The President's Speech

It wasn't awful, but it was weak tea, and disingenuous - as all speeches like this tend to be.

"But this milestone should serve as a reminder to all Americans that the future is ours to shape if we move forward with confidence and commitment. It should also serve as a message to the world that the United States of America intends to sustain and strengthen our leadership in this young century."

Heh. If I'm going to hear this from a Democrat sitting in the Oval Office, I much prefer the JFK version:

"Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty….”

Then there's this rich vein of pandering:

"These are the rough waters encountered during the course of one of America’s longest wars. Yet there has been one constant amidst those shifting tides. At every turn, America’s men and women in uniform have served with courage and resolve. As Commander-in-Chief, I am proud of their service. Like all Americans, I am awed by their sacrifice, and by the sacrifices of their families"

What's missing from that of course, is any admission that as a Senator and candidate for President, to paraphrase, "I thought your sacrifices to be in vain, a waste of blood and treasure, and that you were flailing and failing, and threatened to defund you. Tonight - I would like to say that you and your leaders proved me wrong."

Yeah, right. This is what we got instead:

"The Americans who have served in Iraq completed every mission they were given. They defeated a regime that had terrorized its people. Together with Iraqis and coalition partners who made huge sacrifices of their own, our troops fought block by block to help Iraq seize the chance for a better future. They shifted tactics to protect the Iraqi people; trained Iraqi Security Forces; and took out terrorist leaders. Because of our troops and civilians –and because of the resilience of the Iraqi people – Iraq has the opportunity to embrace a new destiny, even though many challenges remain."

Despite Senator Obama.

Now he gets to take credit for that which he called a failure in the making. Truly, success has many fathers, and failure is an orphan. But he does get to take credit, and should. Even if he can't bring himself to say so - he got those briefings only Presidents get, and changed his mind. Too bad he can't bring himself to give his predecessor any credit on the issue at all. Because it was his predecessor who facilitated the changes Mr. Obama talks about in the paragraph above.

Then there’s this, a bit near and dear to my heart, third generation veteran that I am:

"Part of that responsibility is making sure that we honor our commitments to those who have served our country with such valor. As long as I am President, we will maintain the finest fighting force that the world has ever known, and do whatever it takes to serve our veterans as well as they have served us. This is a sacred trust. …Because part of ending a war responsibly is standing by those who have fought it."

I will grant the President this - there is a long way to go in keeping these promises, and there is much work for Secretary Shinseki and his successors to do to make the VA "all that it can be" - but the trend is the most positive in this direction under any of the administrations my grandfather, my father and I served under - which would run from President Wilson through President Bush. The test will come after Afghanistan slips from the front pages, and the flag-drapped boxes quit coming home, and the rattle of musketry and cannon fade - that is when the Republic has a tendency to renege on promises made to young folk bearing arms in the nation's defense.