Some Educated Reaction to the President's 9/10/ 2014 speech

CNN: 5 takeaways from Obama's ISIS speech     ... " I thought the first part of the speech as he talked about the attack on ISIS was strong and presidential and serious. You could quibble with it, I am sure there will be disagreements. But as a presidential speech, it did very well. What surprised me was the second part of the speech when he started to talk about how well the country is doing with jobs and leading around the world. I think for an awful lot of people, America is feeling pretty blue right now. I think those kind of assertions don't ring true to a lot of people. It seemed to me it detracted from the main message of the speech. - David Gergen - CNN commentator and former adviser to presidents from both political parties"

From 9/9: 10 questions for Obama on ISIS  from Newt Gingrich

 

Arizona lawmakers react to President Obama speech on ISIS   

What Obama Got Right—and Wrong—in His ISIS Speech   ... "He mentioned that Secretary of State John Kerry in particular was seeking more Arab assistance.  Unfortunately, Kerry’s credibility is weak, and the Arab countries are not big “joiners” when the fight is tough. But the president is right to seek this. It is a key to any measure of success." ...
" Never tell your enemies what you will not do, Mr. President."

Obama's poll-driven ISIS speech pleases almost no one   ... "So he went on television last night to enunciate…something.  Because he has to do something.  (“Do” in his customary sense of “say.”)  The particulars don’t matter nearly as much as the appearance." ... American Thinker

The speech "succeeded in tone but failed in substance." "When it comes to foreign policy, a presidential speech is measured by two things: strategic tone and strategic substance."...
 "It was self-limiting when it comes to our capabilities, it was hedging in intent, and it manifested an obsession with domestic opinion." NRO

Andrew Malcolm: Tardy Obama talks tough on ISIS. But can anyone really believe him?

 

... "Unfortunately, these 1,985 well-spoken words of Obama's come in the context of a presidency that has been degraded and virtually destroyed by his own actions -- and inactions."
"Barack Obama has squandered the hope, good will and, most importantly, the credibility he carried into the Oval Office nearly a thousand years ago. His serial lies, misleading claims and phony stats have not only corroded trust in him and his office but crushed and ground it into microscopic dust."
... Via Lucianne

Obama Rejects 'Best Military Advice' in Fighting ISIS   ... "Recommitting ground combat forces to Iraq would have been highly controversial, and most likely would have been opposed by a substantial majority of Americans. But Austin’s predecessor, retired Marine Gen. James Mattis, said the decision not to send ground troops poses serious risks to the mission.

" ' 'The American people will once again see us in a war that doesn’t seem to be making progress,' Mattis said. 'You’re giving the enemy the initiative for a longer period.' '"

 

Obama’s ‘Strategy’ Has No Chance of Success  "President Obama just announced that he is bringing a counter-terrorism strategy to an insurgency fight. He was at pains to repeat the phrase “counter-terror” four times in a short speech. Noting that ISIL is not a state (partly because the international community thankfully does not recognize it), he declared, “ISIL is a terrorist organization, pure and simple. And it has no vision other than the slaughter of all who stand in its way.”  Neither of those sentences, unfortunately, is true."
...
 "ISIL has described a very clear vision of seizing control of all of the territory of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, and the Palestinian Territories.  It intends to abolish all of the borders and redraw them according to a new structure of governance suitable to its hateful version of an old Islamic heresy.  That vision also makes it more than a simple terrorist organization.  It’s awfully hard to develop a sound strategy when you start by mis-diagnosing the problem so profoundly. That’s why the “strategy” the president just announced has no chance of success."   FREDERICK W. KAGAN and KIMBERLY KAGAN