Obama's come-to-Allah speech

In another effort to reach out to the Muslim world, President Obama landed in Cairo, Egypt to give a speech at Cairo University. I applaud this effort as nobody can deny the tension between Islam and the West, especially after the 9/11 attacks and the Madrid and London terrorist bombings. However, I think he's preaching to the choir and although the speech is well delivered and well received, I'm sure the Islamist terrorists remain bent on destroying the West and Israel.

Seriously, the Muslims in the audience have absolutely no influence on the terrorists. How do you get a terrorist to listen to you? Certainly not through a well written speech. You get a terrorist's attention by hunting one down, lock him up, and maybe with the help of an "enhanced interrogation technique."

The New York Post makes an interesting point:

But if world peace is attained by complimenting those on the other side into submission, he made some serious progress.

Obama really buttered them up in Cairo.

He thanked them for everything from algebra to the pen, though he curiously failed to mention that they often throw people in prison for using it.

Exactly. Even though President Obama offers such praise of the Muslim world:

...share common principles -- principles of justice and progress; tolerance and the dignity of all human beings.

How come the news coming from the Muslim world are often those of gender discrimination, honor killings, and suppression of free speech? If the religion of Islam indeed share those common principles, then clearly many Muslim governments are not putting those into practice. And it is profoundly unfortunate that the West sees this dark side of Islam, but then where are the Muslim critics of his or her own unjust leaders and governments? Rarely do we hear a Muslim criticize those who pervert his or her religion.

And about Israel:

America's strong bonds with Israel are well known. This bond is unbreakable. It is based upon cultural and historical ties, and the recognition that the aspiration for a Jewish homeland is rooted in a tragic history that cannot be denied.

Around the world, the Jewish people were persecuted for centuries, and anti-Semitism in Europe culminated in an unprecedented Holocaust. Tomorrow, I will visit Buchenwald, which was part of a network of camps where Jews were enslaved, tortured, shot and gassed to death by the Third Reich. Six million Jews were killed -- more than the entire Jewish population of Israel today. Denying that fact is baseless, it is ignorant, and it is hateful. Threatening Israel with destruction -- or repeating vile stereotypes about Jews -- is deeply wrong, and only serves to evoke in the minds of Israelis this most painful of memories while preventing the peace that the people of this region deserve.

I did notice that there's no "(Applause)" after this part of the speech, whereas when he talked about the plight of the Palestinians, the audience clapped. Makes you wonder, doesn't it? However, I'm glad he did talk about the Holocaust and anti-Semitism as a warning to Iranian President Ahmadinejad. Yet it's clear that some Israelis see their relation with America souring -- there's currently an anti-Obama campaign that is gathering steam.

President Obama needs to be clear to the world: Israel will always be a close friend. That region is so hostile and unstable that when Israel's enemies sniff a weakened U.S.-Israeli tie, they will definitely take advantage. We must remain at Israel's side. Always.

Overall the President gave a great speech being the talented orator that he is. But parts of the speech did sound like he was talking to the American people on domestic issues rather than to an audience in Egypt. His effort is appreciated and an improved relationship with Muslims benefits everyone.

Obama should re-read the Declaration of Independence

I get it: Obama wants to define his presidency as one of tolerance, unity, and change. That's probably why he made a global fool of himself while speaking in Turkey:

President Obama told reporters in Turkey that America is not defined by any one religion. "I've said before that one of the great strengths of the United States is, although as I mentioned we have a very large Christian population, we do not consider ourselves a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation. We consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values," said the president.

Is he not fan of U.S. history and our Founding Fathers? The Declaration of Independence, which founded the country, contains the words "God" and "Creator" and "Divine Providence." Look at the U.S. currency: "In God We Trust." Many leaders end their speeches with "God bless America"...

We are a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values and are not afraid to stand up for God (unless you're a President worried about how Muslims perceive you).

Obama tries to be a great communicator

The grueling 2008 presidential campaign and was full of surprises. I don't think there's ever been such a dynamic campaign season in past history. We saw the coronation of Hillary Clinton fizzle as the junior senator from Illinois with a thin resume, Barack H. Obama, charmed and talked his way into the White House.

In the beginning it was all about the Iraq War and by association, the War on Terror. This was an easy shot for Obama, just keep talking about the "unjust" war and voters will gravitate toward the candidate. It was a good strategy and it made sense politically, but more importantly it was working. But as luck would have it, subsequently the economy faltered and everybody's eyes were on Wall Street.

In my view candidate Obama was ready to deal with the War in Iraq, but clueless about saving the economy. I'm starting to believe that his team made extra efforts in strategizing the anti-war platform without paying much attention to the economy, thinking that the War would dominate headlines throughout the campaign season and that the War would be Americans' #1 concern.

Ooooops. Big oooooops.

America won the Iraq War, albeit with great casualties -- not just the fallen soldiers, but also for some politicians. Obama swears in as President in January, and now he's faced with a much tougher issue: the economic recession. This problem cannot be tackled by withdrawing troops or cutting military spending. This problem requires seasoned, talented cabinet members, and it is fought with policies and negotiations instead of bullets and tanks.

I believe he saw the presidency as a career goal and nothing else. He cares not for America, but for his own fame. How else could you explain his obsessive and excessive use of the Teleprompter? Or appearing on TV shows? Or calling prime time press conferences? It seems that this man worries more about his own image and polling numbers than anything else. Has he realized yet that sometimes doing the right thing isn't popular?

President Ronald Reagan was a citizen's president and a great communicator. Obama definitely inspires to be like Reagan, but he is struggling big time. Both are charismatic, charming, great orators. So what made Reagan so effective but Obama so jaded?

It's something deep within, my friends. Reagan was truly passionate about defeating communism, defending America, and inspiring Americans. And Obama? He looks like a college student hoping to pass a public speaking course.

Obama's traveling companion

The teleprompter, don't leave home without it.

Evidently Obama is hitting the campaign trail with the device. He is known for his speechmaking, but reading off a teleprompter makes him even more distant to the audience.

Obama has foot-in-mouth disease

"You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig."

That's what Obama said in a town hall meeting in Virginia. Good way to send another drove of women voters to McCain.

I predict there will be some major personnel departures within the Obama campaign before election day.

McCain's acceptance

John McCain accepts the GOP's nomination for the president of the United States. What's with those Code Pink idiots?

...and off to Wisconsin soon after! Only two months left before the general election.

Palin finished speech without teleprompter

There's a report that Palin finished her speech without the teleprompter as it continued scrolling during applause breaks... Apparently Rudy had to wing his speech as well.

Very impressive.

Huckabee hit a home run, too

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee ran a respectable campaign with almost nothing. His speech praised Obama's historic nomination, took a jab at the elite media, and shared a very touching story about freedom.

Hmmm, how about a Palin/Huckabee ticket in 2012?