A Lousy Speech to People Who Deserve Better
By LisaB on August 20, 2008 at 3:05 PM in Al Qaeda, Barack Obama, Current Affairs
I spent some valuable time this morning reading Obama’s speech to the VFW (at realclearpolitics). Frankly, it was depressing. Why? After recognizing a few people and acknowledging current events (Georgia! 9/11! Russia! Iran!!), Obama starts his prepared remarks with this:
Yesterday, Senator McCain came before you. He is a man who has served this nation honorably, and he correctly stated that one of the chief criteria for the American people in this election is going to be who can exercise the best judgment as Commander in Chief. But instead of just offering policy answers, he turned to a typical laundry list of political attacks. He said that I have changed my position on Iraq when I have not. He said that I am for a path of “retreat and failure.” And he declared, “Behind all of these claims and positions by Senator Obama lies the ambition to be president” – suggesting, as he has so many times, that I put personal ambition before my country.
That is John McCain’s prerogative. He can run that kind of campaign, and – frankly – that’s how political campaigns have been run in recent years. But I believe the American people are better than that. I believe that this defining momenttan, demands something more of us.
Now, anyone who remembers reading Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar in the 10th grade will recognize the “honorable man” remarks for what they are. Damning with faint praise.
When Obama says he honors John McCain’s service, you wonder how he can get the words out of his mouth. Sarcasm that thick sometimes does trip up the tongue, after all. But the man is a professional politician and that counts for something.
But, seriously, you don’t have to read Shakespeare to recognize the tone here. After some perfunctory thank you’s, Obama goes right into attack. Quite frankly, had I been in the audience that day, I would have rolled my eyes. Well, I did when I read the speech. Being connected with the military, I want to hear policy, ideas and directions related to national defense. Placing a political attack at the top of the speech just irritates me and signals that the speech is not serious. Obama just wants to score points.
Of course, it gets better. No it doesn’t. Here’s more valuable policy talk from Obama.
In the run-up to the invasion of Iraq, I warned that war would fan the flames of extremism in the Middle East, create new centers of terrorism, and tie us down in a costly and open-ended occupation. Senator McCain predicted that we’d be greeted as liberators, and that the Iraqis would bear the cost of rebuilding through their bountiful oil revenues. For the good of our country, I wish he had been right, and I had been wrong. But that’s not what history shows.
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. . . Before the surge, I argued that the long-term solution in Iraq is political – the Iraqi government must reconcile its differences and take responsibility for its future. That holds true today.
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For years, I have called for more resources and more troops to finish the fight in Afghanistan. With his overwhelming focus on Iraq, Senator McCain argued that we could just “muddle through” in Afghanistan, and only came around to supporting my call for more troops last month.
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A year ago, I said that we must take action against bin Laden and his lieutenants if we have them in our sights and Pakistan cannot or will not act. Senator McCain criticized me and claimed that I was for “bombing our ally.” So for all of his talk about following Osama bin Laden to the Gates of Hell, Senator McCain refused to join my call to take out bin Laden across the Afghan border. Instead, he spent years backing a dictator in Pakistan who failed to serve the interests of his own people.
I argued for years that we need to move from a “Musharraf policy” to a “Pakistan policy.” We must move beyond an alliance built on mere convenience or a relationship with one man. Now, with President Musharraf’s resignation, we have the opportunity to do just that. That’s why I’ve cosponsored a bill to triple non-military aid to the Pakistani people, while ensuring that the military assistance we do provide is used to take the fight to the Taliban and al Qaeda in the tribal regions of Pakistan.
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For months, I have called for active international engagement to resolve the disputes over South Ossetia and Abkhazia. I made it crystal clear before, at the beginning of, and during this conflict that Georgia’s territorial integrity must be respected, and that Georgia should be integrated into transatlantic institutions. I have condemned Russian aggression, and today I reiterate my demand that Russia abide by the cease-fire. Russia must know that its actions will have consequences.
Lots of “I” here. Lots of focus on Obama’s smarts, x-ray vision in world affairs, and overall uber-wise man. Wonder if he’s got a cape for that.
But then watch out! You won’t believe what follows. (OK, yes you will. You’re here at NQ, after all. .. )
These are the judgments I’ve made and the policies that we have to debate, because we do have differences in this election. But one of the things that we have to change in this country is the idea that people can’t disagree without challenging each other’s character and patriotism. I have never suggested that Senator McCain picks his positions on national security based on politics or personal ambition. I have not suggested it because I believe that he genuinely wants to serve America’s national interest. Now, it’s time for him to acknowledge that I want to do the same.
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So let’s have a serious debate, and let’s debate our disagreements on the merits of policy – not personal attacks. And no matter how heated it gets or what kind of campaign he chooses to run, I will honor Senator McCain’s service, just like I honor the service of every veteran in this room, and every American who has worn the uniform of the United States.
Obama is back to attacking his opponent through the back door. Claiming to want a serious debate while bypassing the same to lob attacks and talk about himself seems a bit, well, contradictory, hmmmm? It’s beyond petulant. It’s the focus of the damn speech. This is NOT a policy speech. NOT A POLICY SPEECH AT ALL. This speech is a “I’m the smartest guy in the room” speech and an attack speech. It’s Obama’s speechmaking outline – he follows this pattern religiously.
And.
Obama seems to not know his audience at all. Pretending to give a policy speech on matters of war and foreign policy to members of the VFW that is merely self-congratulatory and an attack on another veteran is profoundly disrespectful.
Dude, these audience members HAVE brains. They have some familiarity with the subject. They probably have friends and relatives directly involved and probably couldn’t care less what you thought about this stuff when you didn’t do more than have an already delivered speech filmed so your assumed brilliance could be broadcast later.
After this WTH-was-THAT speech, Obama moves into the pandering / what-I-will-do-for-you portion of his remarks.
Lastly, here is his latest on his withdrawal plans from Iraq.
We can safely redeploy at a pace that removes our combat brigades in 16 months. That would be well into 2010 – seven years after the war began. After this redeployment, we’ll keep a residual force to target remnants of al Qaeda; to protect our service members and diplomats; and to train Iraq’s Security Forces if the Iraqis make political progress.
I still say that “residual force” needs definition.
What was the point of this speech? Why in the world did he go to the VFW? Beyond the pandering part, Obama never indicated he thought these people had anything to say. It is all about Obama, Obama’s intelligence, Obama’s vision and how he won’t stoop to the low tactics of wounding an opponent with false attacks in the way that John McCain has wounded (but not really wounded, because Obama is so strong and above it) him.
And isn’t it time that the other guy realize Obama is a grown-up and deserves the same respect???? WTH? What is he, 18? Dammit! Isn’t there a Constitutional age requirement?
If you’d like to see this speech, here you go.
, the basis for the Best Motion Picture Nominee (Golden Globes) starring Brad Pitt.
, the novel by John Le Carre, a new motion picture starring Gary Oldman and Colin Firth.
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* (Included in the 
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.by David Fredosso who wrote 2008's 
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