Friday, January 16, 2015

A Scorecard for Obama’s 2015 State of the Union Address


Council on Foreign Relations via WSJ   . . . "Republicans will push back, of course, that the real theme of Mr. Obama’s 2014 speech was to downplay military responses to security challenges. They, too, would be right. Last year the president insisted that the U.S. had to “move off a permanent war footing.” He pledged to limit drone use, reform surveillance programs, and close Guantanamo (again).  What’s his message this year?  Something different: He wants new authorization from Congress for the use of military force abroad.
"Other lines from last year’s State of the Union can be used against the president.
"* It’s a little embarrassing to revisit his 2014 commitment to diplomatic efforts that would, he said, allow the Syrian people a future “free of dictatorship, terror, and fear.”
 "* Mr. Obama may also want to forget his promise that if Iran doesn’t come to a nuclear agreement, “I will be the first to call for more sanctions.” (How will White House spin doctors explain this one?)
. . .
 "There’s one sentence in the 2014 State of the Union adress that neither the president nor his partisan opponents will quite know how to use. Toward the end of the speech, Mr. Obama extolled the unique global responsibilities of the United States–a role made possible by our economic and military strength, our long history of bearing international burdens, and our appealing ideals. “On every issue,” he said, “the world turns to us.” Critics will argue that the president didn’t mean these words. The president should read them and recognize that he has yet to prove that he does." (Emphasis added, TD)

Obama's Islam Psychosis    Posted elsewhere in the TW

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