United States President Barack Obama’s June 4 speech from Cairo did not contain specifics. Most wise men had underscored that the charismatic statesman should dwell on values rather than wade into the dangerous world of specifics.

Which indeed was the safe route for a great orator like Mr. Obama. Values resonate in his magnificent voice. Besides, grand speeches could hardly be a good platform for policymaking. However, substance, fresh substance, and lots of it — that was what the Middle Easterners impatiently sought to hear. With Levantine wisdom, prominent Arab columnist Rami Khouri wrote as the countdown began for Mr. Obama’s speech: “No offense, but nobody in the Middle East really cares about Obama’s ancestors or youth years, or his views on...