Author’s note: I know perfectly well there’s no way Barack Obama would have said any of the things that follow. This is how I think the speech in Cairo should have gone. I liked Obama’s first sentence, so I kept that.
I am honored to be in the timeless city of Cairo, and grateful for your hospitality. I will honor you in return by addressing you directly. I came here to speak to you, not to European leaders or American media commentators. I hope you will forgive my frankness, but we have much to talk about, and some of what I came here to say will not be easy for you to hear.