A very short article post morteming the election. I spent the two days immediately before and election day in Cairo, Egypt and have spent the past three days in Israel. it is interesting to hear the reaction on the Arab street and in both Tel Aviv and Jerusalem to the re-election of President Obama. 

If I were to listen to my republican friends prior to the election, the Middle East was waiting with bated breath for the coronation of Mitt Romney and the end of Barack Obama's time in office. The buzz that I've heard on the streets of Cairo and Alexandria in Egypt and in Tel Aviv, Jaffa, and Jerusalem in Israel has been a collective sigh of relief. There is joy that the president has been re-elected. There is a real belief that there will be a genuine effort to broker a permanent Arab-Israeli peace agreement. Whether you talk to the average Arab or the average Jew in either country, the discussion is the same. America has shown wisdom. They elected a president who will treat everyone in the Middle East fairly. Tuesday was a great day for the Arab and the Jewish world.

Don't let the left-right spin hit you.......this is an opportunity to move forward in the Middle East. I am here. I am sensing it from all sides. I just hope that our politicians in Washington along with the Palestinians and the Jewish Leadership all see what is going on in the street. There is a chance for a positive flow to become a wave.