This was not a new speech. It was an old Obama speech with some of the words changed. It had elements of his Egypt speech in 2009, as well as his “race speech” after Jeremiah Wright was introduced to the world. It was the same formula of picking two unrealistic extremes and then Obama trying to place himself in the middle. The media is obsessed (still) with his style, but that can’t cover up the lack of substance.
Will someone please explain to me how the President can reconcile saying that Gaddafi must go, but we don’t want regime change all in the same speech? Does he expect Gaddafi to relinquish power and train his replacement?
Obama uses words very precisely to position himself and his opponents. But no positioning, however effective, can cover up a bizarre and disastrous policy.