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It's often hard to tell what Obama really thinks. The consensus is that he is extremely bright, however, as intelligent as he may be, at various times he also comes across as arrogant, naïve, petulant, ill informed, indifferent to the sensitivities of others, and headstrong.

One recent incident that undoubtedly has many people scratching their heads and questioning Obama's judgment is a recent photo-op in his office, feet propped up on his desk showing the soles of his shoes while talking on the phone with Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister. Probably everyone remembers the incident at a press conference in Iraq when an Iraqi journalist threw his shoes at President Bush, which educated us to the fact that to Muslims showing the sole of one's shoe to another person is considered a mark of disrespect?

The photo of Obama produced an outpouring of negative reaction among Israelis, especially the nation's younger citizens. World Watch (CBS News) reported (June 9, 2009), "Israeli TV newscasters Tuesday night interpreted a photo taken Monday in the Oval Office of President Obama talking on the phone with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as an 'insult' to Israel...Was there a subliminal message intended from the White House to Netanyahu in Israel in Jerusalem, who is publicly resisting attempts by Mr. Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to force Israel to stop any kind of settlement activity in occupied territories once and forever?...Israel's Channel One TV reported that Netanyahu was told Tuesday by an 'American official' in Jerusalem that 'We are going to change the world. Please, don't interfere.' The report said Netanyahu's aides interpreted this as a 'threat.'"

So, what gives? When Barack Obama posed for the photo with the soles of his shoes showing, was he merely forgetful or was he sending a message to the wider Muslim audience around the world that he was disrespecting Israel and Netanyahu, that he is on the Muslim side and that he intends to force Israel to make further concessions to create a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, notwithstanding the fact that Hamas, along with most of the Arab world, has repeatedly declared they will never recognize Israel's right to exist.

Writing in Newsmax, Rabbi Dr. Morton H. Pomerantz recently observed, "(Speaking in Cairo) Obama's clever construct comparing the mass genocide of six million Jews to the Palestinian struggle will not be lost on the estimated 100 million Muslims who tuned in to hear him."

Dr. Pomerantz also commented that by not visiting Israel on either of the trips Obama recently made to Muslim countries, "He sent a clear message by not visiting Israel."

One of the puzzling aspects of the situation is that Obama's key aide, Rahm Emanuel, is Jewish. However, Jeffrey Goldberg, writing in The Atlantic Magazine (06 Nov 2008 12:44 pm) noted that "Barack Obama's request to be his chief of staff is fascinating on many levels, not least of which is Rahm's deep Israel credentials...1) This choice makes the entire 'Does Obama secretly hate Israel?' conversation seem a bit ridiculous...Rahm did not, despite the rumors, serve in the Israeli Army, but he is deeply and emotionally committed to Israel and its safety. We've talked about the issue a dozen times; it's something he thinks about constantly, and his appointment gives me further reason to believe that the Obama Administration will not wait seven years to address the Israeli-Arab crisis. 2) Peace-processors take heart: Rahm, precisely because he's a lover of Israel, will not have much patience with Israeli excuse-making, so when the next Prime Minister tells President Obama that as much as he'd love to, he can't dismantle the Neve Manyak settlement outpost, or whichever outpost needs dismantling, because of a) domestic politics; b) security concerns, or c) the Bible, Rahm will call out such nonsense, and it will be very hard for right-wing Israelis to come back and accuse him of being a self-hating Jew. This is not to say that he's unaware of Palestinian dysfunction, or Iranian extremism, but that he has a good grasp of some of Israel's foibles as well."

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