Postmodern Reaction to Obama in Cairo

I thought I'd put up a mirror entry to my earlier post, "Neocon Reaction to Obama in Cairo."

So, what's happening on the radical left? How are the postmodernists framing President Hussein Obama's speech to the Muslim world. Well, a good start can be found in Rachel Maddow's positively orgasmic response to the president's speech:

So, let's take a look around the leftosphere and the liberal media for some of the postmodern commentary.

The Mahablog, for example, loves how Obama elevates everyone else's interests above our own:

With the Bush Administration, everything always was about them. I dimly remember a news story (if you can find this and link to it, I’d be grateful) in which Condi Rice was in the Mideast, meeting with representatives of several Mideastern countries. She dictated to them what the United States expected from them, adding something to the effect of “this is what we want for you.” Someone spoke up and countered, “What about what we want for ourselves?”

Well, there you have it: The U.S. can't be expected to have its own preconditions for peace in the Middle East. And of course, it's "the Bush administration" who's the bad guy!

Hilzoy piles on:

Bush took dishonesty in the Middle East to hallucinatory extremes, we had not been honest brokers, or willing to speak the truth, for some time before he came on the scene.

But wait! Here comes Lorelei Kelly at Huffington Post, "Our President in Cairo: Muslims Listened. Did America?":

For the past 8 years, our bad attitude made us really unpopular. Unappeasable, we became like the schoolyard bully -- you give him your lunch money and he still beat you up. President Obama is out to change this reputation.

But let's check around further:

* Carl at The Reaction is blinded by "Obama's Defining Moment": "Wow. I mean, wow. He invokes among the most holy of passages written in the Koran and challenges the Muslim world to live up to it."

* Faiz Shakir at Think Progress? How dare Republicans take issue with the speech?, "Inhofe Rips Obama As ‘Un-American,’ Suggests He’s On The Side Of Terrorists."

* John Amato at Crooks and Liars? Jewish neocons don't count, "A Memo to Krauthammer: President Obama's Speech Was Not Meant for You!

* Brian at Incertus demonstrates a pathetic ignorance President Obama's moral equivalence (and the implications thereof).

* Gershom Gorenberg, focusing on "the settlements myth," says its all "Benjamin Netanyahu's fault."

* Matthew Yglesias just attacks purveyors of "the settlements myth" as liars: "... it’s too bad that The Washington Post thinks its readers need to get commentary on this issue from the slipshod and dishonest Charles Krauthammer.

* And for the academic perspective on "going Palestinian," see Marc Lynch, "My First Take On The Speech."

Interestingly, Code Pink actually protested Obama's visit. At least Medea Benjamin's not ashamed to admit her allegiances lie with Hamas, pictured below:

When Hamas kingpin Khaled Meshal was asked about Obama's address, he refused to renounce the violent destruction of Israel.

Gee, what a great president we have!

See also, "Obama Overture to Hamas Suggests Inevitability of Terror Group's Dominance Among Palestinians."

More at Memeorandum.