Obama on Zionism and Hamas

DO YOU THINK BUSH CAN HAVE THIS KIND OF CONVERSATION?
JEFFREY GOLDBERG Q & A WITH BARACK OBAMA.

JG: You’ve talked about the role of Jews in the development of your thinking
BO: I always joke that my intellectual formation was through Jewish scholars and writers, even though I didn’t know it at the time. Whether it was theologians or Philip Roth who helped shape my sensibility, or some of the more popular writers like Leon Uris. So when I became more politically conscious, my starting point when I think about the Middle East is this enormous emotional attachment and sympathy for Israel, mindful of its history, mindful of the hardship and pain and suffering that the Jewish people have undergone, but also mindful of the incredible opportunity that is presented when people finally return to a land and are able to try to excavate their best traditions and their best selves. And obviously it’s something that has great resonance with the African-American experience.

A MUST READ! HERE'S THE LINK TO THE WHOLE Q & A - http://jeffreygoldberg.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/05/obama_on_zionism_and_hamas.php#more