5:04 PM "Tonight, I am announcing that the American combat mission in Iraq has ended"
>>President looks very serious. Hands folded on desk. Trying to convey confident body language.
5:05 PM " Our combat mission is ending, but our commitment to Iraq’s future is not....But ultimately, these terrorists will fail to achieve their goals. Iraqis are a proud people. They have rejected sectarian war, and they have no interest in endless destruction. They understand that, in the end, only Iraqis can resolve their differences and police their streets. Only Iraqis can build a democracy within their borders. What America can do, and will do, is provide support for the Iraqi people as both a friend and a partner."
5:07 PM "Through this remarkable chapter in the history of the United States and Iraq, we have met our responsibility. Now, it is time to turn the page. As we do, I am mindful that the Iraq War has been a contentious issue at home. Here, too, it is time to turn the page."
>>Does this mean that the president will finally stop blaming Bush at every corner?
5:09 PM "We must never lose sight of what’s at stake. As we speak, al Qaeda continues to plot against us, and its leadership remains anchored in the border region of Afghanistan and Pakistan. We will disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al Qaeda, while preventing Afghanistan from again serving as a base for terrorists."
>>Ramping up commitment to Afghanistan. That can't be popular with the base. But the president can't abandon the good war.
5:11 PM "Over the last decade, we have not done what is necessary to shore up the foundation of our own prosperity."
>>Oops, spoke too soon. Blame-Bush syndrome is here to stay.
5:15 PM "To strengthen our middle class, we must give all our children the education they deserve, and all our workers the skills that they need to compete in a global economy. We must jumpstart industries that create jobs, and end our dependence on foreign oil. We must unleash the innovation that allows new products to roll off our assembly lines, and nurture the ideas that spring from our entrepreneurs."
>>Long list of objectives. Predictably no mention of the essential ingredients to growing the middle class: lowering income tax rates & corporate tax rates.
5:18 PM "Every American who serves joins an unbroken line of heroes that stretches from Lexington to Gettysburg; from Iwo Jima to Inchon; from Khe Sanh to Kandahar – Americans who have fought to see that the lives of our children are better than our own. Our troops are the steel in our ship of state. And though our nation may be travelling through rough waters, they give us confidence that our course is true, and that beyond the pre-dawn darkness, better days lie ahead."
Summary: This is only the second address President Obama has delivered from the Oval Office, thereby signaling the importance of the message: We're leaving Iraq. President Obama seemed to be cognizant of the widespread Iraq-fatigue felt by most Americans, and thus kept the speech was brief and to the point, which is notably very unusual for him.
The Conversation Around the Web:
NRO > Sen. Inhofe calls Obama's Iraq address "awkward"
Contentions > Jennifer Rubin: Obama From the Oval Office
Daily Beast > Tunku Varadarajan: A Fair and Balanced Address
NY Times > Ross Douthat: Iraq in the Long Run