David Rodeback's BlogLocal Politics and Culture, National Politics,
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Friday, October 7, 2005President Bush's Great Speech on the War: Better Late than NeverI was unable to listen to President Bush's lengthy speech yesterday morning about the War on Terror, and I have been busy enough since that I haven't heard or read much commentary about it. Tonight I had time to go straight to the source. Better late than never. The President is not a great orator, but he gave a great speech. He offered a clear, comprehensive explanation of the war: who is our enemy, why we must fight, how we are fighting, and why we must continue to fight for the foreseeable future. Generally, the arguments, analysis, and details are not new, but this is the first time I can remember the President offering such a clear, candid, comprehensive analysis. You can read it or view it at whitehouse.gov, and you should. Whether you support or oppose the war, even if you've bought into the baloney that the Iraqi campaign (a) is failing or (b) is a detour from the War on Terror, you should understand and be conversant with the best Presidential explanation yet of why a lot of us think we must fight. The President has spoken well (if guardedly) on occasion since September 11, 2001, which is usually considered the beginning of our War on Terror. But, unless I missed something big in the last four years, he has not given a speech like yesterday's. But he could have. Why didn't he? Why does this speech not come until we are more than four years into the war? Quite apart from the fact that this speech would have served us well two or three years ago, it would have been a real asset in the 2004 presidential campaign. Oh, well. Better late than never. Note that the White House Web site also has some interesting supporting documents, including Fact Sheet: Plots, Casings, and Infiltrations Referenced in President Bush's Remarks on the War on Terror.
Copyright 2005 by David Rodeback. |
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