Obama's West Point Afghanistan Speech

Obama's "blame it on Bush" Afghanistan Speech:

Full transcript here

Some analysis:

Obama did not miss the opportunity to blame Bush for the problems in Afghanistan: "Throughout [the duration of the Iraq war], our troop levels in Afghanistan remained a fraction of what they were in Iraq. When I took office, we had just over 32,000 Americans serving in Afghanistan, compared to 160,000 in Iraq at the peak of the war. Commanders in Afghanistan repeatedly asked for support to deal with the reemergence of the Taliban, but these reinforcements did not arrive."

Speaking defensively in reference to his dithering, Obama stated that "...there has been no delay or denial of resources necessary for the conduct of the war."

Apparently, Obama doesn't understand the impact of a delay in decisiveness.

Obama also set a timetable for withdrawal, letting the enemy know exactly how long to hold out: "After 18 months, our troops will begin to come home."

Obama then threw a bone to the pacifist left and obliquely defended his dithering a bit more: "If I did not think that the security of the United States and the safety of the American people were at stake in Afghanistan, I would gladly order every single one of our troops home tomorrow. So no - I do not make this decision lightly."

After assuring us he can begin to pull out of Afghanistan in a mere 18 months, he painted a grim picture of the task ahead: "Since 9/11, al Qaeda's safe-havens [including Afghanistan] have been the source of attacks against London and Amman and Bali. The people and governments of both Afghanistan and Pakistan are endangered. And the stakes are even higher within a nuclear-armed Pakistan, because we know that al Qaeda and other extremists seek nuclear weapons, and we have every reason to believe that they would use them."

Then Obama stated his intention to partner with the Taliban: "We will support efforts by the Afghan government to open the door to those Taliban who abandon violence and respect the human rights of their fellow citizens."

Surprisingly, Obama made mention of America's positive contribution to the world over the past several decades: "But more than any other nation, the United States of America has underwritten global security for over six decades - a time that, for all its problems, has seen walls come down, markets open, billions lifted from poverty, unparalleled scientific progress, and advancing frontiers of human liberty."

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Obama's Notre Dame Speech, Full Text

Obama's Notre Dame Speech: FULL TEXT

Highlights:

• "Too many of us view life only through the lens of immediate self-interest...in which the world is necessarily a zero-sum game."  [Look who's talking.]
• "Those with power...find all manner of justification for their own privilege."  [Pot, I'd like you to meet Kettle.] 
• The strong too often dominate the weak. [You don't say!]
• Read the whole speech...and look for the shameless plug for his book, The Audacity of Hope.

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Transcript of President Obama’s 100th-Day Press Conference (April 29, 2009)

Obama’s 100th-Day Press Briefing, April 29, 2009

"I think we're off to a good start. But it's just a start. I'm proud of what we've achieved, but I'm not content."

Obama's Press Conference: Full Text here.

Transcript of Obama’s News Conference, March 24

Obama: The buck stops with me...well it will...soon. But not yet.  The economy is still Bush's fault.  Never forget that.

"Now, it’s important to remember that this crisis didn’t happen overnight and it didn’t result from any one action or decision. It took many years and many failures to lead us here." 

[Transcript of Obama’s News Conference]

Rush Limbaugh's Address at CPAC

When we look out over the United States of America, when we are anywhere, when we see a group of people, such as this or anywhere, we see Americans. We see human beings. We don't see groups. We don't see victims. We don't see people we want to exploit. What we see — what we see is potential. We do not look out across the country and see the average American — the person that makes this country work — we do not see that person with contempt. We don't think that person doesn't have what it takes. We believe that person can be the best he or she wants to be if certain things are just removed from their path like onerous taxes, regulations and too much government. [Applause] 

We want every American to be the best he or she chooses to be. We recognize that we are all individuals. We love and revere our founding documents, the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. [Applause] We believe that the preamble to the Constitution contains an inarguable truth that we are all endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights, among them life. [Applause] Liberty, Freedom. [Applause] And the pursuit of happiness. [Applause] Those of you watching at home may wonder why this is being applauded. We conservatives think all three are under assault.  [snip]

For those of you just tuning in on the Fox News Channel or C-SPAN, I'm Rush Limbaugh and I want everyone in this room and every one of you around the country to succeed. I want anyone who believes in life, liberty, pursuit of happiness to succeed. And I want any force, any person, any element of an overarching Big Government that would stop your success, I want that organization, that element or that person to fail. I want you to succeed. [Applause] Also, for those of you in the Drive-By Media watching, I have not needed a teleprompter for anything I've said. [Cheers and Applause ] 

[snip]

Now, let me speak about President Obama for just a second. President Obama is one of the most gifted politicians, one of the most gifted men that I have ever witnessed. He has extraordinary talents. He has communication skills that hardly anyone can surpass. No, seriously. No, no, I'm being very serious about this. It just breaks my heart that he does not use these extraordinary talents and gifts to motivate and inspire the American people to be the best they can be. He's doing just the opposite. And it's a shame. [Applause] 

Barack Obama, the Democrat Party, have one responsibility, and that's to respect the oath they gave to protect, defend and follow the US Constitution. [Applause] They don't have the right to take money that's not theirs, from the back pockets of producers, and give it to groups like ACORN, which are going to advance the Democrat Party. If anybody but government were doing this, it would be a crime. And many of us think it's bordering on that as it exists now. [Applause]

[Complete Transcript]

Jindal's Rebuttal to Obama's Speech Before Congress

Americans Can Do Anything

(full text)

Excerpts:

"As I grew up, my mom and dad taught me the values that attracted them to this country - and they instilled in me an immigrant's wonder at the greatness of America. As a child, I remember going to the grocery store with my dad. Growing up in India, he had seen extreme poverty. And as we walked through the aisles, looking at the endless variety on the shelves, he would tell me: 'Bobby, Americans can do anything.' I still believe that to this day.  

...

"Republicans are ready to work with the new President to provide those solutions. Here in my state of Louisiana, we don't care what party you belong to if you have good ideas to make life better for our people. We need more of that attitude from both Democrats and Republicans in our nation's capital. All of us want our economy to recover and our nation to prosper. So where we agree, Republicans must be the President's strongest partners. And where we disagree, Republicans have a responsibility to be candid and offer better ideas for a path forward.

...

"The strength of America is not found in our government. It is found in the compassionate hearts and enterprising spirit of our citizens.

...

"To solve our current problems, Washington must lead. But the way to lead is not to raise taxes and put more money and power in hands of Washington politicians. The way to lead is by empowering you - the American people. Because we believe that Americans can do anything.

...

"Democratic leaders say their legislation will grow the economy. What it will do is grow the government, increase our taxes down the line, and saddle future generations with debt. Who among us would ask our children for a loan, so we could spend money we do not have, on things we do not need? That is precisely what the Democrats in Congress just did. It's irresponsible. And it's no way to strengthen our economy, create jobs, or build a prosperous future for our children.

...

"In recent years, these distinctions in philosophy became less clear - because our party got away from its principles. You elected Republicans to champion limited government, fiscal discipline, and personal responsibility. Instead, Republicans went along with earmarks and big government spending in Washington. Republicans lost your trust - and rightly so.

...

"A few weeks ago, the President warned that our nation is facing a crisis that he said 'we may not be able to reverse.' Our troubles are real, to be sure. But don't let anyone tell you that we cannot recover - or that America's best days are behind her."

Full text of Jindal's Speech