By Pelin Turgut / Istanbul Sunday, Apr. 05, 2009 American presidents have visited Turkey before but never this soon into their presidency. That's just one reason why Barack Obama's arrival this Sunday evening has all of Turkey aflutter. Turks see Obama's visit as proof of his commitment to building bridges with the Muslim world, as well as a reflection of the new administration's desire to have Turkey — with a Muslim majority but officially secular, democratic and a candidate for E.U. entry — play a much bigger role in the wider region. Before his election Obama promised to visit a Muslim country within his first few months as president — and he has chosen one that had fraught relations with his predecessor in the White House. In 2003, Ankara broke with its traditional ally by refusing U.S. troops passage through Turkish territory to neighboring Iraq, an act of defiance from which ties never fully recovered. Public support for the U.S. in Turkey fell to historic lows a
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