Richard N. Haass, President, Council on Foreign Relations: Obama’s Unclear Foreign Policy Path ...
Krauthammer’s Take: Obama’s Foreign-Policy Speech ‘Literally Pointless’
A Sad, Half-hearted Address to the Wrong Audience " Before a silent graduating class at West Point, Mr. Obama monotonically delivered a defensive foreign-policy address empty of substance. He failed to connect with an audience that responded with polite but tepid applause to a vapid speech more suitable for the United Nations than for the United States."
The President’s Tired Refrains at West Point "President Obama’s speech at West Point was not so much an articulation of his foreign policy but a defensive response to critics."
" ... the reputation of weakness is weakness, and despite all of the measures of national power that the president cites, the credibility of American power has diminished on his watch, not out of drift but because of his distinct choices." Emphasis added
Cliché' alert: "...every fiber of my being"
Obama receives standing ovation from less than 25% of West Point cadets: report
“ 'Receiving tepid applause and a short standing ovation from less than one-quarter of the audience upon his introduction, Obama argued for a contradictory foreign policy that relies on NATO and the United Nations while insisting that ‘America must always lead on the world stage,’ the paper reported."
CNN: Troops gave him an "icy reception". "CNN’s international correspondent Jim Clancy called the West Point response to President Obama’s meandering foreign policy address “pretty icy” Wednesday.
"Clancy said it was “not really a great speech to give at the U.S. Military Academy,” and the address has drawn bipartisan criticism.
“ 'It was a philosophical speech,” he said. “It was not a Commander-in-Chief speaking to his troops. And you heard the reception. I mean, it was pretty icy.”
"What I would hope is that the president makes a concerted effort to tie our foreign and domestic policies together so that people understand that what happens here in the United States affects our ability to act in the world, and what happens in the world will in many ways affect the quality of life here. That was perhaps implicit in the speech. That has to become explicit in the administration's choice of priorities between now and the end of 2016."CNN: Obama outlines foreign policy vision of 'might and right' "Under fire from the political right for what critics call diminishing U.S. global influence, Obama offered a robust defense of his foreign policy as the pragmatic and most effective expression of America's leadership role in the world."
Krauthammer’s Take: Obama’s Foreign-Policy Speech ‘Literally Pointless’
"Krauthammer said he spoke with a member of Congress who took issue with President Obama’s “pettiness” during commencement address of taking on his critics, and said the president should have focused on the graduates instead. “There was no response from any of the cadets — it was quiet as a mouse,” he said."
A Sad, Half-hearted Address to the Wrong Audience " Before a silent graduating class at West Point, Mr. Obama monotonically delivered a defensive foreign-policy address empty of substance. He failed to connect with an audience that responded with polite but tepid applause to a vapid speech more suitable for the United Nations than for the United States."
" ... the reputation of weakness is weakness, and despite all of the measures of national power that the president cites, the credibility of American power has diminished on his watch, not out of drift but because of his distinct choices." Emphasis added
Cliché' alert: "...every fiber of my being"
Obama receives standing ovation from less than 25% of West Point cadets: report
“ 'Receiving tepid applause and a short standing ovation from less than one-quarter of the audience upon his introduction, Obama argued for a contradictory foreign policy that relies on NATO and the United Nations while insisting that ‘America must always lead on the world stage,’ the paper reported."
CNN: Troops gave him an "icy reception". "CNN’s international correspondent Jim Clancy called the West Point response to President Obama’s meandering foreign policy address “pretty icy” Wednesday.
"Clancy said it was “not really a great speech to give at the U.S. Military Academy,” and the address has drawn bipartisan criticism.
“ 'It was a philosophical speech,” he said. “It was not a Commander-in-Chief speaking to his troops. And you heard the reception. I mean, it was pretty icy.”
Obama Tells West Point Grads That They’ll Be Combating Global Warming "These future leaders in our military just spent years in college learning about battle strategy, guerrilla warfare, leadership, and how to respond under pressure. They probably should have learned how to reduce their carbon footprint while they were there because the President seems to think that rising CO2 emissions are an emerging threat." Related.
Obama also took a strong stance against … well nobody ... "This wasn’t lost on the Twitterverse, where writers and pundits provided their alternative to Obama’s “this-stupid-choice versus that-stupid-choice” argument, and they’re hilarious." A sample or two:
Obama: "We need to do stuff. And the stuff we will do will not be stuff that a crazy person says we should do. It will be good stuff."
"Some say we should nuke the entire Asian continent. Others want our capital to be Pyongyang. Unlike everyone else, I'm a rational centrist"
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