The speech was remarkably consistent or unremarkably original, depending on which way you look at it. Obama the president is a two-year battered version of Obama the harbinger of hope.
You have heard the speech before but never to such a passionate audience, 6,500 strong in the University of Indonesia Auditorium. It is both relevant to the promise of international cooperation as well as renewed faith in political leadership. More than the content of the speech, the delivery managed to release the underlying good feelings between the United States and Indonesia that have connected certain parts of the population. This was because Obama was successful to present himself as the “kid from Menteng” who made good.