Mr. Erdoğan will be in Washington this week, and I thought you might be interested in this article previewing his visit and profiling the prime minister. It is from the Washington Post.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/turkeys-erdogan-to-air-policy-differences-with-obama/2013/05/12/bd947d54-b871-11e2-92f3-f291801936b8_story.html

I would say that the readers´ comments under this article are more interesting than the article itself.

Talks between Obama and Erdoğan depend heavily on how Kerry speaks his own piece.

Most Americans seem to feel that it is alright to freely plunder Middle East, but they somehow do not wish to attend the funerals that follow.

At the top of Page One of Thursday morning´s Washington Post, on the refugee crisis in Turkey:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/turkey-looks-for-international-aid-and-countries-to-host-refugees-in-syrian-crisis/2013/05/15/02c92392-bcb5-11e2-97d4-a479289a31f9_story.html

And here you can listen to the beginning of Mr. Obama and Mr. Erdoğan´s joint news conference at the White House:

http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000168879

Another news conference link showing the rain interfering:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2013/05/16/rain-mars-obamas-press-conference-video/

Interesting indeed. It seems Turkey could use some public "relations" work. I´ve noticed Turks are probably the only group that it´s "okay" to dump on. Anytime an archvillan is portrayed, it´s a Turk. The Kurds and Aremenians have been busy at work with their "public relations" for a loooong time. 

Sorry, it´s embarassing, really.

This is what happens when the government is in the hands of those who feel too shy to display their national stand.

A little bit of excitement for me today, dostlar. I think I may have seen your prime minister´s motorcade! Or perhaps it was just the foreign minister or defense minister, but still!

I pass the Turkish Embassy on my way to work, and today the traffic was very bad. I was trying to figure out the cause when I realized I was only a couple of blocks from the embassy. I peered around the cars in front of me just in time to see the official black vehicles coming out of the embassy gate. Then as the traffic began to move again, I passed a large black sedan and two vans with Turkish flags. I thought, "It´s Erdoğan!" But now that I think about it, there was not enough of a police presence (dignitaries are often escorted). So maybe it was just one of his ministers. But the cars I saw come out of the gate may have been Erdoğan speeding ahead. 

I had my Barış CD playing, as usual, so I opened the windows and turned up the music, but no one heard. Everyone was running air conditioning!

Oh well. I enjoyed it.

President Obama is facing lots of criticism here these days, but here is something that is just silly -- from the Obama-Erdoğan news conference. 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-puts-marines-on-umbrella-duty-irking-conservatives/2013/05/17/cad75a5a-bf0f-11e2-97d4-a479289a31f9_story.html

An umbrella shakes mighty USA. It is so funny.