Alex Massie referees one aspect of my debate with Douthat:
Andrew admits it's "facile" to suppose there's any linkage between the President's actions and the reformist movements springing up across the Arab and Persian worlds before suggesting that perhaps there is a link and look! this President just by virtue of who he is and the colour of his skin can make worlds move simply by standing still and pronouncing it so. Not being George W Bush has obvious advantages, not the least of them being avoiding responsibility for the Mesopotamian Misadventure. But any successor would have enjoyed that advantage to one degree or another. Perhaps Obama has been able to capitalise on that bonanza more than, say, President Hillary Clinton would have been able to but that's evidently a matter of conjecture.
The Cairo speech mattered, in my view. And yes, only Obama could have done it the way he did. If he can outlast Netanyahu, his role may be viewed as historic.
The Dish 