Thus Spake Obama--And Thus They Responded

For those who missed Obama's speech, Fox has a transcript up.

The response of the JBlogosphere is anger. So for the moment, let's go outside to a blogger, Ed Morrissey, whose opinion I respect, who thinks that Obama did a good job--considering his audience:

Obama added this scolding to Arab nations, though, that may have come as a surprise:

Finally, the Arab States must recognize that the Arab Peace Initiative was an important beginning, but not the end of their responsibilities. The Arab-Israeli conflict should no longer be used to distract the people of Arab nations from other problems. Instead, it must be a cause for action to help the Palestinian people develop the institutions that will sustain their state; to recognize Israel’s legitimacy; and to choose progress over a self-defeating focus on the past.

That was a not-so-subtle jab at the practice of various Arab and Muslim states to use the Palestinian issue to whip up anti-Israel sentiment for their own domestic purposes. Egypt has diplomatic relations with Israel, but is not above doing some of that itself, which makes this jab a little more sharp, given the setting. It seems a little surprising — and refreshing — that Obama would challenge this practice in a speech in Cairo.

Naturally, Obama plays to his audience and can push them so far. For instance, he referred to 8 million Muslims living in the US--CAIR's numbers--when more authoritative sources put it at much less. And that means playing into the audience's feelings about Israel:

Obama appeared to blame Israel for the misery of the Gazans, rather than Hamas, who keeps launching wars against Israel. Obama could have shown a little more backbone in pointing that out, and it seems like pandering to have avoided it. However, he did instruct the audience about Israel’s right to exist:

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, ignorant, and 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. [emphasis added]

I am no fan of Obama, but he did take advantage of the widest possible Muslim audience (live and virtual) to say things that go directly against what they are hearing from their most respected leaders. By the same token, Morrissey must admit--albeit begrudgingly--that Obama did pander to his audience. Pandering in this case meaning both exaggerated and fawning comments regarding Islam and the Arab world as well as exaggerated and negative comments about Israel.

How much pandering?

Check out Elder of Ziyon, Yid With Lid, Israel Matzav, Israellycool, Daniel Pipes and Boker Tov, Boulder--they all point out what Obama could have said, should have said, and had no business saying.

Michelle Malkin, Gateway Pundit, Jihad Watch and Huffington Post are also less than impressed.

That leaves only one question:

Did it work? [Washington Post’s Howard] Schneider [check his Twitter coverage] says it only received light applause at the end, so perhaps Obama told a few too many hard truths for Egyptian tastes — which is why we questioned that decision. On the whole, though, Obama defended American positions on Israel and Afghanistan with more strength than he does here at home.

Of course, the big question will be whether this does anything at all for our standing in the Muslim world. Frankly, I doubt it; this may wind up eroding Obama’s standing instead. Still, a much better effort than I’d feared.

Of course, what the audience will remember afterwards will only be what they wanted to hear, and they will forget or ignore the rest as something that Obama had to say for the benefit of Israel. As a politician, Obama knows full well that your audience will not absorb your talking points unless they hear them repeatedly. So the point of that aspect of his speech is not to change minds about Israel as much as to reassure Israel and Jews back in the US.

The Arab world will of course say that Obama could have said more.

As far as Israel is concerned, Obama probably should have said less.

Here is reaction to Obama's speech--from Israel and from the Arab world.

From Israel:

MK Danny Danon (Likud): “The president has crossed all lines. His implied comparison between the Israeli government and the Nazi regime said everything. He has made a covenant with the Arab world and rewarded it for more than 60 years of aggression.”

MK Aryeh Eldad (National Union): “Obama makes a shocking parallel between the destruction of European Jewry and the suffering that the Arabs of Israel brought upon themselves when they declared war on Israel.”
MK Eldad: How dare Obama compare Arab refugee suffering to the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust?

“If Obama does not understand the difference between them, perhaps he will understand it better when he visits the Buchenwald concentration camp in the comings days. And if he doesn’t understand it even there, then Islam will once again teach it to him, just as it taught his predecessor on 9/11.”

Regarding Obama’s praise of Islam, Eldad said, “Obama spoke more from his own heart and less from genuine understanding of the direction Islam is taking around the world. Whoever thinks that the establishment of a Palestinian state will stop the war in Darfur, India, Chechnya, and Europe will apparently soon learn that Israel is not willing to be the ‘pound of flesh’ that he wants to throw to the Muslims.”

MK Dr. Michael Ben-Ari (National Union) said: “The Zionist vision of the rebuilding of the Land of Israel is stronger than any president or government. We outlasted Pharaoh, and we will outlast Obama.”

Obama said, "The United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements. It is time for these settlements to stop."

Ben-Ari said, “Everyone can now see that Obama is not interested in Maoz Esther, but in Jerusalem.

MK Zevulun Orlev (Jewish Home): "The speech arouses fears and concerns regarding the future of American relations towards Israel. I fear an erosion of the traditional American commitment to Israel’s security needs and its very existence and independence. Our response must not be to cave in, but rather to have dialogue with, and persuade the Administration, while waging an emergency call-up of all the resources of Israel and the Jewish nation. ”

MK Ophir Pines-Paz (Labor): “Though things might be understood differently, I believe that Israel can be the big winner from the American change in approach… I am sorry that he said nothing about the return of Gilad Shalit as one of the confidence-building gestures that should be implemented.”

MK Zev Boim, formerly of the Likud – where he nominally opposed the Disengagement - and now of Kadima: “Obama’s stance on the Palestinian issue is identical to that of Kadima. It is too bad that Netanyahu, because of narrow political considerations, is unable to join the idea of two states for two peoples, which is the only idea that can guarantee Israel’s existence as a Jewish state.”

Col. (ret.) Moti Yogev told Channel One television news, "Obama's speech was very professional and peace-seeking. But he quoted our Sages, which he attributed to the Quran, and the same Sages and sources have spoken of the Jewish People's right to this Land. Just as he said that the State of Israel will not disappear, the same is true about the settlements in Judea and Samaria."
Yogev added, "Though the speech was not inflammatory, I am sure that it will give a push to the settlement effort throughout Judea and Samaria, and we will grow even stronger than the five percent growth rate we already enjoy."

Meretz Party chairman MK Chaim Oron: “The speech was inspired, optimistic, and heralded a new spirit that seemed to have disappeared from the region.”

From the Arab world:

"President Obama is a brave president. ... We hope he will open a new chapter with the Islamic world and Arab nations in particular." — Mithwan Hussein, a Baghdad resident.
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"Bush and Clinton said the same about a Palestinian state, but they've done nothing, so why should we believe this guy?" — Ali Tottah, 82, a Palestinian refugee speaking at the Baqaa refugee camp in Jordan.
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"There is a change between the speech of President Obama and previous speeches made by George Bush. But today's remarks at Cairo University were based on soft diplomacy to brighten the image of the United States." — Fawzi Barhoum, a Hamas spokesman in Gaza.
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"Obama's speech is an attempt to mislead people and create more illusions to improve America's aggressive image in the Arab and Islamic world." — A joint statement by eight Damascus, Syria-based radical Palestinian factions, including Hamas.
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"Why did he not come here to Gaza, instead of going to Egypt? He is welcome to come and see, to inspect with his own eyes, to see the war crimes and the new Holocaust." — Mohammed Khader, 47, whose house in Gaza was leveled by Israeli troops during the recent three-week offensive against Hamas.
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"It was actually better than we expected, but not as good as we hoped. ... His stance on democracy was very general, a bit weak, we hoped for more detail." — Ayman Nour, an Egyptian dissident recently released from prison.
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"I grew up as a Muslim, and some religious leaders told us to hate other people. So he was speaking directly at me, telling us to stop hating Israelis and Jews. He is the most powerful man in the world and millions of people around the Middle East will see hope in what he said." — Hani Ameer, an Iraqi immigrant in London.
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"It still was a speech about what America wants. Maybe that's only natural, because he wants to protect American interests in the region. ... But I really do believe he envisions a world that is pluralistic, where different religions can live peacefully together, with respect, as he himself experienced in Indonesia." — Edi Kusyanto, a teacher at the school in Indonesia where Obama went as a child.
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"Obama's attempt was positive but not effective. As long as the U.S is supporting Israel there will be no hope for better U.S.-Islamic relations." — Niloofar Mirmohebi, an Iranian student in Tehran.
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"The part of Obama's speech regarding the Palestinian issue is an important step under new beginnings. ... This is the beginning of a new American policy and this policy is creating a new atmosphere to build the Palestinian state." — Nabil Abu Rdeneh, a spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
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"He was very generous in his comments about Islam's contributions to civilization. ... There also hasn't really been any other Western leader who has expressed such commitment to fighting negative stereotypes regarding Muslims." — Chandra Muzaffar, president of the International Movement for a Just World think-tank in Malaysia.
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"This vision is so out of touch with reality. ... You can have your speechwriters find every good thing a Muslim has every done. But more modern history is that the Muslim world is at war with the Western world." — Aliza Herbst, 56, a spokeswoman for Yesha, the West Bank settlers' council.
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"It was very positive. A president with the middle name of Hussein being in Cairo talking about collaboration means a lot for Muslims." — Malek Sitez, an international law expert in Kabul, Afghanistan.
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"It's one of the most important speeches ever delivered, a key speech for changing the climate in the Middle East. Israel will make a big mistake if it ignores it." — Yuli Tamir, a dovish Israeli lawmaker.
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"I challenge any Arab leader to go to the U.S. or the West and quote the Bible like Obama quoted the Quran." — Rabah al-Mutawa, a Saudi woman in Riyadh.
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"Whatever wounds America has inflicted on the world, they are very deep and they cannot be erased away by only one speech." — Pakistani political analyst Siraj Wahab, speaking on Aaj TV.

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"This is the first president we see in the United States that is talking about the Palestinian issue, resolving the Palestinian issue in the first six months of his presidency. Usually, it's in the last two months of the presidency." _ Saad Hariri, leader of Lebanon's parliamentary majority.

Crossposted on Soccer Dad

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