On Avoiding the Middle East

When the United States was discovered for the Anglo Saxon world, Colombus came here on a mission, he was trying to find a way to India by avoiding the Middle East. Now this was 500 or more years ago. They were avoiding the Middle East. Shouldn't we learn something?  

And Colombus was willing to defy science because at that time they believe you could fall of the Earth because it was flat. But he was willing to fall off the Earth rather than go through the Middle East.  

Jesse Ventura