President Obama's landmark speech at Cairo. Here is the youtube vid and complete transcript.
After watching President Obama speak, I realized that I have a long way to go before I even become an iota of what he is. In the speech, Obama ...
- Praised Islam, Muslims. Not flattery but genuine appreciation.
- Showed understanding of their culture. Used quotes from Koran.
- Defended America.
- Was delivered flawlessly (apart from two or three mistakes)
- Was not "read". He maintained eye contact throughout. Compare it with our leaders. They read from a paper. And forget that they are addressing an audience.
- Was well practiced. Evident from near perfect pronunciation of words like Koran and hijab.
- Took a lot of homework. Am sure this was written by a battery of diplomats and staff.
- Stated things clearly. There was no ambiguity. There were no minced words.
- Was firm and called for affirmative action.
