Opinion
Lawrence Journal-World l LJWorld.com l Saturday, May 16, 2015
Federal President Barack Obama White House, Washington, D.C. 20500; (202) 456-1111 Online comments: www.whitehouse.gov/contact/ U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran (R) 521 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510; (202) 224-6521; Website: www.moran.senate.gov U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts (R) 109 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510; (202) 224-4774; Website: www.roberts.senate.gov U.S. Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-1st District) 1110 Longworth House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515; (202) 225-2715; Website: www.huelskamp.house.gov U.S. Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-2nd District) 1526 Longworth House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515; (202) 225-6601; Website: www.lynnjenkins.house.gov U.S. Rep. Kevin Yoder (R-3rd District) 215 Cannon House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515; (202) 225-2865; Website: www.yoder.house.gov U.S. Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-4th District) 436 Cannon House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515; (202) 225-6216; Website: www.pompeo.house.gov
State Gov. Sam Brownback (R) Suite 212-S, State Capitol, Topeka 66612 (785) 296-3232 or (877) 579-6757 governor@state.ks.us Secretary of State Kris Kobach (R) 1st Floor, 120 S.W. 10th Ave., Topeka 66612 (785) 296-4564; sos@sos. ks.gov Attorney General Derek Schmidt (R) 2nd Floor, 120 S.W. 10th Ave., Topeka 66612 (785) 296-2215; general @ksag.org Treasurer Ron Estes (R) 900 S.W. Jackson St., Suite 201, Topeka 66612 (785) 296-3171; ron@treasurer.ks.gov Insurance Commissioner Ken Selzer (R) 420 S.W. Ninth St., Topeka 66612 (785) 296-3071 or (800) 432-2484 commissioner@ksinsurance.org
State Board of Education Janet Waugh, (D-District 1) 916 S. 57th Terrace, Kansas City, KS 66106 (913) 287-5165; JWaugh1052@aol.com Carolyn Wims-Campbell, (D-District 4) 3824 SE Illinois Ave., Topeka 66609 (785) 266-3798; campbell4kansasboe@verizon.net
Kansas Board of Regents 1000 S.W. Jackson St., Suite 520, Topeka, KS 66612; (785) 296-3421 www.kansasregents.org
Kenny Wilk, Lansing, chairman Joe Bain, Goodland Shane Bangerter, Dodge City Ann Brandau-Murguia, Kansas City, Kan. Bill Feuerborn, Garnett Fred Logan Jr., Leawood Robba Moran, Hays Zoe Newton, Sedan Helen Van Etten, Topeka Andy Tompkins, president and CEO
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U.S.-Arab summit has upbeat ending Washington — President Obama’s meeting with Arab leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council at Camp David ended with surprisingly upbeat statements and an “unequivocal” U.S. commitment “to deter and confront” any future aggression from Iran. “The U.S-G.C.C. relationship has just been elevated to a new level,” said Yousef al-Otaiba, the United Arab Emirates’ ambassador to Washington, in a telephone interview after the summit ended. “The potential for collaboration has just taken a new step.” Coming after months of hand-wringing about deteriorating relations with Saudi Arabia, the U.A.E. and other Gulf countries, the Camp David meeting was seen as a potential arena for confrontation. But it apparently proved the opposite. The Arabs got what they wanted, in assurances of American willingness to challenge Iranian meddling in the region, and Obama got an endorsement of his effort to negotiate a nuclear deal with Tehran. Mutual suspicions will remain, but the meeting represented an important consoli-
David Ignatius
davidignatius@washpost.com
“
Mutual suspicions will remain, but the meeting represented an important consolidation of ties with Sunni Arab powers as the U.S. heads toward a potential breakthrough agreement with Shiite Iran.”
dation of ties with Sunni Arab powers as the U.S. heads toward a potential breakthrough agreement with Shiite Iran. Obama, in effect, is adopting a strategy of riding two horses at once — an approach Iran, Saudi Arabia and other regional powers have often adopted.
The Camp David setting seems to have helped lighten the atmosphere. After a somewhat stiff morning session devoted to briefing the leaders on the progress of the Iran talks, the leaders adjourned to lunch. After that, the mood changed. During the afternoon, the leaders talked informally about regional challenges in Syria, Iran and Libya, with Saudi, Emirati and Qatari leaders raising their hands to interject and offer comments and suggestions. The mood in this afternoon session was “really, really positive,” said one attendee. “We came away with a collective spirit we didn’t have before the meeting.” Secretary of State John Kerry told the group about his visit this week with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and the U.S. hope that the Russians will join in sponsoring a process of political transition away from the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Other U.S. officials urged Gulf leaders who are funding the opposition to keep control of their clients, so that a post-Assad regime isn’t controlled by extremists from the Islamic State or al-Qaida.
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From the Lawrence Daily Journal-World for May 16, 1915: years “‘Every one out ago for the good IN 1915 roads day next Thursday,’ is the slogan that has been adopted on Massachusetts street. A large number of the business men have signified that they will be on the scene for the day in the country working the roads. The crowd will go out on the roads west of Stull. Every one that goes will be expected to take a little lunch with him…””
Success story
— Compiled by Sarah St. John
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W.C. Simons (1871-1952); Publisher, 1891-1944 Dolph Simons Sr. (1904-1989) Publisher, 1944-1962; Editor, 1950-1979
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— David Ignatius is a columnist for Washington Post Writers Group.
OLD HOME TOWN
PUBLIC FORUM To the editor: On May 18, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson stood in the White House Rose Garden to announce the creation of Head Start. Head Start laid the foundation for my future success in life, and today, as an educator and administrator, I see the lifechanging impact Head Start continues to have on at-risk children and their families. I grew up one of six children in Iola, where my father worked as a mechanic and my mother was a housekeeper and cook for other families in the community. They could not afford to enroll me in preschool, so when they heard about the new local Head Start program, they immediately enrolled me. Head Start instilled in me a confidence and lifelong love of learning that would lay the foundation for my future success, both in school and in life. I went on to excel in school, graduating college and going on to obtain my master’s and doctoral degrees. Today, I am the associate dean of students and director of multicultural affairs at Baker University. I am convinced that when we are able to provide a quality early childhood education to our nation’s most vulnerable children, we will see more children are able to realize their full potential and go on to become contributing members of their communities. So, as Head Start centers across the country plant rose bushes in celebration of 50 years of success, let’s renew our commitment to Head Start and plant the seeds for 50 more years of opportunity. Teresa L. Clounch Baldwin City
A joint statement issued by the group took an anti-Assad line, but without the emphatic “Assad must go” tone used by Obama three years ago. This time, the communique “reaffirmed that Assad has no legitimacy and has no role in Syria’s future.” How this change will be accomplished wasn’t explained, and probably hasn’t yet been agreed upon. The importance of the meeting was symbolic, but that’s not a trivial matter. In contrast to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who harangued Obama and lobbied against the Iran nuclear deal from the floor of Congress, the Gulf Arab leaders have said, in effect, that they’ll support the deal so long as Obama keeps Iranian proxies from advancing further in the Sunni world. For once, in the theater of the Middle East, the Arabs have opted to be the good guys, compared with an unyielding Israeli government. And Obama has responded with the sentiment conveyed by the Arabic expression, “Ahlan wa Sahlan.” You are welcome.
Ed Ciambrone, Production and Circulation Manager
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