Obama will tomorrow give a highly anticipated and formerly promised speech to the Muslim world, from one of its capitals.

It is pointless no doubt to predict what words he may choose, and fairly obvious to the learned eye what subjects of late he may address.

Some have said that there are reasons that Obama giving this speech rather than just any other American President has specific significance.  These are numerous, so I will only entertain my best educated guess.

He could speak to the individual.  The extremist.  The potential terrorist.

He could appeal to their better nature.  How?  He could point to his own country.  Its conflicted history, its own contridictions. 

 As an African-American, no matter how successfully he has lived, he must understand how people must feel who have been by its own society undervalued, neglected, excluded, and have for a long time been given a set of low expectations and limitations by not only the powerful, but those whom have sought to lead them.  In other words, he could speak to the fact that his unique experience allows him to speak to theirs on a similar playing field. 

 And he is not alone.  He can speak to what RFK meant when asked what would have happened to him had he not been born a Kennedy.  "I probably would have been a juvenile delinquent," he said.  He could summon what Robert's brother John observed when he declared, "When law is not at hand, justice is sought in the streets."  He can relate to them what Langston Hughes called "a dream deferred." 

He not only can condemn; He can alleviate.  He can seek to understand.  He can explain that no one angry black voice ever climbed as high as he had.  No.  Despite the unfair, unjust society he grew up in, he decided to change it from the inside.  To play by the rules better even than those who opposed him.  No.  It took a calm, peaceful and hopeful voice.  He can show how even a person of color in the historically racist United States of America could overcome and be the successor to George W. Bush, and be the leader of the free world.  He could hold up his personal example, and those of others who have also overcome disadvantages and obstacles, whether placed upon them or self-imposed, and show a compassionate and inspiring example of what alternatives there are to those who wish to change the order of things.  Alternatives to violence.

Furthermore, and ironically--he could do what a white, rich, son of a former President couldn't.  Not by forcing slogans and assumptions down their throats--but through personal example--he alone could actually show a few changeable minds how democracy really can be a good system. 

He could demonstrate to the potential young muslim extremist the hope and potential in refusing a dream deferred.  To refuse it in a peaceful, attainable way.  Obama has explained in many of the stump speeches last year how unlikely a person he was to ever think he could be the President of the United States.  His name.  His race.  His family.  In no other place is his story possible.  Not yet. 

All he had was love, support, and hope.   And faith in a more perfect Union.  And, in himself. More faith than our own society teaches us to have in a young African-American man.  It was all up to him.  That is a powerful message.  It was for white people who might have never voted for a black man named Barack Obama.  It was for Republicans who never before voted Democratic.  It might be from just such a person whom they can appreciate, and take authentically.  His message could be his example as what can happen when the fear, hate, and ignorance of others can be overcome by a person who has love, support, and hope.  He can show how violence is fruitless.  He can show rather the power of hope and progress.  Naive perhaps, but it just might be worth trying.