June 2009

[Sweder]

Terrific speech by President Barack Obama this morning at Cairo University. I got back from a warm morning flog across the hills just in time to listen, spellbound, to his fearless delivery, earnest sweat splashing on my wooden office floor as his words resonated around the world.

It remains to be seen if regional leaders can find the humility to respond in kind or if they will drag out their moth-eaten sacks of rhetoric to release damnation, to curse the infidels one more time. Obama said at his inauguration that he would 'hold out his hand where before there had been a fist', and here it was, palm open, arm extended. Lets hope no-one tries to bite it off.

Obama's speech was, of course, 'just' another collection of words. However the substance therein, and the sincerity and humility with which they were delivered, brought a chill to my spine and raised the hairs on my arms. This man believes it to be his destiny to seek and create a brave new fear-free world. He has a hideous fight ahead, at home and abroad. But anyone who doubted his intentions back on that crazy night in Chicago at the end of last year, or his words amidst the pomp and circumastance in DC this January should watch/ read this address.

Bill Clinton believed in a place called Hope. This man truly knows the meaning of that word, and he's working to bring it to the world.

Video (BBC website speech in full)

Transcript (White House website)