A Tale of Two Speeches

So there was President Obama, standing before the UN, sounding like a true warrior against Islamic terrorism. But was the speech all sound and fury, lacking in substance? It certainly wasn’t the same type of speech he gave to the UN last year.

Never Mind

On Fox’s The Kelly File, an interesting comparison was made between what Obama said in his newest UN speech with what George Bush said in 2001. They were strikingly similar:

United Nations Hosts World Leaders For Annual General Assembly

Both speeches spoke of the bloodthirsty, evil enemies who have to be destroyed. What makes this ironic, of course, is that Obama ran in 2008 on the premise that Bush was practically a warmonger and, if we would elect him [Obama], the Islamic world would embrace us as true friends. Sunshine, lollipops, and rainbows forever.

Yet even in this ostensibly tough speech this week, Obama hedged. In an almost apologetic tone for being forced to act, he found it useful, for some reason, to point to what he considers America’s faults. For some reason, he inserted Ferguson into the speech as an example of America not being perfect. That episode is still under investigation, the policeman has not been indicted, and there’s no evidence yet that racism played a role. Yet he has already given his verdict.

He also praised a Muslim cleric who has publicly stated that it is right for Muslims to kill American soldiers. Mixed message? Does Obama really believe all his tough talk, or is this primarily an attempt to shore up his approval rating and help Democrats in the upcoming elections?

If there’s one thing we have learned about our president over the years, he is good at making promises he never intends to keep:

Here Is the Promise

We’ve also learned that his ego seems to know no bounds. He actually believes—and has stated publicly–that he is better and smarter than all of his advisers. When it comes to the military, he has a habit of rejecting the seasoned advice of his generals. He’s proven that in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Reports are bubbling to the surface even now that he is dismissing what they are telling him about the needs of this current counterterrorism endeavor.

Better

Remind me again what military experience our commander in chief has in his background. Oh, that’s right—none. In fact, as many critics pointed out from the first day he ran for the highest office in the land, he’s never run any organization or made executive decisions at any point in his life.

Yet here we are with a president who knows nothing about being the chief executive of a nation. This, along with his radical ideology, is why I have no confidence in his decisions, even when they appear to be correct.