AP - Istanbul
While wowing the citizens of Turkey on his recent East-meets-West national tour, President Obama delivered an emotional plea to the Turkish Parliament in Ankara for mutual respect and support.
Earlier in the day, while paying respects at the tomb of the revered Mustafa Ataturk, the revolutionary secularist leader who abolished both the veil and the fez, leading the nation by force into the 20th century, President Obama spoke of the need to reconcile the differences of the past with a strong friendship between our respective nations.
This new note of conciliation strikes a remarkably different chord than former president Bush on his clumsy mission to Istanbul, when he referred to their national hero as "Attaboy" and chuckled.
One odd note from Obama's visit that still perplexes is the on-air reporting by an Istanbul based anchor - who gave his report on the president's speech in "black face".
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