President Obama at Cairo, Egypt

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.

And the speech

  • 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.

Long way to go Mr. Garg !!