tours insist that Obama’s supine Presidential apology tours worked.

But maybe they’re right. In fact here’s a video of the five Iranian Quds members that Obama freed from Iraq singing praises onto The One. If Iran is pleased with his spinelessness just imagine how the rest of the world feels!

This was broadcast far and wide by Iranian Press TV, exactly the kind of outlet that Middle East media specialists insist we need to cultivate. So there’s that.

References and previously after the jump…

References:
* Aww… Clinton Appoints Super-Special Globetrotting “Representative To Muslim Communities” [MR]
* Shocker: Another State Dept Public Diplomacy Initiative Backfires Spectacularly [MR]
* Which Egyptian TV Station Should Get An Obama Post-Speech Interview? [MR]
* Obama White House Going Back To Stone Age Public Diplomacy: “Spread The Truth About American Values” (Plus: Obama’s “Ominous Evasiveness” About Cast Lead) [MR]
* State Dept Media Outlets Scrub “Hamas Kills Palestinians” Story, Replace It With “Israel Kills Palestinians” Story [MR]
* State Department Outreach Results In “Multiple Collaborative Efforts” With Islamists (Plus: State To Revolutionize Arab And Muslim Relations By Giving More “Respect”) [MR]
* State Department’s Arab TV Station: Israel Conducting “Holocaust Against 1.5 million Palestinians” [MR]
* The Big Decisions to Come [Ignatius]
* 5 Iranian Qods Members Released By US- Iran Praises Obama For Their Release (Video) [Gateway Pundit]