obama's Speech Last Night

n david · #1 09-11-2014, 08:36 AM

Last night, President obama went prime time and told whomever was watching what his strategery would be for combating the JV Squad we know as ISIS/ISIL. I did not watch the live telecast, as I had better things to do than watch a lame duck quack. I did, however, read the official White House transcript of the speech. Below is the official transcript from the WH website, along with commentary in red and a link to the source page.

Statement by the President on ISIL
State Floor
9:01 P.M. EDT

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.

AMAZING! He actually used the word, "terrorist." [tic]

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.

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.”

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.

smh ISIL IS Islamic. Why can't obama just state the facts? They are 100% Islamic and believe they're doing the will of Allah. He's a fool to suggest otherwise.

In a region that has known so much bloodshed, these terrorists are unique in their brutality. They execute captured prisoners. They kill children. They enslave, rape, and force women into marriage. They threatened a religious minority with genocide. And in acts of barbarism, they took the lives of two American journalists -- Jim Foley and Steven Sotloff.

They are not unique in their brutality. They chop heads off just like other Islamic terror groups. They terrorize innocent women and children...just like other Islamic terror groups.

So ISIL poses a threat to the people of Iraq and Syria, and the broader Middle East -- including American citizens, personnel and facilities. If left unchecked, these terrorists could pose a growing threat beyond that region, including to the United States. While we have not yet detected specific plotting against our homeland, ISIL leaders have threatened America and our allies. Our Intelligence Community believes that thousands of foreigners -– including Europeans and some Americans –- have joined them in Syria and Iraq. Trained and battle-hardened, these fighters could try to return to their home countries and carry out deadly attacks.

I don't believe for a moment there's no specific plot against the US. There were leaks from DHS in Texas stating ISIL was using obama's open border with Mexico to invade the US. And there's a great way to make sure these stupid Minnesota terrorists running off to fight with ISIL don't come back to blow up the Mall of America -- cancel their passports. Anyone running off to fight with a terrorist organization should be considered a traitor, their passports should be cancelled and they should be arrested, tried and executed.

I know many Americans are concerned about these threats. Tonight, I want you to know that the United States of America is meeting them with strength and resolve. Last month, I ordered our military to take targeted action against ISIL to stop its advances. Since then, we’ve conducted more than 150 successful airstrikes in Iraq. These strikes have protected American personnel and facilities, killed ISIL fighters, destroyed weapons, and given space for Iraqi and Kurdish forces to reclaim key territory. These strikes have also helped save the lives of thousands of innocent men, women and children.

But this is not our fight alone. American power can make a decisive difference, but we cannot do for Iraqis what they must do for themselves, nor can we take the place of Arab partners in securing their region. And that’s why I’ve insisted that additional U.S. action depended upon Iraqis forming an inclusive government, which they have now done in recent days. So tonight, with a new Iraqi government in place, and following consultations with allies abroad and Congress at home, I can announce that America will lead a broad coalition to roll back this terrorist threat.

Kind of like what Bush did that you were so against back when you were a Senator. Funny how being in office changes one's policy.

Our objective is clear: We will degrade, and ultimately destroy, ISIL through a comprehensive and sustained counterterrorism strategy.

The objective is anything but clear. More on that below.

First, we will conduct a systematic campaign of airstrikes against these terrorists. Working with the Iraqi government, we will expand our efforts beyond protecting our own people and humanitarian missions, so that we’re hitting ISIL targets as Iraqi forces go on offense. Moreover, I have made it clear that we will hunt down terrorists who threaten our country, wherever they are. That means I will not hesitate to take action against ISIL in Syria, as well as Iraq. This is a core principle of my presidency: If you threaten America, you will find no safe haven.

The bold was taken straight from the Bush Doctrine. Must be hard to realize the person obama hated so much was so right about combating terror.

Second, we will increase our support to forces fighting these terrorists on the ground. In June, I deployed several hundred American servicemembers to Iraq to assess how we can best support Iraqi security forces. Now that those teams have completed their work –- and Iraq has formed a government –- we will send an additional 475 servicemembers to Iraq. As I have said before, these American forces will not have a combat mission –- we will not get dragged into another ground war in Iraq. But they are needed to support Iraqi and Kurdish forces with training, intelligence and equipment. We’ll also support Iraq’s efforts to stand up National Guard Units to help Sunni communities secure their own freedom from ISIL’s control.

Here's the muddied objective. obama's sending a whopping 475 soldiers back to Iraq. But the won't have a combat mission.... they're just there to give support to Iraqi and Kurdish soldiers. This is in addition to the "several hundred" sent in June and the few thousand which have remained in Iraq since the US withdrew. These soldiers will see combat. ISIL knows they're in Iraq, they will do what they can to engage them in battle.

Across the border, in Syria, we have ramped up our military assistance to the Syrian opposition. Tonight, I call on Congress again to give us additional authorities and resources to train and equip these fighters. In the fight against ISIL, we cannot rely on an Assad regime that terrorizes its own people -- a regime that will never regain the legitimacy it has lost. Instead, we must strengthen the opposition as the best counterweight to extremists like ISIL, while pursuing the political solution necessary to solve Syria’s crisis once and for all.

Stupid. Really, really, seriously the worst thing to do. Notice thus far, obama has been silent about the mess in Libya. Libya is a massive failure of obama, and he knows it and doesn't want anyone to think about it. obama helped to overthrow Ghadaffi and it's created a terrorist safe haven, where recently they took over an airport and somehow made off with 13 commercial airplanes.

A few days ago, the NY Times ran a story about the family of Steven Sotloff. In it, the Sotloff family claimed the Syrian opposition, the same ones obama wants to support, were the ones who captured and sold Steven to ISIL.

I hope Congress stands against this and refuses to give obama any approval to support these Syrian terrorists. Because if we do, and if Assad falls, the flag of ISIL will rise over Damascus and ISIL will have achieved part of its goal. And maybe that's what obama wants. obama's plan would certainly benefit ISIL.

Third, we will continue to draw on our substantial counterterrorism capabilities to prevent ISIL attacks. Working with our partners, we will redouble our efforts to cut off its funding; improve our intelligence; strengthen our defenses; counter its warped ideology; and stem the flow of foreign fighters into and out of the Middle East. And in two weeks, I will chair a meeting of the U.N. Security Council to further mobilize the international community around this effort.

Fourth, we will continue to provide humanitarian assistance to innocent civilians who have been displaced by this terrorist organization. This includes Sunni and Shia Muslims who are at grave risk, as well as tens of thousands of Christians and other religious minorities. We cannot allow these communities to be driven from their ancient homelands.

So this is our strategy. And in each of these four parts of our strategy, America will be joined by a broad coalition of partners. Already, allies are flying planes with us over Iraq; sending arms and assistance to Iraqi security forces and the Syrian opposition; sharing intelligence; and providing billions of dollars in humanitarian aid. Secretary Kerry was in Iraq today meeting with the new government and supporting their efforts to promote unity. And in the coming days he will travel across the Middle East and Europe to enlist more partners in this fight, especially Arab nations who can help mobilize Sunni communities in Iraq and Syria, to drive these terrorists from their lands. This is American leadership at its best: We stand with people who fight for their own freedom, and we rally other nations on behalf of our common security and common humanity.

Again, this is simply the Bush Doctrine and Iraq War redeux. Allies. Broad coalition of partners. obama may think this is something brilliant and new, but it's not.

cont....

n david · #2 09-11-2014, 08:37 AM

My administration has also secured bipartisan support for this approach here at home. I have the authority to address the threat from ISIL, but I believe we are strongest as a nation when the President and Congress work together. So I welcome congressional support for this effort in order to show the world that Americans are united in confronting this danger.

Want to hear something funny. Do you know the "authority" he's claiming here? It's the 2001 and 2002 Congressional authorizations passed by Congress for Bush. As Senator obama, he often criticized those same authorizations. Now he's using them himself. In fact, even this year his administration said the 2002 authorization was outdated and should be repealed.

Now, it will take time to eradicate a cancer like ISIL. And any time we take military action, there are risks involved –- especially to the servicemen and women who carry out these missions. But I want the American people to understand how this effort will be different from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It will not involve American combat troops fighting on foreign soil. This counterterrorism campaign will be waged through a steady, relentless effort to take out ISIL wherever they exist, using our air power and our support for partner forces on the ground. This strategy of taking out terrorists who threaten us, while supporting partners on the front lines, is one that we have successfully pursued in Yemen and Somalia for years. And it is consistent with the approach I outlined earlier this year: to use force against anyone who threatens America’s core interests, but to mobilize partners wherever possible to address broader challenges to international order.

I actually am glad we're not putting our troops into combat. Now, do I believe this is a winning strategery? No. It's a stupid attempt to make sure his approval numbers don't fall any lower. Any General will tell you the best way to defeat an enemy is to use overwhelming force, both in the air and on the ground. obama's strategery to use our bombs and "partner forces" will draw this out into a costly, decades long battle. But this is what obama said he wanted a few days ago -- to simply make ISIL a manageable threat. Let's be clear, obama doesn't intend to completely destroy ISIL. Just make them manageable.

My fellow Americans, we live in a time of great change. Tomorrow marks 13 years since our country was attacked. Next week marks six years since our economy suffered its worst setback since the Great Depression. Yet despite these shocks, through the pain we have felt and the grueling work required to bounce back, America is better positioned today to seize the future than any other nation on Earth.

And here we go to the perpetual obama campaign part of the speech.

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.

obama flat out lied about the part in bold. Be honest, obama. It was Putin who crafted the deal with Assad to destroy Syria's chemical weapons. The US had nothing to do with it. obama and Kerry were completely surprised when the Russian PM blindsided Kerry with the offer from Putin and Assad. Actually, now that I read the statement again, I take it back. The statement is just that we helped to remove and destroy the weapons, not that we were responsible for Assad agreeing to allow them to be destroyed. Still close enough to call it a lie though.

America, our endless blessings bestow an enduring burden. But as Americans, we welcome our responsibility to lead. From Europe to Asia, from the far reaches of Africa to war-torn capitals of the Middle East, we stand for freedom, for justice, for dignity. These are values that have guided our nation since its founding.

Tonight, I ask for your support in carrying that leadership forward. I do so as a Commander-in-Chief who could not be prouder of our men and women in uniform –- pilots who bravely fly in the face of danger above the Middle East, and servicemembers who support our partners on the ground.

When we helped prevent the massacre of civilians trapped on a distant mountain, here’s what one of them said: “We owe our American friends our lives. Our children will always remember that there was someone who felt our struggle and made a long journey to protect innocent people.”

That is the difference we make in the world. And our own safety, our own security, depends upon our willingness to do what it takes to defend this nation and uphold the values that we stand for –- timeless ideals that will endure long after those who offer only hate and destruction have been vanquished from the Earth.

May God bless our troops, and may God bless the United States of America.

Source Link

Jermyn Davidson · #3 09-11-2014, 03:00 PM

nDavid,
The U.S. was THE driving force behind that deal-- if not for our pressure, there would have not been a deal.

I remember how ugly that went down, but don't think that those clowns would have done any of what they did without pressure from the U.S.

Basically, all you have done is show that you are not able to be unbiased in your critiques of this Democrat President-- whose re-election flew in the face of history and still has you hot under the collar.

Now grant it, I do wish that Obama wasn't re-elected now, but when I voted for him, it was out of spite based on how the Republicans in Congress did him.

You have never, ever addressed this-- but that is why so many other people who didin't even vote in the first election came out to support him! Quietly, some Republicans have learned and now they caution other Republicans about sounding so strong against "the other side" in fear that the other side will simply become even more motivated to vote out of spite and/or determination.

The 8 year Obama period will be one for the political history books for many different reasons, one of which will be how the GOP hated Obama so much, that their hatred was perceived as irrational, thus driving even more people to support him! After all, that is what happened when it came to re-elect him.

Only the GOP could drive America to the point of NOT simply voting with their wallets and purses!

His re-election was a repudiation of Republican political tactics, among other things.

As for his speech, why not give the President some credit for being careful?

Thanks for posting the words of his speech-- maybe, if I have the time, I'll offer my own critique form the mind of a conservative that is able to be a bit more balanced and not just caustic every blessed time the President opens his mouth.

KeptByTheWord · #4 09-11-2014, 04:20 PM

You're a conservative JD? Wow. I learn something new every day.

Pressing-On · #5 09-11-2014, 04:32 PM

Obama's Speech on ISIS, in Plain English

Qua speech, Barack Obama’s address Wednesday on the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria was surprisingly terrible: a disorganized mess, insincere and unconvincing. To appreciate just how bad and bizarre it was, compare the president’s speech announcing a new air campaign in Iraq and Syria to Dwight Eisenhower’s 1958 statement on his decision to intervene in Lebanon with 14,000—14,000!—troops. The statement contains no chest-thumping about America’s leadership in science and medicine. No pivot to the auto industry and medical research. Eisenhower simply explained what had been done, and why.

http://www.theatlantic.com/internati...nglish/380021/

n david · #6 09-11-2014, 05:06 PM

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