CAIRO — “I blew a few smoke rings, remembering those years. Pot had helped, and booze; maybe a little blow when you could afford it ... And if the high didn’t solve whatever it was that was getting you down, it could at least help you laugh at the world’s ongoing folly and see through all the hypocrisy and bullshit and cheap moralism.”

This testimony does not come from a reformed addict or bohemian artist, but from the autobiography of President Obama, “Dreams From My Father.” He is not shy about confessing that, in moments of weakness, he resorted to drug use, but then willed himself out of that dark tunnel and set about working on a path that would lead to the White House.

Like millions, I was fired up when Mr. Obama became the first African-American president. But perhaps also like those of millions of others, my hopes have been dashed by his performance in office, particularly with regard to the Middle East. Still, his autobiography remains a moving piece of literature, and contains an important lesson.

It would be impossible to read a confession similar to Mr. Obama’s from an Arab ruler. Arab rulers tend not to write autobiographies, but if they did, they would speak of nothing but their own heroism and historic achievements. You would never read about their follies or personal shortcomings.