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Spiegel: Reaction to last nights speech

hypocritexposer

Well-known member
12/02/2009 12:58 PM
Opinion
Searching in Vain for the Obama Magic

By Gabor Steingart

Never before has a speech by President Barack Obama felt as false as his Tuesday address announcing America's new strategy for Afghanistan. It seemed like a campaign speech combined with Bush rhetoric -- and left both dreamers and realists feeling distraught.

One can hardly blame the West Point leadership. The academy commanders did their best to ensure that Commander-in-Chief Barack Obama's speech would be well-received.

Just minutes before the president took the stage inside Eisenhower Hall, the gathered cadets were asked to respond "enthusiastically" to the speech. But it didn't help: The soldiers' reception was cool.

One didn't have to be a cadet on Tuesday to feel a bit of nausea upon hearing Obama's speech. It was the least truthful address that he has ever held. He spoke of responsibility, but almost every sentence smelled of party tactics. He demanded sacrifice, but he was unable to say what it was for exactly.

An additional 30,000 US soldiers are to march into Afghanistan -- and then they will march right back out again. America is going to war -- and from there it will continue ahead to peace. It was the speech of a Nobel War Prize laureate.

Just in Time for the Campaign

For each troop movement, Obama had a number to match. US strength in Afghanistan will be tripled relative to the Bush years, a fact that is sure to impress hawks in America. But just 18 months later, just in time for Obama's re-election campaign, the horror of war is to end and the draw down will begin. The doves of peace will be let free.

The speech continued in that vein. It was as though Obama had taken one of his old campaign speeches and merged it with a text from the library of ex-President George W. Bush. Extremists kill in the name of Islam, he said, before adding that it is one of the "world's great religions." He promised that responsibility for the country's security would soon be transferred to the government of President Hamid Karzai -- a government which he said was "corrupt." The Taliban is dangerous and growing stronger. But "America will have to show our strength in the way that we end wars," he added.

It was a dizzying combination of surge and withdrawal, of marching to and fro. The fast pace was reminiscent of plays about the French revolution: Troops enter from the right to loud cannon fire and then they exit to the left. And at the end, the dead are left on stage.

Obama's Magic No Longer Works

But in this case, the public was more disturbed than entertained. Indeed, one could see the phenomenon in a number of places in recent weeks: Obama's magic no longer works. The allure of his words has grown weaker.

It is not he himself who has changed, but rather the benchmark used to evaluate him. For a president, the unit of measurement is real life. A leader is seen by citizens through the prism of their lives -- their job, their household budget, where they live and suffer. And, in the case of the war on terror, where they sometimes die.

Political dreams and yearnings for the future belong elsewhere. That was where the political charmer Obama was able to successfully capture the imaginations of millions of voters. It is a place where campaigners -- particularly those with a talent for oration -- are fond of taking refuge. It is also where Obama set up his campaign headquarters, in an enormous tent called "Hope."

In his speech on America's new Afghanistan strategy, Obama tried to speak to both places. It was two speeches in one. That is why it felt so false. Both dreamers and realists were left feeling distraught.

The American president doesn't need any opponents at the moment. He's already got himself.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,664753,00.html
 

Steve

Well-known member
back in march General McKiernan asked for more troops.. 30,000 to 35,000 combat troops
Obana sent 17,000 combat troops and 4,000 military trainers, then promply fired General McKiernan,

the Pentagon sent in about 13,000 support troops at Gen McChrystal request while he restructured the Afgan command, and wrote a comprehensive report requesting 40,000 additional troops..

Obama waited... and then in a political style speech with great pomp and fanfare, agreed to send 34,000

so by most accounts.. Obama has shortchanged our Generals by 24,000 combat troops..

the only real change in his policy is his willingness to completely surrender in 18 months..

The great Obama surrender speech will be a solemn speech.. as he decries how he tried, but the military failed despite him the great Obama giving them everything the generals asked for, ignoreing how Obama himself has already shortchanged the troop requests by 24,000 soldiers..
 

don

Well-known member
nato is in a jackpot and will have to pull out just as the soviets did. the soviets probably understood the afghan rules better than nato and should have had a better chance of winning.
 

Broke Cowboy

Well-known member
don said:
nato is in a jackpot and will have to pull out just as the soviets did. the soviets probably understood the afghan rules better than nato and should have had a better chance of winning.

Don

Your words on Russia and NATO are more true than most will ever know.

I discussed this with a Russian armoured battalion commander who now lives in Canada.

If he wanted something he walked into the village and demanded it - or his battalion flattened it.

NATO sends in the lawyers.

Somewhere in the middle - a bit more to the right of the middle in my opinion - is a better place to be.

However the Russians did not have their troops worried about legal prosecution from their own side while they were fighting.

We are doomed to failure because the people who control the government want to get out.

I foresee another "peace with honour" routine coming - and sooner than many might think.

All that will mean is it comes closer to us.

BC
 

TexasBred

Well-known member
"Reaction to Last Nights Speech"???????????
Just look at the pained expression on all those Cadets...that tells the whole story and I don't think anybody missed those expressions. (or lack of ) The couple of occasions when there was applause it was initiated by the folks barracko brought with him and the cadets that did participate reluctantly but "politely" applauded. Most looked like they would have rather been on a forced march at double time.
 
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