So, President Obama’s speech wasn’t a bad one, but it wasn’t a great one either. If anything, it reminded me a little of Osama bin Laden’s speech – the one where he told us exactly when he was going to take down the World Trade Center. And remember the speech given right before Pearl Harbor – the one where the Japanese Imperial Headquarters let us know when the planes would arrive? Eerily similar.

I kid. Those speeches never took place – because our enemies never tell us when they’re going to attack. But we’re different. Not only do we tell them when and where, but also, how long before we’ll go home. Terrorists? Alas, they have patience in spades. A few years is nothing when you`re looking at an eternity with 72 virgins.

But look: this is war, and we need to call it war, and when we fight a war, we must back the President. So I`m with him 100 percent. But I wish he`d, you know, embrace the damn thing – and say we`re going to destroy these bastards, minus the egg timer. And to me, the coach shouldn’t talk strategy out in the open until after the game, when we`ve beaten the pants off the other team.

Which is why I didn`t find the speech inspirational – and I wonder if those cadets did too. My guess is, they want to be led by a winner, not a cost manager. The speech was less a rallying cry, and more a statement by a CEO that “we`ve had a rough year, there will be changes, and you know, watch your expenses.” Even more, this is coming from a guy who will spare no cost when it comes to health care reform or global warming crud – and yet he’s worried about a few billion bucks to ensure the safety of our country and our brave troops? Those priorities should come before public options and carbon offsets.

But enough with the petty griping. When it comes to battle, we all stand together, and I congratulate the President in finally moving this ball forward. If General McCrystal is happy, then so am I.

Plus, I`m also grateful that I`ve finally learned how to pronounce Paki-STON, as well as Tali-BON!

And if you disagree with me, you`re probably a racist!

Tonight we’ve got Mike Baker, S.E. Cupp and Rob Tannebaum!