A half-year ago in Cairo, President Barack Obama addressed the Muslim world. Global leftists lauded the speech as heralding instant change in the Middle East. The Obama-adoring pundits were right. Change came. And it's all bad.

Instead of listening to the extravagant claims of our leftward-plunging media about how profoundly that speech affected Muslims, let's look at what's actually happened since Obama praised Islam and trashed America:
Iraq
Al-Qaeda suffered a catastrophic defeat and nearly disappeared from the Iraqi landscape. Now it's resurgent, encouraged by Obama's determination to look away. Terror bombings are up. But U.S. troop levels are going down. That's all that matters to the blinkered White House.
Al-Qaeda senses a comeback opportunity. Obama's running away as fast as he can.
Afghanistan
Encouraged by Obama's evident weakness, the Taliban redoubled their efforts against the hated government of “President” Hamid Karzai. Obama dithers, Afghan leaders steal, our troops die protecting the thieves and the Taliban advance with fresh recruits.
Our ambassador in Kabul, retired Gen. Karl Eikenberry, took a courageous stand to warn that sending more troops would only encourage Karzai's cabal to continue to shirk responsibility. But don't expect similar courage from this White House, which fears tough decisions the way medieval peasants feared the Black Death.
Pakistan
For all the fuss about how well received Obama's Cairo confession was among Muslims, anti-Americanism has increased in this conflict-torn state of 180 million. We pour in billions of dollars, and the Pakistani government, media and citizenry pour out anti-American rhetoric -- even blaming us for Taliban terror bombings. And Obama's a deer in the headlights of history again.
Turkey
Advertised as a marvelous Muslim democracy and NATO member, Turkey has taken another lurch toward Islamic fundamentalism, embracing radical Arab states while slashing cooperation with Israel. Big win there, Mr. President.
Yemen
The Great Muslim Civil War between Sunni and Shia has a new theater, with Saudi Arabia. The Sunni hardliner Yemeni government unleashed fundamentalist jihad -- terror, butchery and rape -- against its Shia minority.
Nervous about its own oppressed Shia population, Saudi Arabia attacked Yemeni territory (with U.S.-made weapons) to support its fellow Sunni fundamentalists. The impoverished Shia suffer grimly as pawns between greater powers. But a U.S. president who bowed to a Saudi king won't ask the Saudis to show restraint.
Israel, Palestinian
By betraying Israel and glorifying the Palestinian cause in Cairo, Obama encouraged unrealistic expectations among Palestinians and empowered Arab hardliners -- always willing to fight to the last Palestinian.
Obama's naive demand for a total freeze on Israeli settlements created a new flashpoint while undercutting Palestinian and Israeli moderates. The situation's far more explosive than it was when Obama took office.
Texas
A Muslim-extremist U.S. Army major expected Obama to end our efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan immediately. Obama was too slow, and Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan responded. Shouting “God is great!” he gunned down 42 Americans.
The Middle East is here, too.
Obama's Cairo sermon was promptly praised as the greatest speech of our time. Last week we heard that, no, Obama's no-mention-of-terror remarks at Fort Hood were the greatest speech of his presidency.
Obama, it seems, just strolls from greatness to greatness. Among world leaders, only North Korea's Kim Jong Il commands such media adoration from his homies.
Not one establishment media outlet will weigh the obvious damage our president's ludicrous Cairo speech did to the Middle East and to our security.
(Source: pittsburghlive.com)