C-SPAN broadcast an important event today.

The Congressional Muslim Staff Association hosted a panel discussion on the image of Muslims in the U.S. Participants discussed the controversy surrounding the Islamic Center near Ground Zero in New York City, among other topics. Speakers included James Zogby, who heads the Arab American Institute.

Panel members besides James Zogby were Salam El-Marayati of the Muslim Public Affairs Council and Dr. Azizah Y. al-Hibri, Esq. of KARAMAH – Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights,

If enough people could only listen to this broadcast and get control of their emotions, then the world would truly be a better place and the Al-Qaeda terrorists will have been defeated, for the moment.

One of the comments by James Zogby reminded me of a famous quote from Mark Twain,

It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.

If people could just let go for a moment of what they think they know for sure, then they might be able to learn something that really is so.

After having watched the President’s speech tonight, I can attest to the correct prediction by Ray McGovern in his piece, What Obama Won’t Say Tonight.  The President did not, in fact, say any of what appears in McGovern’s proposal of a speech.

I leave it up to you to see where the following snippet fits into the overall article:

The instructors at Benning insisted that competent commanders never commit large numbers of troops to battle without having established secure LOCs. They then winced when they displayed a relief map of Afghanistan and neighboring countries, showing the deployment of U.S. forces.

I don’t believe for a minute that it would have been productive for President Obama to have said these things tonight.  However, it is very productive for us to consider what Ray McGovern has to say.

Note, I only say consider, because as of yet, I have no independent information as to whether or not McGovern is on the right track.  What he says is quite plausible, but there are a lot of plausible stories and only a few are correct.

You also might be able to hear what the President did say if the link to the C-SPAN video of the speech continues to be valid.