The President's Speech in Cairo

To my surprise, I received this email from the office of White House Counsel David Axelrod today:

"Hello -

As a Senior Advisor to the President, I'm here in Cairo, Egypt where I watched President Obama deliver an unprecedented speech calling for a new beginning for the United States and Muslim communities around the world.

We all know that there has been tension between the United States and some Muslim communities. But, as the President said this morning, if all sides face the sources of tension squarely and focus on mutual interests, we can find a new way forward.

The President outlined some big goals for this new beginning in his speech -- including disrupting, dismantling, and defeating violent extremism. It was a historic speech, and since many Americans were asleep at the time it was given we wanted to make sure you had a chance to see it:

Majority-Muslim countries around the world are filled with extraordinary people who simply want to live their lives and see their children live better lives, just as in America. Indeed, part of what makes America great is having nearly seven million Muslim Americans living here today and enriching our culture and communities.

We can extend that kind of relationship abroad. It won't always be easy, but if we make an effort to bridge our differences rather than resigning ourselves to animosity, we can move toward a more peaceful world over time."

Thank you,
David Axelrod
Senior Advisor to the President

I assume this message went out to thousands of bloggers on both sides of the political spectrum, but I am grateful for the chance to watch the entire 55-minute speech, which is without doubt an important event. Here it is:




I was awaiting this speech with a great deal of trepidation because I was concerned that it would be another step in Obama's so-called "apology tour", in which he goes to foreign audiences and recites past American mistakes without duly crediting the great contributions we have made toward making the world a better place. After viewing the speech in its entirety, I guess Obama did what he intended to do-split it down the middle.

Did he pander to his audience? Of course he did, and they applauded him for it. Did he overstate the Muslim influence in American history and society? Of course. True, he touched most of the bases I wanted him to touch. He spoke out forcefully against "the extremists" (though not mentioning the word terror). He promoted religious tolerance (while describing Islam as a bastion of religious tolerance). He talked of 9-11. He defended the war in Afghanistan (but not Iraq). He spoke of America's commitment to Israel and that country's right to exist while condemning the idea of settlements which he said must be stopped. I wish he had spoken of the positive things America had done for Muslims in Kuwait, Bosnia, Kosovo and the tsunami-stricken areas of Indonesia and Southern Thailand.

What I found most objectionable were the mea culpas about Iraq (war of choice), Guantanemo Bay and torture (which consisted of water boarding three high-level al-Qaida members after 9-11). He even mentioned Muslims being victimized by colonialism without pointing out that said colonialism was carried out by the Ottoman Empire and Britain and France after World War 1-not the US.

I thought it was telling when the President's remarks were met by applause and when they were not. When he spoke glowingly of Islam and quoted the Koran, there was applause. When he offered support to the Palestinians, there was applause. In contrast, there was no applause when he defended America or spoke out against "extremism"-except when he quoted the Koran's passage about killing one innocent person=killing all of mankind. There was no applause when he spoke of Israel's right to exist or the need for Palestinians to forsake violence. There was applause when he spoke of equal rights for women, but the camera didn't show us who in the audience was applauding-men or women.

The real test will be if this speech even begins initial steps toward an improvement regarding Islamic terrorism, the Israel-Palestinian issue or Muslim relations with the West world. Will this speech moderate the speech coming out of so many mosques and madrasses? Will it expedite a peace between Israel and the Palestinians? I am skeptical. Nevertheless, I give it a higher grade than many conservative pundits, but nowhere near the high marks that are coming from the left.