Today, at Ft. Hood. I guarantee: they'll be teaching this one in rhetoric classes. It was that good. My gloss won't do it justice. Yes, I'm having a Chris Matthews-chill-running-up-my-leg moment, but sometimes, the man, the moment and the words come together and meet the challenge. Obama had to lead a nation's grieving; he had to try and address the thorny issues of Islam and terrorism; to be firm; to express the spirit of America, using familiar, comforting tropes in a way that didn't sound trite.
An excerpt from the elegiac address, below, and the full text, after the jump.
It may be hard to comprehend the twisted logic that led to this tragedy. But this much we do know - no faith justifies these murderous and craven acts; no just and loving God looks upon them with favor. And for what he has done, we know that the killer will be met with justice - in this world, and the next.
These are trying times for our country. In Afghanistan and Pakistan, the same extremists who killed nearly 3,000 Americans continue to endanger America, our allies, and innocent Afghans and Pakistanis. In Iraq, we are working to bring a war to a successful end, as there are still those who would deny the Iraqi people the future that Americans and Iraqis have sacrificed so much for.
As we face these challenges, the stories of those at Fort Hood reaffirm the core values that we are fighting for, and the strength that we must draw upon. Theirs are tales of American men and women answering an extraordinary call - the call to serve their comrades, their communities, and their country. In an age of selfishness, they embody responsibility. In an era of division, they call upon us to come together. In a
time of cynicism, they remind us of who we are as Americans.We are a nation that endures because of the courage of those who defend it. We saw that valor in those who braved bullets here at Fort Hood, just as surely as we see it in those who signed up knowing that they would serve in harm's way.
We are a nation of laws whose commitment to justice is so enduring that we would treat a gunman and give him due process, just as surely as we will see that he pays for his crimes. We are a nation that guarantees the freedom to worship as one chooses. And instead of claiming God for our side, we remember Lincoln's words, and always pray to be on the side of God.
That must be a big disappointment to a lot of people.
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3 comments:
Obama's speech was flat and dispassionate. You want to see a passionate Obama, take a look at a speech he gave to his friends at SEIU:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQ1NJaCtIkM
I have serious doubts that he cares much about the military. He leaves our soldiers hanging for 3 months and counting before making a decision about troop reinforcements. This sends a message of weakness to our enemies and the world and a message of disrespect to our fighting forces and General Mcchrystal. I don't expect much more from the anti American novice President that we are stuck with.
Yea, he is a huge disappointment to me.
When is making an informed decision ever a sign of weakness? Why is logical-reasoning seen as anti-american? This growing strain of anti-intellectualism in America is extremely unsettling. We wouldn't be dealing with a two front War on Terror if our previous executive chose to think about things instead of rushing unilaterally into the quagmire that is Iraq. Frankly, I think Obama cares more about the military than Bush,Cheney, Rumsfeld, or any of their neocon cronies ever did. To me Obama's deliberation shows a loyalty to the men on the ground who have to actually fight this war, hopefully he will come to his senses and stop spilling American blood needlessly. I agree that a new strategy is needed: the one where we leave the graveyard of empires (afghanistan), our military is not a nation-building force and I believe it is extremely unfair to ask them to be. Our armed forces are stretched extremely thin placing our Country in danger for what? So that Gen. Patreus can be the Republican nominee for 2012? This would be military mutiny is nothing short of treason, these generals pledged allegiance to defend the Constitution which means taking orders from the Commander-In-Chief regardless of their political affiliation.
What informed decision? There is no informed decision! This novice projects weakness at every turn. This situation is getting American soldiers needlessly killed.
I see him as anti American because of his apologies to the world about our great country. He is weakening our country with his obscene spending policies. He does not embrace our constitution. He sees it as an obstacle. He is attempting to make as many American citizens dependent on the federal government as possible. He promised the most open administration in history. Remember how he said that he would publish legislation on the internet for 5 days before it would be voted on? That health care debate would be televised on C Span?. What happened to that? Remember when candidate Obama's campaign demanded Missouri law enforcement officials to target and arrest anyone who ran what they interpreted as misleading television ads? I am very concerned with the people who Obama grew up with and who influenced him when he was growing up. Frank Marshall Davis, his childhood communist mentor, for example. I do not like the radicals he surrounds himself with today in his administration such as Van Jones, John Holdren, Cass Sunstein. He is openly hostile to the CIA.
This is probably the most secretive, corrupt administration in our lifetime. These people are a bunch of thugs and tax cheats. This is a sample of why I think President Obama is anti American.
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