'Obama: New Tutankhamun of the World'

An Egyptian vendor displays a handmade copper plaque reading "Obama, New Tutankhamun of the World" at his shop in the Khan el-Khalili market area in Cairo on Monday. AFP/Getty Images

Looks like fawning Obama worship isn't limited to the White House press corps and the Hollywood elite. They're really digging him in Egypt.

"The fact is that the president himself experienced Islam on three continents before he's been able to visit, really, the heart of the Islamic world," said Denis McDonough, Obama's deputy national security advisor for strategic communications. The president sees a fundamental need, McDonough said, to change "how we engage our allies."

So when Obama arrives in the region Wednesday, advisors say, he won't be carrying detailed policy proposals, but rather an appeal focusing on common experience and mutual respect.

"I want to use the occasion to deliver a broader message about how the United States can change for the better its relationship with the Muslim world," Obama said last week as he prepared for his trip. "That will require, I think, a recognition on both the part of the United States as well as many majority-Muslim countries about each other, a better sense of understanding and the possibilities of achieving common ground."

Nearly 24 hours later, Obama still hasn't commented on the Muslim jihadi convert responsible for the shooting at the recruitment center in Arkansas. Guess maybe he has some shame with his Muslim roots.

Update: Hmm. About 12 hours after we posted this, Jake Tapper mentions Obama's Muslim roots, it's the top story at Drudge, and a bunch of blogs have discovered the story.