Below are some excerpts from Pres. Obama’s speech in Cairo. The bold italicized portions after each represent my comments. This post will focus solely on my criticisms of his speech. My next post will contain my praises of the same (yes, both can exist at the same time).

“I have come here to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world; one based upon mutual interest and mutual respect; and one based upon the truth that America and Islam are not exclusive, and need not be in competition. Instead, they overlap, and share common principles - principles of justice and progress; tolerance and the dignity of all human beings.” (Emphasis added). I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6) Sounds pretty “exclusive” to me. Doesn't sound to me like Christ is comfortable with only a certain market-share.

"As a student of history, I also know civilization's debt to Islam. It was Islam - at places like Al-Azhar University - that carried the light of learning through so many centuries, paving the way for Europe's Renaissance and Enlightenment ... and throughout history, Islam has demonstrated through words and deeds the possibilities of religious tolerance and racial equality." To Islam we owe the Enlightenment? Dude, you deserve a refund on that portion of your Ivy League tuition which was attributable to History. Not as if I agree that responsibility for the Enlightenment would necessarily be a compliment, but … my history books taught that Immanuel Kant is credited with coining that term and leading to its emergence. He was a Protestant German. I have never seen any source that attributed his “thinking” to Islam. Furthermore, I thought his ideology was a response to what European philosophers (as opposed to Islamist philosophers) deemed unreasonable domination of the “church” (not the mosque) over the moral lives of individual Christians in Europe (not Muslims). Where am I wrong here? Throw me a bone. Beyond that, how has the Muslim faith (and, specifically the Muslim nations to whom he was speaking) demonstrated religious tolerance and racial equality? I'm sorry, but Sharia law, by definition, is absolutely intolerant!

"I know, too, that Islam has always been a part of America's story. The first nation to recognize my country was Morocco. In signing the Treaty of Tripoli in 1796, our second President John Adams wrote, "The United States has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion or tranquility of Muslims." I really have to stand back, take a deep breath, and chuckle here. Does he really want to go there? After all of that education, does he really not know how inane this statement is? Do his speechwriters honestly think that nobody else can or will access the annals of history in regards to his assertions? A “part of America’s story?" Darn right! A good part? Hmmm … maybe not. Remind me ... why was the Treaty of Tripoli necessary in the first place? Oh yeah, it was the scenario that first gave rise to the U.S. Marine Corps. After decades of seeing American merchant vessels and their civilian crews taken hostage and held for ransom (sound familiar?), the newly formed American government sent Thomas Jefferson and John Adams to London in one final attempt to negotiate a truce to these raids. Our newly founded country with no money in the bank had already paid millions (billions in today's economy) in ransom to secure the freedom of each bunch. Finally, America had had enough and sought a diplomatic solution in London. When meeting with Tripoli's envoy to London, Ambassador Sidi Haji Abdrahaman, he replied in writing to the Americans that, “It was written in the Koran, that all nations which had not acknowledged the Prophet were sinners, whom it was the right and duty of the faithful to plunder and enslave; and that every muslim who was slain in this warfare was sure to go to paradise.” Later, as the president of a nation who had grown tired of paying ransom, and after these Muslim nations had failed to make good on their promises, Jefferson finally said, “Millions for defense but not one cent for tribute [ransom].” A special group of naval sailors was formed and trained for a daring raid in the harbor now known as Tripoli to scuttle a captured American ship and free American hostages. The raid was a success, the group later became known as “Marines,” and that’s why their anthem today includes the words “from the shores of Tripoli.” Adams’ statement in the Treaty of Tripoli has been acknowledged by historians ever since as an attempt at ‘appeasement’ (or dialogue to use Obama’s language). The same historians also agree that those appeasement efforts were eventually fruitless. Were anything else true, no American today would even have a chance of knowing what “Semper Fidelis” even means. How many Americans hear that on the nightly news? The use of these facts, by someone with such a storied education, without including the context or any homage as to either the eventual outcome or the fate of the Americans who lost their lives in the effort, is a shameless and unforgiveable act of intentional deception and deplorable indifference to the truth by someone who knows better.

"And when the first Muslim-American was recently elected to Congress, he took the oath to defend our Constitution using the same Holy Koran that one of our Founding Fathers - Thomas Jefferson - kept in his personal library." I really can't believe he said that. Of what import is it that Jefferson had a copy of the Koran? He had between 9,000 and 10,000 books (the largest personal library in America at the time). If Jefferson had possessed a copy of Mein Kampf, could that now be construed to mean that he legitimized Hitler's beliefs? No. It would simply have meant that he READ it.

"So I have known Islam on three continents before coming to the region where it was first revealed. That experience guides my conviction that partnership between America and Islam must be based on what Islam is, not what it isn't. And I consider it part of my responsibility as President of the United States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear." Just a jab here … it’s a shame that he’s never expressed part of his responsibility as POTUS to include the fight against negative stereotypes of Christianity, wherever they appear. Even if he thinks that it is, he's never told a Christian audience.

"I also believe that events in Iraq have reminded America of the need to use diplomacy and build international consensus to resolve our problems whenever possible. Indeed, we can recall the words of Thomas Jefferson, who said: 'I hope that our wisdom will grow with our power, and teach us that the less we use our power the greater it will be'." Just a side note here. Refer above to the [actual] history regarding the Barbary Wars. It was Jefferson who eventually said, “Millions in defense but not one penny in tribute [ransom].” This is a blatant misuse of Jefferson’s words, one which must be assumed to have been done knowingly (after all, they don’t just let anybody become presidential advisors or speechwriters, do they?). Jefferson himself ordered the creation of what later became known as the Marine Corps, specifically so that he could send them to Tripoli in order to combat tyrranical Muslim thugs who had taken Americans hostage and threatened our national interests by disrupting merchant ships, and he only did it after years of trying to "talk with them."

"I have made it clear to the Iraqi people that we pursue no bases, and no claim on their territory or resources. Iraq's sovereignty is its own. That is why I ordered the removal of our combat brigades by next August." May 24, 2004 - President Bush, in a nationally televised speech before the Army War College in Carlisle, Penn., laid out his commitment to return sovereignty to an Iraqi government in an effort to help prove that the United States has no plans of permanently extending its occupation. 2004! Still, somehow, that's a new Obama principle? Control of the vast majority of Iraqi provinces had already been handed back to Iraqis before Obama was even nominated at the DNC.

"All of us have a responsibility to work for the day when the mothers of Israelis and Palestinians can see their children grow up without fear; when the Holy Land of three great faiths is the place of peace that God intended it to be; when Jerusalem is a secure and lasting home for Jews and Christians and Muslims, and a place for all of the children of Abraham to mingle peacefully together as in the story of Isra, when Moses, Jesus, and Mohammed (peace be upon them) joined in prayer." Okay, just two things here. First, he spoke of “God” as being “the god” of “three great faiths.” Sorry, but I have a problem with that. Second, the "Story of Isra" is a purely Muslim notion, and it didn't involve all of the children of Abraham mingling peacefully. Please!

"Islam has a proud tradition of tolerance." See again the statement of the Ambassador of Tripoli to Thomas Jefferson and John Adams above, let alone the never-ending pronouncements from Osama bin Laden and others. Right-wing, American, Christian conservatives are intolerant (see his campaign speeches), but somehow Islam suddenly has a proud tradition of tolerance. Sorry ... hold this for me while I vomit.

"There is also one rule that lies at the heart of every religion - that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us. This truth transcends nations and peoples - a belief that isn't new; that isn't black or white or brown; that isn't Christian, or Muslim or Jew. It's a belief that pulsed in the cradle of civilization, and that still beats in the heart of billions. It's a faith in other people, and it's what brought me here today." Just as soon as I thought I was done with those comments which most excite me … here he goes again. Please consult Jeremiah 31:3, Romans 1:20, Romans 2:15, and John 6:44 (among other voluminous scriptures). Would the One True God have given me and my Muslim neighbor different versions of the same “truth?” I guess that would make him two-faced at best and a liar at worst, wouldn’t it? And, the Sharia law which governs in many Muslim states specifically rejects this "truth."

"The people of the world can live together in peace. We know that is God's vision. Now, that must be our work here on Earth. Thank you. And may God's peace be upon you." Okay, I’m sorry; but, I’m really far too gone on this aspect to reply in a very staid or sophisticated manner on this one. “We know that it is God’s vision” that all of the “people of the world can live together in peace?” Who missed Sunday School a few times? Have you ever heard of the Book of Revelation? I guess Armageddon is really going to be one giant block party. Maybe the Baptists will bring a covered dish?

BUT … before you crystallize your opinions or begin to cast aspersions … tune in for my next post regarding those portions of Pres. Obama’s speech which I applaud. What? How can you applaud anything after those eviscerating comments? [ Dramatic pause] … because I believe that God inhabits every believer. He inhabits part and we inhabit the rest. You can look at my life and find parts, actions and statements which agree with God’s truths; and, you can look again and find the exact opposite in other parts. Though he is the “leader of the free world,” Barack Obama is no different. The focus is, and should remain, on the truth of Him who was without blemish. We should not confuse our celebration of the salvation of an individual with a critique of his views on scripture. Once saved, always saved. And, yes, I believe that he is saved.