I recently watched a speech given by President Obama in West Point Academy, about sending 30,000 troops, which is “historical” according to Mr. La Forest. It was quite shocking for me and it changed my opinion about Obama. With some questions in my mind, I looked at several articles on line in order to deepen my understanding (and to prepare for this extra-credit blog).
Let’s watch a video first and get an image of Obama’s falsity.
It is maybe a little bit radical, but I think it is likely to happen. I supported Obama when he was elected. Even before I watched his speech, I believed that he was a good, peaceful president who fights for the justice. Why do I changed my mind though? It was his speech that evoked my detestation.
Here is one of the most interesting articles among all I have read on npr.org. It is all about the author’s opinion about the speech. He addressed that the speech is “solid”, and did a “masterful job” in analyzing the current situation and challenges that American is facing. However, he also indicates that, it did not answer many essential questions that people wonder and it failed to change people’s mind. In the last paragraph he gave the comparison of Afghanistan and Vietnam mentioned in the speech as an instance: Obama argued that this war will not turn out to be similar as the Vietnam War; he missed the point by asserting people’s fear as a “false reading of history”. And this ambiguity, that is able to satisfy both left and right people happy, could make his speech “a brief, shining moment in a war that could very well define his presidency.”
There are many great articles. Most of them are criticizing his decision and saying his speech is confusing. This article is quite different. It focuses on the speech itself and it affirms the things on which the speech did well. When I read the first two paragraphs, I mostly felt the same way as the author does. I agree that Obama has avoided answering so many essential questions skillfully. As a high school student, I was almost fooled at the first and almost believed that the war is in the purpose of justice and it is necessary: indeed, it increased the support for Afghanistan war. Although it did convince some people, Obama obviously contradicted himself: he said he was strongly against the war in Iraq, but he called it a “milestone”. Personally, I hated it when he said that, and found him so hypocritical. Also, the speech seems over confident. Obama did not mention of the result of lose. The uncertainty of this war is ignored.
In my opinion, which may seem kind of superficial, Obama exaggerated the role of U.S in the world. If U.S wants to catch Taliban and rescue people from suffering, what’s the point of sending 30,000 troops and make Afghanistan people even more painful? And why does America keep interfering other countries’ own affairs? If it’s for American’s benefit, then don’t say that it is for the sake of the world. Obama, please don’t let down your Nobel Price.
