It started out well (transcript via Time)
My fellow Americans, tonight I want to speak to you about what the United States will do with our friends and allies to degrade and ultimately destroy the terrorist group known as ISIL.
Then it degenerated in paragraph two
As Commander-in-Chief, my highest priority is the security of the American people. Over the last several years, we have consistently taken the fight to terrorists who threaten our country. We took out Osama bin Laden and much of al Qaeda’s leadership in Afghanistan and Pakistan. We’ve targeted al Qaeda’s affiliate in Yemen, and recently eliminated the top commander of its affiliate in Somalia. We’ve done so while bringing more than 140,000 American troops home from Iraq, and drawing down our forces in Afghanistan, where our combat mission will end later this year. Thanks to our military and counterterrorism professionals, America is safer.
That was all about chest thumping by Obama. Sounded like a campaign speech
Still, we continue to face a terrorist threat. We can’t erase every trace of evil from the world, and small groups of killers have the capacity to do great harm. That was the case before 9/11, and that remains true today. And that’s why we must remain vigilant as threats emerge. At this moment, the greatest threats come from the Middle East and North Africa, where radical groups exploit grievances for their own gain. And one of those groups is ISIL — which calls itself the “Islamic State.â€
OK, not bad. Then we immediately move into unbelievable stupidity
Now let’s make two things clear: ISIL is not “Islamic.†No religion condones the killing of innocents. And the vast majority of ISIL’s victims have been Muslim. And ISIL is certainly not a state. It was formerly al Qaeda’s affiliate in Iraq, and has taken advantage of sectarian strife and Syria’s civil war to gain territory on both sides of the Iraq-Syrian border. It is recognized by no government, nor by the people it subjugates. ISIL is a terrorist organization, pure and simple. And it has no vision other than the slaughter of all who stand in its way.
Alas, PBO, they are Muslims, and are following Muslim religious tenets as laid out in the Koran, per their reading of it. And ISIS/ISIL is attempting to create an Islamic caliphate.
Then there was some “meh, could have given a quick daytime speech” stuff, followed by leading from behind, we’re not in it alone, some shaking fist at that non-Islamic Islamic State stuff, followed by his supposed plan, which I guess was better than nothing. And then it goes off the rails
Our technology companies and universities are unmatched. Our manufacturing and auto industries are thriving. Energy independence is closer than it’s been in decades. For all the work that remains, our businesses are in the longest uninterrupted stretch of job creation in our history. Despite all the divisions and discord within our democracy, I see the grit and determination and common goodness of the American people every single day –- and that makes me more confident than ever about our country’s future.
Abroad, American leadership is the one constant in an uncertain world. It is America that has the capacity and the will to mobilize the world against terrorists. It is America that has rallied the world against Russian aggression, and in support of the Ukrainian peoples’ right to determine their own destiny. It is America –- our scientists, our doctors, our know-how –- that can help contain and cure the outbreak of Ebola. It is America that helped remove and destroy Syria’s declared chemical weapons so that they can’t pose a threat to the Syrian people or the world again. And it is America that is helping Muslim communities around the world not just in the fight against terrorism, but in the fight for opportunity, and tolerance, and a more hopeful future.
https://twitter.com/WilliamTeach/status/509872283587211265
More at Twitchy.
One thing I want to make clear: for the most part, I approve of Obama’s actions regarding the War On Terrorism. His words do not always match his actions, sadly, but his actions, such as drone striking the hell out of Jihadis, special opps groups, etc, around the Middle East and Northern Africa, as well as in Afghanistan, have been strong. I wish his speech had been.
*SCOAMF: Stuttering Clusterf*ck Of A Miserable Failure
Crossed at Right Wing News.
Read: Obama’s ISIS Speech Was A Hot Mess Of SCOAMFness* »
