President Obama's Speech Today In Cairo

I just finished watching his speech to the University students and I was impressed with it . They applauded many times and cheered at other times as well. He seems to be doing a very good job of trying to mend relations with everyone and his speech did an outstanding job at the first step in doing so. So did anyone else hear it and what are your thoughts?

 

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Now that Obama has outlined some basics to foreign audiences, he should repeat it to USAmericans, and repeat it until it sinks in even for those of us who have been deeply conditioned to the contrary. We are not at war with Islam, and we respect the human rights of all without prejudice.

These elementary concepts must penetrate the collective US psyche enough to be put into consistent action, before things will change for the better. Obama's words in Cairo were important, but their consistency will be more important, as he faces the xenophobic and zionist backlash that will swiftly follow.

 

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It was a good! Watch him, he is going to get Bin Laden, and may even solve the Israel - Palestine issue. He said many things that should have been said a long time ago.

 

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Yes he's doing a good job in this regard.

 

No comment on the plight of indigenous minorities. Nor should I be surprised, really.

 

The man has a gift of speaking. GOOD.

I hope that the Muslim street take it as positively as the seemingly liberal audience that was there took it.

 

That's a tall order. I'm just hoping for a peaceful pull-out of Iraq and no-terrorist strikes on US soil for the next decade. I'll consider it a success if he pulls that off.

~String

 

I think you will be impressed and amazed at what is to come.

 

I'm hopeful.

The speech was good.

I think he goofed though. When talking about defending women's rights to wear a head covering, he used the word "hajib" and not "hijab". I thought "hijab" was the correct word (I may be wrong).

~String

 

Could be, Liz Cheney objected to the same part of his speech not because of the pronounciation but because she thought other womens issues should have been mentioned instead of the hajab or hijab. I think the speech left Liz pretty desperate.

 

Well this is politics, Joe. Not to distract away from the point (and, make no mistake, I really liked the speech), there's no way the right wasn't going to nit-pick this. Likewise, there wasn't/isn't a speech by any conservative that can't be picked apart by the left.

Back on topic. One of the things about the speech that I found interesting was how he didn't shy away from some of the tough issues. Without mentioning Iran specifically, he didn't back down about Iran's BS regarding Israel and Jews. He didn't back down about Al Queda and the 9/11 attacks. I was expecting a soft, touchy-feely speech. There was some aggression and even a hint of ultimata in there.

A well written; well delivered speech.

~String

 

And who the fuck is she to be commenting on foriegn policy?

 

Well, she sits on a LOT of boards of directors. Duh.

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Oh. That's LYNN Cheny, not Liz. Oops.

~String

 

A "hajib" was a kind of governmental officer in certain parts of the Islamic world from 750 A.D. to the fall of Islamic Spain. I am no expert, but I am pretty sure that neither under Sharia nor under western law would women be permitted to wear them as head coverings while in public.

 

A great orator. A seemingly sincere, candid, truthful, and I think, courageous speech. Of course words are pointless without action. Time will tell.

In a nutshell, I take my hat of to this man for saying what needs to be said. It is now on the record for future referral. His integrity, and the integrity of the US, will live or die by these words.

On a purely personal and subjective note, there is something very likable about Obama. Anyone else feel this way?

 

Hehe. In a good way I hope?

I did like his allusion to some of the issues facing the face-a-face showdown that is occurring between the islamic world and the Western one. He did obliquely mention the idiotic conspiracy theory about 9/11, which was still too late in coming (Bush did no better and much worse, of course).

However, he still seems to be taking that Espositish stance that Arabism is only reactive, not active in its own right. A silly position, and actually a bit demeaning when you stop to think about it.

 

Just hearing his speech as I was travelling/hanging out all day yesterday.

About 50 minutes into it now. Seems like his speech is geared more towards addressing stereotypes of Muslims, with mega sops to the Jews. I thought he did a good job of addressing the issues with politics in the Middle East though some of his remarks [America does not choose to select who wins in the elections] were a bit ironic.

The audience participated well. No one laughed at the hajib.

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The Israelis did not like it much, it seems [WARNING: offensive]. Seemed to me Obama's jab at considering one people better than another leading to failure in the modern world was directed at them.

But I am impressed with his ability with words. Now to see how his actions match up to them.

 

But more importantly is to see how others comply with what they say they are going to do. It is easy to say he is going to try and resolve the problems but when it comes right down to getting it done, that's when others are the real players and they must do what they can to get it done.

 

Ali Abunimah has written his opinion on Obama's speech. As some one well aware of the Middle East political scenario, his review is quite on-the-spot

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jun/04/barack-obama-middleeast

 

He seemed likable until I found out more about him.