Obama's Middle East Speech

President Obama delivered his major Middle East policy speech today. He addressed recent events in the wider Middle East and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Here's some thoughts on his "wider Middle East" comments.

He painted a rosy tint on the events being called the "Arab spring."

"Sometimes, in the course of history, the actions of ordinary citizens spark movements for change because they speak to a longing for freedom that has built up for years. In America, think of the defiance of those patriots in Boston who refused to pay taxes to a King, or the dignity of Rosa Parks as she sat courageously in her seat.

So it was in Tunisia, as that vendor's act of desperation tapped into the frustration felt throughout the country. Hundreds of protesters took to the streets, then thousands. And in the face of batons and sometimes bullets, they refused to go home -- day after day, week after week, until a dictator of more than two decades finally left power."

Several weeks ago I had the opportunity to witness that "Arab spring" in the heart of Cairo's Tahrir Square. Hundreds of thousands of Egyptians poured into the square to demand the ouster of a dictator who suppressed his people and led a regime that for 30 years was smothered in corruption.

The cry for freedom was real and genuine. But the revolution that began in Tunisia and spread to Egypt in just a few months is taking a decidedly undemocratic tone.

For example, while President Obama mentioned the plight of the Christian Copts post Mubarak, their plight is much more serious than he alluded to. They not only have "the right to worship" as he mentioned, but need to be free from threats, intimidation, and attacks by murderous Muslim mobs.

The situation is so dire hundreds of Copts are trying to leave their homeland.

In addition, the Muslim Brotherhood, the organization that spawned Osama bin Laden is flexing its political muscle and threatens to become the dominating force in the most populous Arab nation in the Middle East.

Egypt's 30-year peace treaty with Israel is in jeopardy. Egyptian politicians are calling for its review. Egypt's border with the Gaza Strip might be open, which would allow many more weapons to be smuggled into that Hamas-controlled area. Egypt and Iran are showing signs a growing reconciliation after 30 years of frozen diplomatic relations.

Obama brought lofty rhetoric to the events of the past few months, but could this "Arab spring" be a seductive illusion? Will the cries of freedom one day be drowned out by another even more sinister tyranny that would undermine true democracy and threaten Israel, our strongest ally in the region?