Helene Cooper
Dana Milbank
Ben Bernanke
Shimon Peres
Barack Obama
"Are the winds of change indeed sweeping the Middle East or is it my hyperactive imagination coupled with my Obamania that is playing tricks?" - Ajaz Zaka Syed
To read the full text of Obama's Cairo speech, click on this link.
To read the full text of Obama's Cairo speech, click on this link.
Funny, as I begin this I haven't yet heard President Obama's Cairo speech, but I am collecting lots of reaction to it from around the world. The BBC has some of the first official responses: ISRAELI GOVERNMENT - "The government of Israel expresses its hope that President Obama's important speech will indeed lead to a new era of reconciliation between the Arab and Muslim world and Israel. We share the hope of President Obama that the American effort will signal a new era that will bring an end to the conflict and a pan-Arab recognition of Israel as the Jewish state living in security and peace in the Middle East. Israel is committed to peace and will do its utmost to expand the circle of peace while taking into consideration its national interests, security first and foremost."
AMR MOUSSA, HEAD OF THE ARAB LEAGUE - "I feel that the speech was balanced and offered a new vision of rapprochement regarding relations with Islamic states. [His speech shows that the US] will deal with the region's issues with a sense of balance. This includes the Palestinian question, the end to Israeli settlements, Palestinian rights, which must be respected."
One of the reasons that Egypt was picked as the place for Obama's speech may have been the outcome from a confidential meeting a few months ago between the president and the Muslim Brotherhood, seeking ways to promote peace in the region. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak did not attend the speech, while several sheiks from the Sufi Orders were invited. Most of the official media outlets are all owned by oil conglomerates, so there will a sameness to the coverage.
Overall, there was a wide variety of responses, depending on your opinion of our president. On the Arab streets, it was fairly cynical, saying talk is cheap, let's see different action from America than we have in the past. The Iranian reaction was negative, of course, but they are really concentrating more on their upcoming election and celebrating the anniversary of the Ayetollah Khomeni, their religious version of Elvis...
Here is a sampling of the negative reaction from an Arab perspective, from that Angry Arab himself, As’ad AbuKhalil.: "Fair enough, but did Obama really imagine that such words would impress an Arab public that watched in horror as Israel slaughtered 1,400 people in Gaza last winter, including hundreds of sleeping, fleeing or terrified children, with American-supplied weapons? Did he think his listeners would not remember that the number of Palestinian and Lebanese civilians targeted and killed by Israel has always far exceeded by orders of magnitude the number of Israelis killed by Arabs precisely because of the American arms he has pledged to continue giving Israel with no accountability? Amnesty International recently confirmed what Palestinians long knew: Israel broke the negotiated ceasefire when it attacked Gaza last November 4, prompting retaliatory rockets that killed no Israelis until after Israel launched its much bigger attack on Gaza. That he continues to remain silent about what happened in Gaza, and refuses to hold Israel accountable demonstrates anything but a commitment to full truth-telling."
Here in America it's hard to get excited when such a large proportion of the population has a negative view of Muslims, according to a poll done for al Jazeera: "As Barack Obama, the US president, seeks to mend the image of the US in the Muslim world, a new survey indicates almost half of Americans have a negative opinion about Muslim countries.
The 46 per cent of respondents who held an unfavourable view of Islamic nations was up five per cent from 2002, while just 20 per cent said they held a positive opinion.
"It's pretty difficult to think much about folks that are seriously trying to kill us or kill anybody who doesn't believe the way they do; so, I am not very happy with those folks," Chuck Hauptman, a Billings, Montana resident, told Al Jazeera recently.
Greg Smith, a researcher with the Pew Forum on Religion in Washington, says most Americans' views of Muslims are heavily influenced by what they see on television and read in newspapers.
"The number one answer people give us when we ask them what's most important in shaping their views on Islam is the media," Smith says.
"It's people who have a negative view of Muslims and Islam in particular who are most likely to say their opinion is shaped largely by what they see in the media." Good job, Fox News...
Politico's the Arena has some first reactions from around the US: "Kristin Lord, Vice President, Dir. of Studies, Center for a New American Security:The president deserves an A+ for this exceptional speech. He spoke plainly about the complex issues that divide the United States and many of the world’s Muslims -- but in frankly acknowledging their complexity, showed a path forward. He demonstrated deep respect for Islam, but called on Muslims to address deficits in religious tolerance, human rights, and democratic governance. He offered U.S. assistance in promoting education and innovation, but called on Muslim societies to invest in those objectives. He grounded his speech in the principles of Islam, but also in the principles of Judaism and Christianity."
Here in America it's hard to get excited when such a large proportion of the population has a negative view of Muslims, according to a poll done for al Jazeera: "As Barack Obama, the US president, seeks to mend the image of the US in the Muslim world, a new survey indicates almost half of Americans have a negative opinion about Muslim countries.
The 46 per cent of respondents who held an unfavourable view of Islamic nations was up five per cent from 2002, while just 20 per cent said they held a positive opinion.
"It's pretty difficult to think much about folks that are seriously trying to kill us or kill anybody who doesn't believe the way they do; so, I am not very happy with those folks," Chuck Hauptman, a Billings, Montana resident, told Al Jazeera recently.
Greg Smith, a researcher with the Pew Forum on Religion in Washington, says most Americans' views of Muslims are heavily influenced by what they see on television and read in newspapers.
"The number one answer people give us when we ask them what's most important in shaping their views on Islam is the media," Smith says.
"It's people who have a negative view of Muslims and Islam in particular who are most likely to say their opinion is shaped largely by what they see in the media." Good job, Fox News...
Politico's the Arena has some first reactions from around the US: "Kristin Lord, Vice President, Dir. of Studies, Center for a New American Security:The president deserves an A+ for this exceptional speech. He spoke plainly about the complex issues that divide the United States and many of the world’s Muslims -- but in frankly acknowledging their complexity, showed a path forward. He demonstrated deep respect for Islam, but called on Muslims to address deficits in religious tolerance, human rights, and democratic governance. He offered U.S. assistance in promoting education and innovation, but called on Muslim societies to invest in those objectives. He grounded his speech in the principles of Islam, but also in the principles of Judaism and Christianity."
According to Roger Simon it was a tough crowd. Maybe he should have brought along Jay Leno for a warm-up act: "You want a tough crowd? Go to Cairo and deliver a speech on Muslims, Jews, terrorism and the possibilities of Mideast peace.
While President Barack Obama received some applause and cheers during his address at Cairo University Thursday, at other times his speech fell flatter than a piece of pita bread.
It was to be expected. According to Juan Cole, a professor of modern Middle Eastern and South Asian history at the University of Michigan, Egypt was always going to be “the toughest room for the president to work” on his current foreign trip. Cole believes that the Egyptian public is “sullen” and distrustful of Obama and American intentions in the Mideast.
That showed. Speaking from a stage that looked like an American movie theater from a bygone era, complete with red velvet drapes and gold tassels, Obama hit all the right notes, but only some of them got the response he wanted.
When Obama quoted the Koran — “As the Holy Koran tells us, ‘Be conscious of God and speak always the truth’ ” — or praised Islam — “Throughout history, Islam has demonstrated through words and deeds the possibilities of religious tolerance and racial equality” — he got applause.
But other lines, such as when Obama vowed to protect the American people from violent attack, were met with stony silence." Pretty much like the response he gets in Congress. Well, time to go and read a whole bunch of extremist views from the crazy people, the same ones who support the killing of abortion doctors and openly foment racist views thinking they are being patriotic...
late night jokes: we begin with Conan enjoying working with top the rated joke writers that Jay Leno now misses...
"Despite opposition from the public, President Obama says he's determined to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay. To make sure Guantanamo Bay closes, Obama said the new warden will be the CEO of General Motors." --Conan O'Brien
"Joe Biden's busy. Last night in New York City, Vice President Joe Biden gave a speech at a $1,000 a plate fundraising dinner. Yeah. Yeah, and since Biden spoke before dinner, everyone's still waiting to eat." --Conan O'Brien
"Yesterday, Dick Cheney said his lesbian daughter Mary has convinced him to support gay marriage. Pretty cool, yeah. Yeah. Cheney made the announcement after Mary was spotted waterboarding him." --Conan O'Brien
"How about that Dick Cheney? Do you remember Dick Cheney? Now here's a guy we didn't really think much about until he goes hunting one day. And everything changed. I mean, he became Dick 'Kaboom' Cheney. He is now saying that Saddam Hussein had no connection with 9/11. Well, no harm done." --David Letterman
"And Cheney now is criticizing the Obama Administration because they're trying to close Guantanamo Bay. He says they don't have a clear plan for closing Gitmo. That's what Cheney says to the Obama Administration. And I was thinking, well, you know, Cheney is right, because that Iraq war thing was so well thought out." --David Letterman
"Then Cheney is on television yesterday. He's giving an hour-long speech. In the speech, he's defending waterboarding. I thought, boy, that's a tough call — would you rather be waterboarded or listen to Cheney for an hour?" --David Letterman
"Hey, how about General Motors? Oh, my gosh. It's crazy what's going on. General Motors, bankrupt. Biggest corporation in the world and now they still want money. They still want billions more bailout money. I think I speak for all Americans when I say, 'You want more money? Wait here while I talk to the manager. I'll be right back." --David Letterman
"There is a big announcement in North Korea. Kim Jong Il has named his son as his future successor. A president’s son becoming president? That would never happen here." --Craig Ferguson
"Hey, there’s a big story out of Washington. The President went on a date. We haven’t seen this since the Clinton Administration. But this was different. The President went on a date with his wife." --Craig Ferguson
"Over the weekend, Barack Obama took Michelle on a date. He and the First Lady flew to New York City, they had a fancy dinner and they went to see a Broadway show. Mr. President, I respect you, but knock it off! You’re making the rest of us look bad. Really, this is not the kind of change that I can believe in." --Craig Ferguson
"Apparently, the Obamas’ date was fulfilling a promise Barack made to Michelle. He told her once the campaign was over, he’d take her to New York for dinner and a Broadway show. I like that, because it makes Obama seem like any other married guy, doing stuff he doesn’t want to do because he promised the wife." --Craig Ferguson
"North Korea's Kim Jong-Il selected his 26-year-old son, Kim Jong-Un, as the next leader of North Korea. The selection process went like this, 'Hey, who's up for a vote? Just kidding, my son's going to do it. Come on.'" --Jimmy Fallon
"I'm so glad to see things working out for Lil' Kim." --Jimmy Fallon
"Best of luck to President Obama, who just left for his five-day trip to Egypt and Saudi Arabia. And good luck to Sasha and Malia on their first keg party. Whoo! Of course, the kegs will be full of Mountain Dew." --Jimmy Fallon
"President Obama's inviting Iranian government officials to the U.S. for our Fourth of July celebration. I guess the goal is to make them go: 'Death to America -- ah, ooh -- ah, that's nice. That one looks like a palm tree. I like the squiggly one.'" --Jimmy Fallon
"If you heard the news today, you know that the state of California is officially out of money. We have no money — one day without Leno, everything goes to hell around here." --Jimmy Kimmel
While President Barack Obama received some applause and cheers during his address at Cairo University Thursday, at other times his speech fell flatter than a piece of pita bread.
It was to be expected. According to Juan Cole, a professor of modern Middle Eastern and South Asian history at the University of Michigan, Egypt was always going to be “the toughest room for the president to work” on his current foreign trip. Cole believes that the Egyptian public is “sullen” and distrustful of Obama and American intentions in the Mideast.
That showed. Speaking from a stage that looked like an American movie theater from a bygone era, complete with red velvet drapes and gold tassels, Obama hit all the right notes, but only some of them got the response he wanted.
When Obama quoted the Koran — “As the Holy Koran tells us, ‘Be conscious of God and speak always the truth’ ” — or praised Islam — “Throughout history, Islam has demonstrated through words and deeds the possibilities of religious tolerance and racial equality” — he got applause.
But other lines, such as when Obama vowed to protect the American people from violent attack, were met with stony silence." Pretty much like the response he gets in Congress. Well, time to go and read a whole bunch of extremist views from the crazy people, the same ones who support the killing of abortion doctors and openly foment racist views thinking they are being patriotic...
late night jokes: we begin with Conan enjoying working with top the rated joke writers that Jay Leno now misses...
"Despite opposition from the public, President Obama says he's determined to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay. To make sure Guantanamo Bay closes, Obama said the new warden will be the CEO of General Motors." --Conan O'Brien
"Joe Biden's busy. Last night in New York City, Vice President Joe Biden gave a speech at a $1,000 a plate fundraising dinner. Yeah. Yeah, and since Biden spoke before dinner, everyone's still waiting to eat." --Conan O'Brien
"Yesterday, Dick Cheney said his lesbian daughter Mary has convinced him to support gay marriage. Pretty cool, yeah. Yeah. Cheney made the announcement after Mary was spotted waterboarding him." --Conan O'Brien
"How about that Dick Cheney? Do you remember Dick Cheney? Now here's a guy we didn't really think much about until he goes hunting one day. And everything changed. I mean, he became Dick 'Kaboom' Cheney. He is now saying that Saddam Hussein had no connection with 9/11. Well, no harm done." --David Letterman
"And Cheney now is criticizing the Obama Administration because they're trying to close Guantanamo Bay. He says they don't have a clear plan for closing Gitmo. That's what Cheney says to the Obama Administration. And I was thinking, well, you know, Cheney is right, because that Iraq war thing was so well thought out." --David Letterman
"Then Cheney is on television yesterday. He's giving an hour-long speech. In the speech, he's defending waterboarding. I thought, boy, that's a tough call — would you rather be waterboarded or listen to Cheney for an hour?" --David Letterman
"Hey, how about General Motors? Oh, my gosh. It's crazy what's going on. General Motors, bankrupt. Biggest corporation in the world and now they still want money. They still want billions more bailout money. I think I speak for all Americans when I say, 'You want more money? Wait here while I talk to the manager. I'll be right back." --David Letterman
"There is a big announcement in North Korea. Kim Jong Il has named his son as his future successor. A president’s son becoming president? That would never happen here." --Craig Ferguson
"Hey, there’s a big story out of Washington. The President went on a date. We haven’t seen this since the Clinton Administration. But this was different. The President went on a date with his wife." --Craig Ferguson
"Over the weekend, Barack Obama took Michelle on a date. He and the First Lady flew to New York City, they had a fancy dinner and they went to see a Broadway show. Mr. President, I respect you, but knock it off! You’re making the rest of us look bad. Really, this is not the kind of change that I can believe in." --Craig Ferguson
"Apparently, the Obamas’ date was fulfilling a promise Barack made to Michelle. He told her once the campaign was over, he’d take her to New York for dinner and a Broadway show. I like that, because it makes Obama seem like any other married guy, doing stuff he doesn’t want to do because he promised the wife." --Craig Ferguson
"North Korea's Kim Jong-Il selected his 26-year-old son, Kim Jong-Un, as the next leader of North Korea. The selection process went like this, 'Hey, who's up for a vote? Just kidding, my son's going to do it. Come on.'" --Jimmy Fallon
"I'm so glad to see things working out for Lil' Kim." --Jimmy Fallon
"Best of luck to President Obama, who just left for his five-day trip to Egypt and Saudi Arabia. And good luck to Sasha and Malia on their first keg party. Whoo! Of course, the kegs will be full of Mountain Dew." --Jimmy Fallon
"President Obama's inviting Iranian government officials to the U.S. for our Fourth of July celebration. I guess the goal is to make them go: 'Death to America -- ah, ooh -- ah, that's nice. That one looks like a palm tree. I like the squiggly one.'" --Jimmy Fallon
"If you heard the news today, you know that the state of California is officially out of money. We have no money — one day without Leno, everything goes to hell around here." --Jimmy Kimmel
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