PrintWhat to look for in Obama's Iraq Speech
Tomorrow evening President Obama will give a televised speech about the end of combat operations in Iraq. He will visit Fort Bliss earlier that same day before returning to Washington DC for his prime time address to the nation. After listening to President Obama speak on several occasions, I've come up with a check list 3 items to look for when listening to the President on this occasion. Let's see how accurate I am;
1. President Obama will use the phrase "let me be clear." This is usually followed by policies that aren't clear, and don't make sense. We heard this phrase time and again prior to ObamaCare being passed. The bill was so clear that fellow Democrat Nancy Pelosi's famously said "We have to pass the bill to find out what's in the bill". I've recently received me new health insurance premium notice, and the rates are going up. How's that clarity working out for you America?
2. President Obama will refer to some mystery people using the phrase "there are those that say . . . ". No one else will have heard from any "those that say", but the dinosaur press will be all too happy to use the description to caricature any opponent of President Obama's policies.
3. President Obama will try to take full credit for any success in Iraq and pin all failures on a previous administration. Candidate Obama wasn't just anti-war, he repeatedly said that ending the war in Iraq would be a top priority as President. He was vehemently against the surge, explicitly saying that it would fail. Based on previous commentary we don't expect the President to mention this fact, or admit that he was wrong. This speech is about appeasing his disappointed left base and proving to them that he delivered on his anti war rhetoric.
Almost every American wants our troops to come home victorious, and President Obama will capitalize on that sentiment tomorrow night. It's worth reminding folks that Obama was one of those Americans who wanted to bring troops home regardless of victory. No amount of kind words and clever phrases will change that fact. When one examines the mess our economy is in, or the stubborn refusal to acknowledge that the surge worked, you realize that President Obama hasn't been right very often. While President Obama may not have been right very often, but he was clever at convincing people that he was something he wasn't (a moderate healer). Look for that type of cleverness in this speech.
President Obama's poll numbers are not good. The Democrats' chances during the midterm election are widely viewed as poor, really poor. Look for the President to use this speech as a spring board to try and kick start Democrats' chances this fall. President Obama doesn't lead very well, but he knows how to campaign.
Aaron Gee is a US based IT consultant who started the blog foundingideals.com
