What did I think of the speech last night? I'm glad you asked. Have a seat; I'll tell you.
I thought the speech was workmanlike and mostly unobjectionable until
the very end. Up to that point, it had been a repeat performance of
everything I had already heard. Leaving aside all the small
inconsistencies in the logical reasoning with deterrence, dictators, and
chemical weapons, the end of his speech really poisoned the well.
At (near) the end of the speech, President Obama said this:
"And so to my friends on the right, I ask you to reconcile your commitment to America's military might with a failure to act when a cause is so plainly just.
To my friends on the left, I ask you to reconcile your belief in freedom and dignity for all people with those images of children writhing in pain and going still on a cold hospital floor, for sometimes resolutions and statements of condemnation are simply not enough."
Are you kidding me?
His "friends on the left" believe in freedom and dignity. Apparently, people on the "right" don't.
What do people on the right (me) believe in, according to our President? According to our President: military might. Just pure force of arms. Not "national security" which would have a moral component. Not "commitment to keeping the nation safe". No, the moral side is totally stripped out of it. Apparently, I simply am for the pure love of martial power. Like Napoleon and Caesar.
He's asking for my support, but cannot even acknowledge that I have a legitimate motivation. I'm just a moron lawyer, but that ain't how to win friends and influence people.
His pals on the left support *values* which can be attained by military force, but me and my friends on the right are just for blowing stuff up and seeing the sweet bomb-video footage on CNN. Even when the President is trying to REACH OUT TO ME, he still can't even bring himself to pay me the slightest degree of respect. Not even a little.
I basically heard: Hey, you wingers! Get behind the war effort because this should appeal to your reptilian brains. We're going to blow stuff up. Y'all like guns and stuff. We're going to slate your bestial need for violence.
Friends on the left? I'm calling to your better angels! Do it for the children! It's in the greater good for mankind. There's a true moral purpose here.
What a jerk. I turned off the speech at that point.
Here's the thing: I know the President feels contempt for me. I get it. However, this is apparently a BIG speech, and the President is (supposedly) trying to get everyone to put aside their ill-will and political motivations in a moment of great national importance. However, the President himself, is incapable of doing that. He cannot summon a single fiber of his being to show generosity of spirit.
Unbelievable.
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