Got blindsided Wednesday morning with the news that Dr Fouad Ajami passed away:

"Born in a village in southern Lebanon and raised in urban Beirut, Dr. Ajami straddled different worlds from a young age. He settled in the 1960s in the United States, where he pursued a career in academia, became a U.S. citizen and, in an era of extreme division between Western and Arab societies, became a chief, if controversial, interpreter of the Middle East.  

His books, articles and frequent television commentaries often had an elegiac quality to them. He lamented dictatorial Arab governments and became widely known for his views on Iraq, where he welcomed intervention by the United States."

My favorite article from Dr Ajami is from the 2008 campaign, actually a couple of weeks before people voted.   It was called "Obama and the politics of the crowds" and it was right on target:

"There is something odd -- and dare I say novel -- in American politics about the crowds that have been greeting Barack Obama on his campaign trail. Hitherto, crowds have not been a prominent feature of American politics. We associate them with the temper of Third World societies.

We think of places like Argentina and Egypt and Iran, of multitudes brought together by their zeal for a Peron or a Nasser or a Khomeini. In these kinds of societies, the crowd comes forth to affirm its faith in a redeemer: a man who would set the world right."

And Dr Ajami had a warning for the crowds - "the yes we can" screamers:

"The morning after the election, the disappointment will begin to settle upon the Obama crowd. Defeat -- by now unthinkable to the devotees -- will bring heartbreak. Victory will steadily deliver the sobering verdict that our troubles won't be solved by a leader's magic."

I saved this article and share it to as many young people as possible.  It is a landmark of a column and indicative of Dr Ajami's knowledge of history and human nature.

RIP Dr Ajami!

P. S. You can hear CANTO TALK here & follow me on Twitter @ scantojr.