Just for starters... here's why I watch Fox News:
Instead of MSNBC:
Is there a bigger twit in the teevee news biz than Matthews? "Enemy camp," indeed. What a frickin' maroon. I'm amazed that even moonbats find this asshat credible in any way, shape, or form. Unless we're talking about tingles, of course. He knows a lot about that subject and is more than willing to share.
So... Didja watch the speech? I did, granting The One a one-time exemption to my "Nobama" policy because of the gravity of the moment. I give the man a B+ for delivery and a C- for content. He said most of the right things in a properly presidential manner, included the de rigeur indirect and sanctimonious Bush-bashing, and... amazingly... used the royal "we" when talking about success in Iraq. What incredible gall for a man who opposed Bush's Iraqi Surge, yet who is adopting the same sort of strategy in Afghanistan. And he kept a straight face, too. That said... I, like others, thought the speech was long on conditions and caveats and short on inspiration and motivation. I don't remember hearing the word "victory" used... even once. See if I'm wrong: the full transcript is here. A final thought: the corps of cadets looked less than impressed to these tired old eyes. Maybe I was seeing what I wanted to see... but perception, reality, and all that.So... the West Point speech dominates the late night/early morning topics at memeorandum. I read pieces from The Usual Suspects (around here, anyway) and particularly enjoyed Crittenden's, Kristol's, and Jennifer Rubin's take on things.
Buck, I took a pass. I already knew he was going to lay down the ground work for his exit, he had to in order to keep his base happy to some extent. I know he is regretting using the AF as a bashing tool during the campaign now he has to actually do something there and he has not one clue. Typical of those from the left.
ReplyDeleteBT: Jimmy T sends.
I did not watch the speech. Why make myself crazy? I did catch a few congressmen's comments.
ReplyDeleteDid Krauthammer use the words "Clarion call"? Thanks to Mike, I know what that means.
Just to keep from watching our elected moronic whatever, I found myself watching QVC. And I never watch QVC.
ReplyDeleteBut out of the two, it was the best thing on..... at least they have some idea of what they're selling and talking about.
The Spousal Unit and myself enjoyed a bottle of Chateau Ste Michel bubbly ($8.99 at ABC) and watched a comedy on the TiVo.
ReplyDeleteI hear that 18 months is the timeline. This all looks like we are in 1972 again, so we need to get our folks home NOW.
We don't need any more of our people killed when the higher ups are planning to surrender anyhow.
Not worth it.
w/v: "cochropa"
I'm with the rest here Buck. I was out to dinner with a friend last night; when I got home there was still time to watch - and I opted for some Internet surfing and playtime on my new iMAC.
ReplyDeleteThe Oracle is away on business; I chose not to ruin my evening anymore than it was with his absence.
I knew I'd read all about it today; and I have. The man gives a good speech, but as I said at Lex's place - that's all he does is give speeches. There is no substance, no sincerity behind the words.
He prefers to play the blame-game while he's been dithering for 4+ months.
I'll give him this - he's got big ones and isn't embarassed to show them off.
It's going to be interesting to see the far left supporters of Obama try to reconcile this in a positive way with his campaign promises. Great fun should be had by all (excepting those actually doing the fighting, of course.)
ReplyDeleteYeah Buck...thanks for doing the heavy lifting. I didn't watch it either. I decided to clean out my belly button lint, and toe jam.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the report.
I didn't watch, but listened via POTUS on XM Radio, and then heard the rest when I got home (Mary had the TV on; I was in the other room). I did this on purpose so I could HEAR what Obama had to say without clouding my perception with his facial expressions (or lack thereof), or the expressions of the audience.
ReplyDeleteAnd I was not particularly impressed.
You're right, Buck: no mention of "victory." Also no mention of any real plan, or how we're going to pay for this. So, three more years of ... what? Seems like a colossal waste of young lives to me.
I never drank the Kool-Aid, although I did vote for Obama. (Might've voted for McCain, but then Palin arrived on the scene; ugh.) Now I'm just ... disappointed.
Interesting comments. I usually operate like Kris, which is to say I pass on The One's speeches in favor of reading the transcript and comment the next day.
ReplyDeleteYou had an interesting take, Lori. I can't listen attentively to anything on the radio nowadays (except music)... I'm too easily distracted.
I'm sympathetic with the "waste of lives" and the "win or get out" arguments, as long as they're coupled together. We DON'T need another damned Vietnam, but I also believe the stakes are much higher in Afghanistan/Pakistan than they ever were in Vietnam. Speaking strictly about the US and not the Vietnamese, Cambodians, or Laotians, of course. The stakes were VERY high for them. That said, I'm thinking a defeat in this theatre would be catastrophic for America... equivalent to the first sacking of Rome. I'm serious about that.
I think Lori has a great idea there. Seriously. That might help me to listen -- LISTEN -- to one of his speeches.
ReplyDeleteLast night, I just could not do it. I didn't want to hear it (yeah, that's mature). But I've been reading lots today and it's not good. This is not going to work out well, it just can't.
I listened to it on tv while preparing dinner. I'd give both content and delivery a C-, mainly because he was so damned self-congratulatory about how "good" he is to the military -- why, he told us he even stayed up late to meet returning fallen and traveled all the way to Ft. Hood to be with the soldiers and their families. I seem to remember Michelle making a big deal about how military families would be her big project once the Big O was elected. I guess we're still waiting on that one.
ReplyDeleteI also think he was intimidated by the Cadets. My husband said he had to be thinking that some of the Cadets were dissecting the strategy and thinking to themselves, "This will or won't work because ..."!
I still think that pre-announcing long-term exits is foolish, regardless of which CinC makes the announcement. Especially with Russia kicking out our nuke counters and ratcheting up missile-building in Venezuela while Iran gives us a big ol' raspberry.
P.S. -- I'm with you on the Krauthammer/Matthews tihng. What a twit.
ReplyDeleteI watched, but his droning and unemotional voice makes me want to nod off like the cadets were doing...
ReplyDeleteI'm disgusted, but most of it had been leaked, so I wasn't surprised.
Kath: I kinda-sorta agree with ya on the outcome, yet I remain hopeful. It's the knee-jerk anti-war asshats I worry about most, e.g., Feingold, Boxer, and other associated idiots. I think Obama basically "gets it," but he IS a damned politician... first, foremost, and always.
ReplyDeleteMoogie: I noticed there was a lot of splainin' from the likes of Gates, Jones, and Mullen about the "exit strategy" yesterday. We common folk aren't being nuanced enough, coz apparently the term doesn't mean what it says. That's what I heard our illustrious leaders SAY, anyway.
Cynthia: Yeah... there were no revelations in the speech. I was hoping for more and better, but noooo.
You've got some links in there I have not yet checked, and Critt has a good name with me. I'll read up.
ReplyDeleteSo far, though, I think the best summary I've seen is from Neo-Neocon. That's probably because she opted to read-instead-of-listen, and that's also what I chose to do. Our elite little club is well represented in your thread here, I see. Something tells me He Who Argues With The Dictionaries is suffering from a lawn-dart-like downturn in His charisma-or-what-not. And in the first year, too. Crikey.
Neo is always good, Morgan. And yeah, we're all pretty much in agreement here at EIP. We're sensible people. ;-)
ReplyDelete