Sorry, just kidding – that’s called “click bait.” I thought I’d try it.
No, Obama’s speech before the American Legion at their convention in Charlotte NC, this morning, stunk on ice – as usual – and the veterans mostly sat on their hands – as usual.
Via The Daily Mail which – unlike the American media – has no problem reporting on Obama’s chronic abysmal failure to animate military audiences.
President Barack Obama faced a tough crowd on Tuesday – American military veterans – and fell flat on his applause lines as he failed to win over the American Legion’s convention-goers.
His 35-minute speech seemed to have reminded the audience of the stark divide between the White House’s policy choices and the feelings of the men and women often called on to carry them out.
A Virginia legionnaire who served in the U.S. Marine Corps told MailOnline that ‘a small group of Obama’s admirers – and there are some here – sat near the front and tried to generate applause for him about 10 times.’
‘They didn’t get much pickup,’ the retired lieutenant colonel said of the ‘instigators’ gathered at the Charlotte, North Carolina event, but ‘they were persistent. You could tell when the applause was genuine and when it wasn’t. It was obvious to everyone here.’
Most of the veterans sat on their hands, leaving awkward silences where White House speechwriters expected ovations.
Obama got off on the wrong foot almost immediately when he badly botched the word adjutant. Watch him pause, grimace and sweat in distress as he sees the word coming, knowing that he has no idea how to pronounce it. It’s not as bad as “corpseman” – but close.
“I want to thank the entire leadership team for welcoming me here today, including your……. National…uh…(gulp)… Adsnt –uhh — Dan Wheeler…
Ay yi yi. Over five years in office, and the Commander-in-Chief still doesn’t know how to pronounce all his military titles. But he does know the correct pronunciation for Pockistahn, Tallybahn, and ISIL (the cool kids say ISIL – not ISIS.)
Then he found a way to bring up his birthday again. I swear to God.
“I welcomed Matthew and all the incredible young people of Boys and Girls Nation to the White House last month. I was running a little bit late, so they just started singing, filling the White House with patriotic songs. And then they sang Happy Birthday to me, so I was pretty moved.”
The patriotic songs probably left him cold. But when they sang Happy Birthday to the Dear Leader, that brought a tear to his eye.
Transcript of the speech via the Charlotte Observer:
Now, these are challenging times. I don’t have to tell you that. Around the world as well as here at home. You turn on the TV and we’re saturated with heartbreaking images of war and senseless violence and terrorism and tragedy. And it can be easy to grow cynical or give in to the sense that the future we seek is somehow beyond our reach. But as men and women who have been tested like few others, you should know better. You know that cynicism is not the character of a great nation. And so, even as we face, yes, the hard tasks of our time, we should never lose sight of our progress as a people or the strength of our leadership in the world.
(That applause line was met with silence)
Think about it — six years after the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression — in some ways, the crisis had the potential of being worse than the Great Depression —
(Here’s the part where Obama congratulate’s himself for saving the economy that most people think is still in a recession.)
…thanks to the decisions we made to rescue our economy, thanks to the determination of the American people, we are stronger at home. Over the past 53 months, our businesses have added nearly 10 million new jobs — the longest streak of private sector job creation in American history. Construction and housing are rebounding. Our auto industry and manufacturing are booming. Our high school graduation rate is at a record high. More young people are earning their college degrees than ever before. Millions more Americans now have quality, affordable health care. We’ve cut the deficit by more than half. And now we have to sustain this momentum so more people share in this progress, so our economy works for every working American.
There were plenty of applause lines in there that were met with stony silence. Added 10 million jobs? Maybe these vets know that in 2007 – just before the recession, there were 146.6 million Americans working.
Today, there are 145.8 million Americans in jobs. Nearly 7 years later, we are still 800,000 jobs below the previous peak.
Cut the deficit in half?! Maybe these guys know that cutting something in half after you’ve tripled it – is no big achievement.
Obama tried out some more conservativish sounding applause lines on the vets, but they were still reeling from the previous B.S. and sat on their hands.
And just as we’re stronger at home, the United States is better positioned to lead in the 21st century than any nation on Earth. It’s not even close. We have the most powerful military in history — that’s certainly not close.
(ho-hum.)
From Europe to Asia, our alliances are unrivaled. Our economy is the most dynamic. We’ve got the best workers. We’ve got the best businesses. We have the best universities and the best scientists. With our domestic energy revolution, including more renewable energy, we’re more energy independent. Our technologies connect the world. Our freedoms and opportunities attract immigrants who “yearn to breathe free.” Our founding ideals inspire the oppressed across the globe to reach for their own liberty. That’s who we are. That’s what America is.
(ZZZZZZZ)
And moreover, nobody else can do what we do. No other nation does more to underwrite the security and prosperity on which the world depends. In times of crisis, no other nation can rally such broad coalitions to stand up for international norms and peace. In times of disaster, no other nation has the capabilities to deliver so much so quick, no nation does more to help citizens claim their rights and build their democracies. No nation does more to help people in the far corners of the Earth escape poverty and hunger and disease, and realize their dignity. Even countries that criticize us, when the chips are down and they need help, they know who to call — they call us. That’s what American leadership looks like. That’s why the United States is and will remain the one indispensable nation in the world. Now, sustaining our leadership, keeping America strong and secure, means we have to use our power wisely.
Uh oh – watch out. You can see it coming. Others – perhaps his predecessor – have not been as wise as he – they’ve been arrogant – made mistakes.
History teaches us of the dangers of overreaching, and spreading ourselves too thin, and trying to go it alone without international support, or rushing into military adventures without thinking through the consequences.
Who did that? Other than Obama?
And nobody knows this better than our veterans and our families — our veteran families, because you’re the ones who bear the wages of war. You’re the ones who carry the scars. You know that we should never send America’s sons and daughters into harm’s way unless it is absolutely necessary and we have a plan, and we are resourcing it and prepared to see it through. (hesitant, tepid, applause – mostly out of pity, I think.) You know the United States has to lead with strength and confidence and wisdom. And that’s why, after incredible sacrifice by so many of our men and women in uniform, we removed more than 140,000 troops from Iraq and welcomed those troops home. It was the right thing to do.
Stony, uncomfortable silence.
This speech must have been written months ago, before the ISIS horror show took the country by storm – and nobody thought to update the script. Obama’s congratulating himself for bringing the troops, home?
“It was the right thing to do.” Wha wha wha whaaaaa
Hey Obama, 2012 called and wants its talking points back.
It’s why we refocused our efforts in Afghanistan and went after al Qaeda’s leadership in the tribal regions in Afghanistan and Pakistan, driving the Taliban out of its strongholds, and training Afghan forces, which are now in the lead for their own security. In just four months, we will complete our combat mission in Afghanistan and America’s longest war will come to a responsible end. And we honor every American who served to make this progress possible — (tepid applause) — every single one, especially the more than 2,200 American patriots who made the ultimate sacrifice in Afghanistan to keep us safe. And now, as Afghans continue to work towards the first democratic transfer of power in their history, Afghan leaders need to make the hard compromises that are necessary to give the Afghan people a future of security and progress. And as we go forward, we’ll continue to partner with Afghans so their country can never again be used to launch attacks against the United States.
(Long long pause before a smattering of applause because Obama was literally not going to continue until they acknowledged his awesomeness.)
It’s excruciating and goes on and on…full text, here.
By way of sharp contrast – here is George W. Bush, speaking at American Legion Post 177 in Fairfax, Virginia, April 10, 2007 – at the height of the Iraq War’s unpopularity.
