President Obama has delivered his speech at Cairo University, with co-sponsorship from Al-Azhar University. You can find the full text of his speech (as prepared for delivery) here. If you prefer, you can watch the speech at this YouTube link fed by the White House. Watching the speech, or even just part of it, is useful to see how it was received.

I thought it was a good speech. It covered the ground that needed covering. Washington Monthly magazine has an excellent summary on which I cannot improve, only plagiarize. Comments there, though, are all over the place, including the inevitable ’9/11 Truther’ and Islamophobe.

What is important is how people react to the speech. We already know that Iran and Osama Bin Laden didn’t think much of it… they told us so even before the speech was delivered. More useful, though, are summaries of reaction.

From the American Public Broadcasting System, a report that focuses on regional reaction:

Reaction to President Obama’s Cairo Speech

The New York Daily News seems to be underwhelmed:

Is Obama a visionary or dangerously naive?
World debates Cairo speech to Muslims

MSNBC takes a look at Israeli reaction:

Israel split over Obama’s outreach to Muslims

The London Times finds that old resentments aren’t going to fade simply because of a speech:

old fault lines prevail in Middle East reaction

The Los Angeles Times actually has one of the better selection of reaction quotations that cover a broad spectrum of political thought. Especially useful are the quotations from various Israelis:

Obama in the Muslim world:
Reaction to the president’s speech

The National Journal magazine runs an overview of how American bloggers received the speech and finds that political bifurcation provides all one needs to know:

Obama Goes To Cairo

What it all comes down to, of course, is what happens as a result of the speech. Words are good. Actions, however, will be what is necessary to create change and progress. Those actions are not totally within the power of any American president: they rest within the power of the people and governments of the region. Obama has opened a door. Will anyone be willing to step through it?