Obama’s West Point Speechifying Not Much Else

There is not much to say about Obama’s speech at West Point Tuesday evening – it just wasn’t much of a speech and was at best anti-climatic but the teleprompter worked flawlessly. After 3-months of mulling Obama announced an 18-month surge of 30,000 more troops (a larger percentage increase than Bush’s Iraq surge)  in what can be described as surge interruptus. He sprinkled in three broad goals and struggled to define them as criteria for “victory” but he sure didn’t sell many people in the U. S. or abroad.

·         The anti-war group Code Pink yesterday called Mr. Obama’s planned escalation “a devastating announcement.” On its Web site, Code Pink urged members to organize protests.

·         Democratic members of a key House budget subcommittee submitted legislation to create a “war tax.”

·         Rep. Michael M. Honda, California Democrat, Chair of the caucus’ Afghanistan task force, said Monday. “What is needed now is not about ‘more troops’ but ‘better strategies’ to build the country’s capacity. What is needed now is a timeline for troop withdrawal, sending a message that U.S. supports Afghan sovereignty and independence.”

·         Rep. Jim McGovern, Massachusetts Democrat, has led the charge for a troop withdrawal and has been one of the staunchest opponents of Gen. McChrystal’s request. He said Monday that he would “strongly urge the president to reconsider.”

Others called for a war bond drive like the ones in World War 1 and 2, and a spending freeze.

The most recent Washington Post-ABC News poll, 52% of respondents said the war there was worth fighting, with Republicans agreeing by two to one, Democrats disagreeing by more than two to one and independents split down the middle.

Mainstream media by Wednesday morning was uncharacteristically restrained in its review of Obama’s Hudson River speech, and even CBS, suspended its survey of whether Obama’s face should be added to Mount Rushmore.

Obama dispatched Hillary Clinton and Robert Gates to sell his scheme to a skeptical Congress that already is quaking in its reelection boots.

Obama who stridently campaigned as an anti-war activist has disappointed the far-left but Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid summed it all up saying he’d “wait and see.” In the finally analysis it is a done deal and we will all wait and see.