I posted yesterday about how Barack Obama’s first call as president was to Mahmoud Abbas, the leader of Fatah — a group associated with the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade. Not to Britain, Canada, France, or even Russia. Not one of our reliable allies. No, he felt that he should make his first call to the leader of Fatah. But why?

Understandably he wanted to acknowledged the wide conflict in the Middle East. But if he’s going to do so, why wouldn’t he make he first call to Israel, a constant ally of America? Or perhaps countries like Canada that are standing by America’s side in Afghanistan and elsewhere? They’ve taken significant casualties to help the United States defeat Al Qaeda and the Taliban. As Ed Morrissey says:

They should have gotten more attention from our incoming president if only to recognize their sacrifice and ongoing commitment to our shared cause.

In fact, this action by Obama should make Americans concerned about his foreign policy over the next four years. The decisions a president makes in his first few weeks will tell you quite a bit about him. And on his first day in office, when he had a choice as to which leader he’d reach out to first, President Obama chose to call a man responsible for securing funding for the 1972 Olympic Massacre. Wow.

By the way, President Obama just signed the executive order closing Guantanamo Bay within 12 months and apparently moving its inhabitants to the United States. We’re in for a fun few years, huh?