Obama Greeted Warmly By Iraqis

Obama gets a warm welcome from troops too

The last time an American president showed up in Iraq he was greeted with boos and shoes.

That, as they say, was then.

On Tuesday, Iraqis expressed warmth for a visiting Barack Obama. And in another sign the country is eager to cast aside the legacy of the former administration, a court reduced the jail term for the journalist who hurled his shoes at George W. Bush.
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"The Iraqi people welcome the new American president in good faith, not like the former President Bush, who is rejected by all Iraqi people from the north to the south," Baghdad resident Rasheed al-Jumaili said.

Few Iraqis caught a glimpse of the president, and government television aired his appearance with Iraq's prime minister only after Air Force One took off for Washington.

A refreshing change
Still, many Iraqis find Obama's style, including his openness to the Muslim world, a refreshing change from the previous administration, even though the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan continue.

"We expect positive relations with the Americans," said Alia Kamil, a senior at the University of Baghdad. "We will see positive developments in Iraqi-American relations because it sounds like Obama's ideas for Iraq will be good." MSNBC