Barnes: A Disappointing Speech in Support of the Right Policy

Fred Barnes "And Obama praised the military for the success of the “surge” in Iraq without mentioning the person who -- against the advice of nearly everyone in Washington -- ordered that troop increase, Bush. Obama tacitly acknowledged the surge had worked, though he didn’t seem to remember that he’d insisted that it would worsen conditions in Iraq."

A war president

William Kristol "At the press briefing this afternoon by two senior administration officials, a questioner pointed out that the government of Iran “regards the U.S. government's policy of surging forces as following Bush policy” and that the Iranian regime sees “no change in U.S. policy.”"

Obama Afghanistan Speech – Transcript

Sweetness&Light "Mr. Obama has the troops slated to come home from Afghanistan just in time for his 2012 re-election campaign. Good thing he isn’t politicizing this. By the way, Mr. Obama only used the pronoun ‘I’ 36 times in this speech. He’s getting better."

From the 9-11 families: LETTER TO PRESIDENT OBAMA

Keep America Safe It's down a bit but you may be interested in the foregoing. "It is morally offensive to offer Constitutional protections to individuals charged with murdering 3,000 individuals, in essence, to jeopardize justice for war crimes victims, in order to make an appeal to the Muslim world."

McCain: “Success is the real exit strategy”

Hot Air "Good luck, general. For your viewing pleasure, here’s Krauthammer taking a dim, McCain-esque view of the speech; compare and contrast with Bill Kristol, who’s in sync with me in thinking that, as feeble as it is, this one last chance is more than we ever expected to get from Obama. "

Climategate Document Database from PJTV/Pajamas Media

Pajamas Media "PJTV and PJM now present a complete database of the Climategate documents with a comment section for readers to respond to the individual entries and a way to rank those entries according to interest level. Also available: a roundup of commentary and videos on the subject."

Obama Finally Resolute on Afghanistan?

Max Boot "The key question now is, how much resolve will Obama signal in the address itself? If he spends too much time talking about “off-ramps” (i.e., situations under which reinforcements might be canceled), “benchmarks” that the Karzai government must meet “or else,” or “exit strategies,” he will undo some of the positive impact of his courageous decision to substantially increase the number of American troops on the ground." We'll know in about 45 minutes.

Blackfive Live Blogs the Reaction to the President's Afghan Plan tonight

Blackfive First point, will the West Point back drop/photo op make him look more decisive? Second point, will his plan have guarantees from NATO countries (thank you, Brits!)? Third point, will he set realistic expectations about a tough fight, high cas[ua]lties, lots of effort and time invested, etc? Fourth point, will he set a timetable for withdrawal?

Obama's Afganistan speech before the 'Long Gray Line'

American Thinker "The operative word here is "use." Yes, Obama will use--as in exploit and manipulate--the United States Military Academy and its future 2nd Lieutenants in order to promote the illusion that he is a president who can identify with the soldiers of whom he is Commander-In-Chief, and that he understands their mission."

HHS would become federal giant under Senate plan

"If nothing else should scare you about this healthcare bill, check out the expanded powers of the Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius." Neal Boortz

Americans Still Leaning Against Healthcare Legislation

Gallup "The poll also finds 40% of Americans approving of President Obama's handling of healthcare policy, while 53% disapprove. This is slightly more negative than what Gallup found from July through September, and represents his worst review to date on this issue."

COP KILLER SHOT DEAD

Neal Boortz "Surely the Clemmons family will start sputtering about mental illness and such .. and race pimps Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton might well weigh in with charges of police brutality. Bottom line ... this bastard is dead and gone. "