posted by Erick Erickson

Barack Obama spoke at West Point tonight on the issue of Afghanistan. In 4608 words, he did not once mention the word “victory” and the closest he came to using the word “win” was those three letters appearing in the word “withdrawing.”

True to form, Obama spent most of his speech decrying the Bush administration going into Iraq. He said — a lie — that “Commanders in Afghanistan repeatedly asked for support to deal with the reemergence of the Taliban, but these reinforcements did not arrive.” The historic record shows that George Bush never denied commanders in Afghanistan the support they requested.

The historic record shows that Barack Obama is not even granting McChrystal the General’s preferred troop level. McChrystal wanted 40,000 troops to 80,000 troops. So Bush gave the Generals in Afghanistan everything they wanted, despite Obama saying he did not, and Obama is not giving his General what was requested, despite claiming he is.

The historic record also shows that Barack Obama, despite his denials tonight, very clearly dithered on General McChrystal’s request, waiting more than ninety days to make a decision and prolonging action for at least another thirty days — mischaracterizing McChrystal’s request in an effort to save face and, yet again, defend himself from Dick Cheney.

That Obama even had to say “there has never been an option before me that called for troop deployments before 2010, so there has been no delay or denial of resources necessary for the conduct of the war” is proof of just how powerful and resonate Dick Cheney is. How many times now has Dick Cheney gotten the best of Barack Obama? I’ve lost count.

“Now, let me be clear: [His favorite set up for a whopper] There has never been an option before me that called for troop deployments before 2010, so there has been no delay or denial of resources necessary for the conduct of the war during this review period.”

If the request was for a 2010, why didn’t Obama answer Cheney and his critics when the “dithering” charges were made? Could he have planned to ambush his critics? Or did McChrystal ask for the troops without giving a time line? Thus giving him wiggle room.

If McChrystal asked for the troops in 2010, have the troops been preparing for deployment or are they going to start preparing now? Preparation takes how long? Some troops train for a year before deployment to the area, I am guessing his dithering has slowed the pace of deployment for 2010. “Delay and denial” will come in 2010.

The man who publicly opposed the surge in Iraq is now committing to a surge in Afghanistan, while still attacking the policy in Iraq. The key part of the Iraq strategy that Obama is attacking was the open ended surge in Iraq (nevermind that Obama refuses to use the word “surge”).

Proving yet again that he is a rank amateur, Obama intends to have a surge of 30,000 troops in Afghanistan, but concurrently announce the timeline for their withdrawal. This is akin to announcing to burglars exactly the time at which you intend to depart your house and also announcing you intend to turn off the burglar alarm. Al Qaeda will just wait us out. They’ll only need to wait a year. The men who spent years planning 9/11 are more patient than this President who wants instant gratification in a never ending campaign.

And that is, at the end of the day, what this was — not the speech of a Commander-in-Chief to his troops, but a campaign speech at time of falling poll numbers because of his dithering, trying to blame the other guy.

Only, there is no other guy now. There is only Barack Obama. A man who sees no special role for America in the world and a moral equivalence between good and evil.

Note this curious line from Obama’s speech:

And we must make it clear to every man, woman and child around the world who lives under the dark cloud of tyranny that America will speak out on behalf of their human rights, and tend to the light of freedom, and justice, and opportunity, and respect for the dignity of all peoples. That is who we are. That is the moral source of America’s authority.

Notice he is actually saying we will do nothing. We will talk and we will keep the light on — the policy equivalent of operating a Motel 6. Our President views the nation as he is himself — a smooth talker with no actual action. Barack Obama wants an America that talks a good game, but won’t actually get its hands dirty.

Lastly, Barack Obama said, “We have not always been thanked for these efforts, and we have at times made mistakes.” What mistakes exactly? And why tell our soldiers that, in essence, they have made mistakes?

In the years after 9/11, George Bush made sure no terrorist attacks have occurred on American soil. The naive fool who replaced him seems to think the preferable policy is to preemptively announce we have no ambition for victory while broadcasting the code for the burglar alarm.

Since taking office, Barack Obama’s casualty count is nearly DOUBLE that of George Bush’s worst year as Commander in Chief. God help our troops. It’s amateur hour still at the White House.

I am sending you to risk your life for your country, after which I will announce your withdrawl just prior to my next election.

Therefore, many of you will die with no chance whatsoever to complete your mission.

This will give me credibility as a tough-on-terrorism president, while allowing me to appease my lunatic left-wing base.

I would thank you for sacrificing yourself for my next election, but I really don’t think you deserve my praise.

Sincerely,
Your Moronic President

I worry so much about our young men and women now over there without proper support and I worry about the ones going over in the “surge” that isn’t going to be a surge because there aren’t enough going to call it that. How many of our young people must die or be mutilated in war before he….Oh, hell…that is rhetorical anyway.

I am totally behind a real surge as Gen McChrystal (?sp) ask for with a enough troops to do the job. But if “O” won’t give them enough he is sending our troops in to be sitting ducks. I pray for these troops every day. God protect them from this president as much as from the enemy!

Give’em what they need to do the job or get them the H… out of there. I say the former.

“What messages did our president’s bait-and-switch speech just send?

To our troops: Risk your lives for a mission I’ve written off.
To our allies: Race you to the exit ramp.
To the Taliban: Allah is merciful, your prayers will soon be answered.
To Afghan leaders: Get your stolen wealth out of the country.
To Pakistan: Renew your Taliban friendships now (and be nice to al Qaeda). ”

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/o.....2Lly5JbNaO

You can’t tell as many obvious whoppers as he has told and not lose the trust of the public.

Next February, he will have been in office for a year, and the 20% who are currently unwilling to tell the pollsters that they disapprove of a black man who is President will begin to decide that a year is long enough. His ratings should fall into the mid to high 20′s pretty quickly at that time.

The lack of interest in his campaign appearances is a major clue as to what is really going on.

Pray that there will be something left to salvage of the country.

Well, how about we invert the picture.

If Bam were just holding out his left hand instead of his right while making the “M” sign of the Freemasons, we’d have a great piece for symbologist Robert Langdon to star in another sequel to the Da Vinci Code.

Do a google image search of “Pictures of Bush Halo” and “Pictures of Obama Halo” – all the Bush picutres are doctored, all the Obama one’s are actual pictures purposely capturing the symbolic idea, often with his redisgn of the American Flag – that disgraceful O insignia – in the background.

This confirms that the people are no longer interested in what he has to say. Otherwise, if there was even a small television audience, the papers would be full of lies about it being “huge”.

But no. Not a word about it, other than content….nothing about how many people watched it. I think they were probably ticked off that the O-hole pushed the primetime TV schedules around. So they shut the TV off until it was over.

By the way isn’t this a nifty photo-op? Remember when I was conflicted about wearing the flag pin? Look at that back drop! Wow! Dynamic stars and stripes with more stars. Notice the stars look like a off-center halo over my head.

Hey code-pink and others, give me break here! I hate the military as much as you do. Look at it this way, I had to do something with these “baby-killers”, so I put them in the hell hole of Afghanistan to cool their heels. I have made the rules of engagement so convoluted, they can’t win. They are just sitting ducks for young jihadist to make their first kill….”

By announcing his surrender in 18 months, the Moron has probably saved hundreds of US lives.

The Taliban, of course, will simply disperse until then, and claim their victory over the boy idiot at that time.

You have to see the bigger picture. Anyone expecting anything real definitive from the boy is just gonna be left with a wet stain.

This speech is step one. Tell them we’re (I’m) sending more troops…that should shut the teabaggers up.

Step two: Once in country, hogtie them to ridiculous ROE

Step three, “Closely monitor” the “progress” and troop fatalities to come to the self-fulfilling prophecy that “this is just bad for the American people”.

Step four: Withdraw. (pronounced “run, run, run” As in: with tail between legs)

Step four (A) was a nice touch…..providing a contract-like timetable for when the job must be accomplished, with that “job” still an ambiguous but smelly fart hanging in the air. He did not outline any single goal or target that would indicate he has any purpose in sending the additional troops other than “they are needed” to which I agree…but how to be deployed, to what end?

In any case, it’s just a head fake to set up a failure. He hates this whole thing and having to be the focal point of it but at the same time loves being “commander” cuz that sounds so fly. His lack of skills are apparent to every cadet in that hall. He hasn’t the basic leadership skills and certainly not any well-established record of leadership of any kind. They know this.

But mark my words….this is all show. He will repeatedly tell us that he sent them “against his better judgment” when it gets uglier, and it will.

You have to take what he’s done in the past with big issues and extrapolate out to the future. In short there IS NO PLAN other than abject failure. If this guy came to my house to paint it with such a “plan” I would tell him to keep walking.

He’s an evasive lawyer-speaking muslim crook who hates the military, hates you and me and is realizing that he has no skills whatsoever. Shoot, a 10 year old with a calculator could do a better job.

-’al Qaeda — a group of extremists who have distorted and defiled Islam, one of the world’s great religions’- if that is TRUE – where are all the believers of that ‘great religion’ speaking up AGAINST the ‘extremists’?!?

Everything he does is timed to the 2012 election – and it’s not political, how?!?

Excellent assessment.

Let me add something to this that will tell you a little about the big O’s self-involvement.

Cadets at West Point, unlike most other universities, are actively engaged in extracurricular activities that happen after classes for the day are complete. It’s not like a “regular” campus where after classes, you go to the student union, hang out with your friends and pig out on fries.

They have drill, they have other activities that are in keeping with their military training, etc. And they have a fairly lock-step schedule. Only seniors have a little more freedom.

Add to that, mid-terms are fast approaching and it’s already December and they HAVE WORK TO DO. Papers to write, duties to perform, etc. This self-absorbed president cares not a whit about any of that. Maybe his days in Haaaa-vaad were just a cakewalk, but trust me, these cadets have NO time to spare. And this whole speech BS took about 3 hours out of their day, if not more. This speech interfed with normal day-to-day activities. Again, the big O’s choice of venues for this only speaks of his self-centeredness, his desire to look “right” and appear to be a commander in chief when, as I expected, he has done the opposite.

Therefore the cadets are resentful of his interference, tired, really wanting to get back to their core duties and responsibilities and then to bed. But they will still have to be prepared for tomorrow regardless of the schedule change. That three hour interruption is costly.

Most cadets spend their first year completely exhausted. It’s no wonder the head-bob thing was going on.