A Bit on the Cairo Speech

And Also: A conservative leading panel in the 7th Circuit followed the 2nd (Sotomayor involved, not writing) and did not incorporate the 2nd Amendment. It was a bit of a slipshod effort, the opinion selectively citing FN23 of Heller for the point the question was left open (fair point). It did not cite the bit about the "Fourteenth Amendment inquiry required" to determine if incorporation is warranted. And, the inquiry performed was rather perfunctory.

To put things in perspective, and recalling my thoughts that just because Bush gave a good speech he wasn't a demigod, Obama's Cairo speech should be taken with some degree of perspective. This can be done along with praising it (or any number of other links; the comments there provide some criticism too). For instance, one of the contributors to the Your Call media round-up today suggested Obama was too supportive of the corrupt leadership of Egypt, his cites of the Koran was not all that and his policy proposals limited (a theme that does pop up some places).

Such voices really would be helpful on talk shows, to reaffirm Dionne's point referenced earlier. On a more positive note, Yolanda Pierce honored the skill of its craft (we can't rely too much on pretty words, but they have some value, and I do respect him for this) and made a connection between Obama's use of "choice" respecting the rights of women in the Muslim World and the Tiller murder. The money paragraph:

Our daughters can contribute just as much to society as our sons, and our common prosperity will be advanced by allowing all humanity – men and women – to reach their full potential. I do not believe that women must make the same choices as men in order to be equal, and I respect those women who choose to live their lives in traditional roles. But it should be their choice. That is why the United States will partner with any Muslim-majority country to support expanded literacy for girls, and to help young women pursue employment through micro-financing that helps people live their dreams.

By chance, I caught most of it after awaking early enough to catch much of it live. The pro-speech commentary on BBC America was interesting too, maybe it was the accents, but the analysis provided seemed superior that is often shown around here. To add one more thing, some did not appreciate his remarks on the Palestinians, but it warrants some respect, including a reminder about the daily indignities they suffer -- outside of left outlets, such things are not regularly heard.

The proof is in the action, but it's June, 2009. He has time there.