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Originally Posted by 12thMan
I tried to take off my partisan hat and just listen without bias. It was a very sober and poignant speech. Out the gate, Obama acknowledged that his accomplishments were slight at this point in his presidency and gave a nod to some of the previous recipients of the Nobel Prize.
I was particularly captivated by the fact that he didn't shy away from his decision to send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan and went on to make, on some level, a moral argument for war itself. He was blunt in stating that America has bled and fought for peace like no other nation. How war is sometimes neccessary, but never glorious. He acknowledged both Republican presidents (Nixon, Reagan) and Democrats in their respective efforts to balance the need for human rights, diplomacy, and weilding military power when needed.
All in all, even President Obama's harshest critics will find plenty in this speech that would make one proud to be American.
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I was impressed by his defense and support of America's past. I had low expectations, as I fully expected a pacifist appeasing message, but thought he really made good points.