The Permanent Campaign broadcast straight from the Oval Office

[What was the President’s Oval Office speech about?] Was it about Iraq , as we were led to expect, or was it about Afghanistan , as we were not led to expect? Was it about the economy, which the president mentioned, or education, which he also mentioned?

Could it have been directed at Iraqis, whom the president praised in terms they would not have recognized, or was it about our troops, whom the president praised over and over again -- a kind of rhetorical tick that suggested he had run out of things to say?

As a speech, Obama delivered a version of the pudding once served Winton Churchill. “Pray, remove it,” he supposedly said. “It lacks theme.”-- Richard Cohen (source)

If you are anything like me, after hearing the president’s Oval office speech you may be wondering why president Soetoro felt that he needed to give such a speech. As you probably surmised, this speech was not to announce the end of the Iraq war though he did certainly announce a “New Dawn” in the manner in which America, under his leadership, plans to invite attack from those who declared war on America .

Obviously the “turn the page” media meme echoing at us throughout the day suggest that.

No, this was a campaign speech broadcast from the Oval Office of the White house.
This was a campaign speech which was designed to make mention of all of the president’s “accomplishments”. But what this speech really was—was a chest thump and snort signifying to Americans that Mr. Soetoro fulfilled his campaign promise to end the war. (see 17:56mins
video)

This was my pledge to the American people as a candidate for this office. Last February, I announced a plan that would bring our combat brigades out of Iraq , while redoubling our efforts to strengthen Iraq ’s Security Forces and support its government and people.

That’s what we’ve done […] Ending this war is not only in Iraq ’s interest -- it’s in our own. The United States has paid a huge price to put the future of Iraq in the hands of its people. We have sent our young men and women to make enormous sacrifices in Iraq , and spent vast resources abroad at a time of tight budgets at home. We’ve persevered because of a belief we share with the Iraqi people -- a belief that out of the ashes of war, a new beginning could be born in this cradle of civilization. Through this remarkable chapter in the history of the United States and Iraq , we have met our responsibility. Now, it’s time to turn the page. –president Barry Hussein Soetoro

This was quintessential Barry Hussein Soetoro. He was attempting to extend his coattails to the, quivering in their boots, Democrat Party by looking America squarely in the eyes and by asking the America people the question, “Who you gonna believe, about how things are going, me or your lying unemployed American eyes. See I ended the war give me my due!”

This was a campaign speech and campaigning is what this president does best according to former DNC chairman Howard Dean. This president is always campaigning none stop if Dean is to be believed. Dean even named the phenomenon as the “Permanent Campaign” (see previous post)

Even though I know that president, Soetoro politicizes everything what bothered me the most is how this twisted political hack of a president used former president Bush. First Soetoro called president Bush earlier that day so that he could say in his speech that he spoke to president Bush and then he said this:

I’m mindful that the Iraq war has been a contentious issue at home. Here, too, it’s time to turn the page. This afternoon, I spoke to former President George W. Bush. It’s well known that he and I disagreed about the war from its outset. Yet no one can doubt President Bush’s support for our troops, or his love of country and commitment to our security. As I’ve said, there were patriots who supported this war, and patriots who opposed it. And all of us are united in appreciation for our servicemen and women, and our hopes for Iraqis’ future.—president Barry Hussein Soetoro

There are just so many things wrong with this mischaracterization of Bush, that president Soetoro borders on psychosis. First, there was not a disagreement between the two men as if they were mutual friends or colleagues. Bush was president and he was making decisions for the nation whereas Senator Obama was touting the partisan Democrat Party line of anti-war and anti-Bush.

Second, for president Soetoro to intimate that because his opinion differed from president Bush’s that in turn would be cause for someone to doubt president Bush’s support for the troops, Bush’s love of country and Bush’s commitment to our security is simply diabolical

In the minds of a majority of Americans president, Bush’s patriotism was never ever in question as president Soetoro attempted to intimate. However, the same cannot be said of the current president then and now.

What’s more, there is not and never was the false parallel that president Soetoro has constructed between those who supported the war and those who were against it, those who supported the war where supporting the war because they thought it was the right thing to do for America. On the other hand, those who were against the war used the war primarily as a tool to drum up discontent against president Bush and the Republicans.

Democrats did it to attempt to win elections, in other words opposition to the war was done to score political points. No, I reject the notion that there were patriots on both sides of the argument, especially when Democrats who opposed the war were willing to lose the war in other to win the White house.

There can be no question that whatever the underlining matters that were presented by president Soetoro on Tuesday night; the war, the economy and jobs the focus of this speech was Barry Hussein Soetoro. This was a campaign speech, this was the president campaigning to savage November 2010 for Democrats and 2012 for himself. That is what this Oval office speech was about.