55 references to himself.

But he will blame Bush, over and over again. At every opportunity.

This isnt a speech to the troops or to the country. This is a cover your ass speech to his base.

I predict he will mention the Bush administration in one form or another at least 10 times and all of it negatively.

My prediction is that he will spend 5-7 minutes talking about his big war plan (mentioning himself 17 times), then spend the next 30 min campaigning for health care, crap and tax, and a new stimulus bill.

He'll use "I" to praise himself, and "we" when he talks about the sacrifices that have to be made. He'll trash Bush within the first 3-4 paragraphs.

Wonder if the Democrats will condemn him for using the troops as a prop? What's the matter, can't fit those TV cameras in the oval office?

Blame Bush. Use "me" and "I" as often as possible. Deny dithering. What a classless piece of work. And if I hear him refer to the terrorist fucks in Afghanistan as the "Tal-ee-ban" again I'm going to throw up. Show them as much contempt as you do Republicans, Mr. President. Don't show off you Ivy League education and sensitivity to pronunciation.

Yes He'll once, twice, 66 time's a self appraiser~ And the sockpuppets lo wu ove Him..

The Community Organizer is schooling West Point on military history and strategy. Interesting time to tune into his speech.

He just finished. I think and all time high in references to himself. Overall, a very rambling too long screed. He is such a huge vain egotistical empty suit, he thinks we all need to hear how his thought processes work. To me that is not leadership, that is making excuses for what he has to do. Overall, this guy gets an F. Typcial. Numerous soldiers falling asleep. I cannot blame them. Does this guy know when to wrap up? No. ww

WW, Did he use the word Victory?

It took him THREE months to come up with THAT.

The security of the world depends upon success in Afganistan he said, and in the next sentence sez we'll begin pulling troops out in 2011.

I guess it's only important to the world until 2011

This putz makes Jimmah Carter look like George S. Patton!

Barack Hussein "mmm...mmm.mmm" Obama: Worst President EVAH!!!

Word Count: 'I' - 45, 'Afghanistan' - 39, 'Victory' - 0

http://charliefoxtrotblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/obama-afghanistan-speech-word-count.html

Jay, you said everything in my soul.

Well...

Sigh. 23 years in the military, serving from Nixon to Bush II - (5 year break...) - and I just can't imagine how 'inspirational' Obama must have seemed to the West Point cadets.

These are people who are taught to lead and make decisions - being given a lesson they likely won't soon forget in how NOT to lead and how to be indecisive.

When they're being taught by the school that their objective is to win a victory over the enemy - Obama seems more concerned with playing fair and establishing an end-game, complete with time limits. Obama's setting the stage for a 'defeat with honor', and it'll serve none of these cadets one damn bit of good in the long run.

But one thing I noticed - he's not enjoying himself quite so much. Maybe he's getting a good dose of the reality of his responsibilities now, and realizing that the world's not going to give him everything he wants because he's who he is. The shine has worn off - and he's got 3 years to go. It's going to be much less fun than he ever figured...

It was even worse listening to NPR commentators before and after telling me what The One "had to do" in his speech.

I didn't hear much enthusiasm after the first set of applause once he got into the speech.

And he sure did blame Bush, more than once.

#&)E)#($!)(@#$)_€‚·‹‚·›°‹‚⁄--⁄⁄¡¡

Despite basically continuing the Bush strategy of non-strategy, and despite giving in to his top commanders fairly obvious and unsurprising demands for a surge, you people are DIGGING for anything to bitch about. Interesting to see how little you can come up with.

And I don't think that giving a speech announcing the strategy that will absolutely bring many of these very cadets to the battlefield they may very well die on is a simple photo opp. I think it's damn appropriate.

And as far as referring to himself, the CIC in his speech... aren't you people the same ones complaining early on that he wouldn't be aggressive enough to lead and make his own decisions about military matters?

Seriously, we get it. Obama Sucks. Nothing he ever does ever will ever be good enough to illicit a positive word from bloggers/readers here. Fine. Have some intellectual honesty and just blog that and save us all some time.

Rich said: "The Community Organizer is schooling West Point on military history and strategy. Interesting time to tune into his speech."

You mean the same West Point who produced officers who ignored decades and decades of Afghan military history and developed invasion strategies that have yielded nearly nothing in 8 years?

Maybe they NEED some brushing up.

"He is such a huge vain egotistical empty suit, he thinks we all need to hear how his thought processes work."

Classic... so now it's a bad thing when our leadership tells us WHY we are committing billions of dollars and thousands of lives.

You're right, I just really wish he would have made his speech short. Something like:

"Look, I'm sending 30k troops in. I'm CIC, damn it, so if you don't like it suck it. Good night and God Bless."

That would have ruled!

Wow, if The Two Jakes had their tongue any further inside Obama, their ears would give him IBS.

Not a bad speech, for Obama. Any real leader would have been ashamed to give such a lackluster endorsement of essentially maintaining status quo in Afghanistan until he can drop the ball and let it sink back to a world exporter of terrorism. Word is, the original recommendation was for over 100,000 troops and a successful nation-building strategy. McChrystal was told not to ask for more than 40,000, and now they won't even give him that.

It took American-led forces almost less time to topple the Taliban and disintegrate the training camps in Afghanistan than it took for Obama to showcase his utter lack of a spine.

lefturd ""One thing he has to make clear is that Afghanistan is Bush's mess."

Jay "Oh, HELL, no."

Oh, HELL, yes. He did, for the first 10 minutes, at least, of the speech.

jack mckee "aren't you people the same ones complaining early on that he wouldn't be aggressive enough to lead and make his own decisions about military matters?"

His own decisions? Yeah he did, if "own" means a cast of dozens.

Oh, and BTW... NATO making up the difference between 30k and 40k that was asked for i.e. five or ten thousand more troops?

BUWAWAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

Fat and Chance, he'll be lucky to wrangle 2k out of NATO.

"You mean the same West Point who produced officers who ignored decades and decades of Afghan military history and developed invasion strategies that have yielded nearly nothing in 8 years"

What was it supposed to yield?

Since he clearly stated the exit strategy - all they have to do is wait 17 months. What a putz.

Oh, ouch, SAUD/JFO is back with a fresh proxy, and he wounds me with his brilliant points.

Except...

1) Cheney is now a private citizen.

B) Cheney wasn't speaking at West Point.

III) General McChrystal stood by his Commander In Chief? Dog bites man. That's his DUTY, and the man has honor.

Other than that, SAUD/JFO is accurate.

Of course, SAUD/JFO has nothing other than that...

J.

Thanks for that incisive response "General" Tea.

Typical Obama speech.
Long on soaring rhetoric and wonderful ideals.
The sort of speech one expects from a community organizer/campaigner.

Some excerpts;

"I am calling upon Congress to pass a bipartisan bill co-sponsored by John Kerry and Richard Lugar that authorizes $1.5 billion in direct support to the Pakistani people every year over the next five years.."

"I'm also calling on Congress to pass a bipartisan bill co-sponsored by Maria Cantwell, Chris Van Hollen and Peter Hoekstra that creates opportunity zones in the border region to develop the economy and bring hope to places plagued by violence."

"we will launch a standing, trilateral dialogue among the United States, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

I was surprised that he used the word "terrorists". Wonder if Napolitano agrees.

Oh, look, SAUD/JFO has grown a new head! Take a bow, Michael!

I understand why you keep pretending to be different people, JFO/SAUD/Michael -- nobody can stand you, so why not start fresh? But it would help if your new persona wasn't always the same old asshole.

J.

Ahhh, "General" Tea, it makes my day to hear the nobody here can stand me. That means I'm definitely doing and saying something right.

But to get back to the point of your post/comments - it is obviously your view that that General McChrystal is disingenuous and a suck up to his boss. Way to support the troops "General" Tea. Isn't it a tenet of you right wingers that to not support the troops and the CIC is dishonorable and downright treasonous?

So you, like Cheyney are dishonorable and treasonous? Why do you and your fellow extremists hate our troops so much "General" Tea.

Three-Headed-Michael,

Please learn how to spell Cheney.

"Fine. Have some intellectual honesty and just blog that and save us all some time."

And I want my thirty seconds back that it took me to read your whining screed.

Sheesh, is there any way JFO could be more obtuse?

It would be news if McChrystal DIDN'T support Obama. That's his job. "News flash! Fifty airliners land without incident, and general respects the chain of command!"

As far as your title... I didn't earn that rank, you didn't earn the right to award it, and it cheapens those who did. So sod off, you worthless git.

And for honesty... how about some of your own, starting by picking one identity and sticking to it, you sock-puppeting fapmeister?

J.