Arabs love Obama

Hmm. It's one thing to ask about Obama's international approval rating.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's popularity in leading Arab countries far outstrips that of the United States, suggesting he could be able to boost goodwill in the region toward his country, a survey showed on Sunday.

Obama, set to give a major speech to the Muslim world in Egypt next month, "currently enjoys widespread optimism among citizens of that region that he will have a positive effect on their own country, the Middle East, the United States and indeed the world," the polling outfit Ipsos said.

Ipsos said its poll, conducted in March, involved 7,000 adults in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Lebanon, Egypt and Jordan.

Of those surveyed, 33 percent had a favorable view of the United States, 43 percent had a negative view, 14 percent were neutral and 10 percent said they did not know, Ipsos said.

It's another to know the answer to "why?"...

So Obama beefs it up with Muslims and terrorists, but Israelis are glancing with suspicious eyes:

Israeli confidence in the U.S president plummeted from surveys taken in 2007. While most Israelis considered President George W. Bush's attitude toward Israel to be friendly (73%), President Barack Hussein Obama is considered friendly by only about a third of Israelis (38%).

The younger generation of Israelis is more skeptical about Obama than the older generation, with 41 percent of respondents aged 42 and over believing Obama is capable of making the right decisions regarding the Israeli-PA conflict, as opposed to only 32 percent of respondents under the age of 41.

Very interesting.

Egypt will be quite the news draw.