President Obama visited the Buchenwald concentration camp today to pay tribute to those who were murdered there during the Holocaust. Obama laid roses at a memorial service with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and author and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel.  Earlier in an interview with NBC’s Tom Brokaw, he suggested Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, who has repeatedly denied the holocaust as one of history’s “great deceptions,” should make a visit to Buchenwald, adding, “I have no patience for those who would deny history.”

Barack Obama’s great-uncle was one of the American troops that liberated a satellite camp to Buchenwald. The President has repeatedly told that his great-uncle was unable to speak about the horrors he saw at the camp and subsequently suffered from what would today be called post traumatic stress syndrome once he returned to America as a result of the gruesome experience.

Unfortunately, some hardline figures in the United States, Israel and around the world have already accused Obama of using the Buchenwald concentration camp as a political prop, one day after his speech to the Muslim world in Cairo.  These voices, who are often come from the very same people who will not accept any compromise for peace and cheer the loudest during war, are purposefully ignoring a fundamental fact: everything the President of the United States does publicly is political, assuming he’s doing his job.

It is no secret that many in the United States and Israel have criticized the administration for trying to reach out to Islam, and many fear what the implications of this rapprochement could mean for the future of the Jewish State.  It is Obama’s job to reassure his critics that he is indeed a friend of Israel and will keep its interests in mind as part of any future dealings with the Muslim world.  Today he did that in a respectful, thoughtful and, given his family connection to Buchenwald, even personal way.

LINKS:

Voice of America: Obama: Buchenwald ‘Ultimate Rebuke’ to Holocaust Deniers

ABC News: President Obama tours Buchenwald with Elie Wiesel

Politico: President Obama visits Buchenwald concentration camp in Germany