[A]nd it's precisely Obama's ability to move the conversation in this direction that's his campaign's most underappreciated asset…. Obama, having established more space between his views and those of the Republicans can, in effect, punch much harder, accusing conservatives of radically misconceiving the problem. This, in turn, allows him to argue forcefully against continuing the war in Iraq without a hint of defensiveness.Toughness, meanwhile, is as much about character as it is about positions on the issues. An ability to oppose the war without hedging, apologies or regrets lets him speak with confidence and project toughness even when the policies he's outlining - take action against terrorists if the intelligence indicates we should take action against terrorists - are, at the end of the day, rather banal.
[I]t was as strong an articulation of the Democratic approach to counter-terrorism as I've seen in the last few years… [Obama did] it in such a way as to make the progressive approach to counter-terrorism the strong approach to counter-terrorism.
Will Bunch at Attytood said the speech was "provocative and also right on the money for the most part."
What did you think? Read the whole speech here.
