President Obama's Afghanistan Speech (VIDEO)

I haven't commented because I literally flipped on the television just as President Obama was giving his last few lines:

This vast and diverse citizenry will not always agree on every issue – nor should we. But I also know that we, as a country, cannot sustain our leadership nor navigate the momentous challenges of our time if we allow ourselves to be split asunder by the same rancor and cynicism and partisanship that has in recent times poisoned our national discourse.

It is easy to forget that when this war began, we were united – bound together by the fresh memory of a horrific attack, and by the determination to defend our homeland and the values we hold dear. I refuse to accept the notion that we cannot summon that unity again. I believe with every fiber of my being that we – as Americans – can still come together behind a common purpose. For our values are not simply words written into parchment – they are a creed that calls us together, and that has carried us through the darkest of storms as one nation, one people.

America – we are passing through a time of great trial. And the message that we send in the midst of these storms must be clear: that our cause is just, our resolve unwavering. We will go forward with the confidence that right makes might, and with the commitment to forge an America that is safer, a world that is more secure, and a future that represents not the deepest of fears but the highest of hopes. Thank you, God Bless you, God Bless our troops, and may God Bless the United States of America.

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Actually, what I did see was a different president, and uncomfortable president, not the uplifting presdident of old. The weight of office is wearing on the man.

Ann Althouse speaks for me:

He sounded oddly stern, like he was lecturing us. Annoyed at us. The words were meant to be inspirational but there was no lift... no lift of a driving dream. Is he tired of being Obama? Or was it the vibe in the room? I don't think those West Point folk liked him too much. He made some pauses that felt awkward in advance of grudging applause, and the response at the end was minimal. The camera searched among the faces and found only grim ones. No one glowed with the fire of Obama-love.

More at Memeorandum. See especially, Fred Barnes, "A Disappointing Speech in Support of the Right Policy."

Worn-Out Tools: David Frum Joins Charles Johnson in Ideological Exile

I blogged previously on the conservative schadenfreude at Mad King Charles' final break with the right wing. So, that that's, right? Well no, actually. Now we've got David Frum pleading for Charles Johnson to think twice about his shifting allegiances:

Charles Johnson, editor of the Little Green Footballs site, has written a post declaring his personal breach with the American right.

He offers 10 reasons, but they all boil down to the same one: His outrage at the bad characters found in right-wing media and blogosphere.

And yes, there’s no shortage of bad characters. No shortage on the left-hand side either. Or the middle, for that matter. But why surrender to them? Why let them get away with their claim to define your movement? Why not stand up to them? That was Rudyard Kipling’s advice to those who felt as Johnson now feels:

If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,

And stoop and build ‘em up with worn-out tools;

These are days for stooping and building.

Look, the Kipling quote's a nice touch, but only at first blush. For all of Frum's erudition, the dude's got to know that Kipling's poetry's probably not the best for hammering home any proud conservative traditions, e.g., "The White Man's Burden" can't be thought of too well these days on either side of the ideological fence; and on the night that President Obama delivered a major address on Afghanistan, some might recall Kipling's own most dour ditty, "The Young British Soldier":

When you're wounded and left on Afghanistan's plains,
And the women come out to cut up what remains,
Jest roll to your rifle and blow out your brains
An' go to your Gawd like a soldier.

That's just great. Pinch me when C.J. joins Daily Kos in saluting the troops with "screw them."

Besides, that last line in the poem, "build ‘em up with worn-out tools ..." Well, also not the best choice of words for Charles Johnson, now being extolled by the radical left for his virtues. So, confer Urban Dictionary's entry for "tool":

Someone who is a complete idiot/ one who is used by other people, and usually dosen't even realize it/ someone who can't think for themselves/ an asshat.

I'm not picking on David Frum. I know he's a former Reagan speechwriter and all that. But at a time with conservatives are doing extremely well in opposing this administration AND winning elections, it's hardly productive for former right-wing hot shots to join with the other side.

Charles Johnson Completes Auto-Excommunication From the Entire Conservative Blogosphere

I guess this completes the circle, "Why I Parted Ways With The Right."

I was never that big a fan of Charles Johnson, but last year I was amazed at his ability to weed out the most vile comments and posts at Daily Kos, and so I visited there routinely. C.J. hadn't fully transmogrified into the premiere enemy of everything-not-LGF, but the writing was on the wall with the early attacks on Pamela Geller, and the wierd denunciation of must about any European criticism of Islam as "fascism."

Anyway, there's lots of attention to C.J. auth-excommunication. See ...

Ace of Spades HQ, "Obligatory: Charles Johnson Makes it Official."

Another Black Conservative, "Little Green Footballs Officially Goes Left."

The Daley Gator, "Charles Johnson is not man enough to watch SEC football."

Da TechGuy, "FLASH! Charles Johnson trolls for hits: Lobbies to be an MSNBC regular…"

Gold-Plated Witch on Wheels, "Charles Johnson Explains Why He Parted Ways with Right Wing Nuts."

Indecision Forever, "Little Green Footballs Joins the Liberal Elite America Haters."

Israel Matsav, "Say it isn't so: Charles Johnson trivializes the Holocaust."

James Joyner, "Charles Johnson ‘Breaks’ From the Right."

JammieWearingFool, "Driver of Crazy Train Comes Clean."

Jawa Report, "You'readouch you'readouche Can You Do the Fandango."

Jules Crittenden, "Charles Johnson Explains The Crazy Hating."

Left Coast Rebel, "Little Green Footballs: Charles Johnson Jekyll and Hyde."

Legal Insurrection, "Someone Needs Attention."

Moonbattery, "Charles Johnson Explains Himself."

Neocon Express, "Charles Johnson is a Low-Life Who Abuses the Holocaust to Make Cheap Political Points."

Pirate's Cove, "Speaking of barking moonbat unhinged crazy...

Right Wing Nut House, "CHARLES JOHNSON’S WORLD."

Riehl World View, "For Chuckles Johnson, It's Meltdown Number Two."

Robert Stacy McCain, "Charles Johnson Parts Ways With Reality."

Saberpoint, "Charles Johnson Jumps the Lizard."

Snooper's Report, "Little Green Turtle Turds Is DOA."

Stop the ACLU, "Speaking of barking moonbat unhinged crazy..."

Tom Maguire, "Pale Riders."

YidWithLid, "A Sad Day in the Blog World The "Death" of a Legend; Little Green Footballs."

Wake Up America, "The Right's Present To The Left- Charles Johnson."

All good stuff. I especialy like the brilliant Exurban League's, "Why I Parted Ways With Little Green Footballs":

1. Calling everyone to the right of LGF "fascists," both in America (see: Pat Buchanan, Robert Stacy McCain, etc.) and in Europe (see: Vlaams Belang, BNP, SIOE, Pat Buchanan [He's European?], and 56 other microscopic splinter parties no one has ever heard of.)

2. Seeing bigotry, hatred and white supremacism in everything (see: Pat Buchanan, Ann Coulter, Robert Stacy McCain, occasional Fox News viewers, etc.)

3. Confusing pre-Roe legal arrangements with "the Dark Ages," and faith for "fanaticism" (see: Christians, anti-abortion groups, James Dobson, Pat Robertson, Tony Perkins, the entire religious right, etc.)

4. Support for anti-science bad craziness while pretending to be pro-science (see: creationism, climate change denialism, Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann, James Inhofe, etc.). And writing phrases like "anti-science bad craziness."

5. Support for Christophobic bigotry (see: Sarah Palin, Dobson, the entire religious right, etc.) ...

Check the original post for the rest.

I'm not linking, but Andrew Sullivan confirms that he and Charles were indeed separated at birth. See, "Leaving the Right."

If I missed anyone's post in the roundup, just drop your link in the comments, or send me an e-mail.