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President Obama flexes muscle in speech as he accepts Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo
No matter how much you hate his health care reform plan, no matter how deeply you doubt his Afghanistan war strategy, give President Obama this: In Oslo Thursday, he gave a speech for history. And marked what could prove to be a critical moment in a still-young presidency.
The usually expert parser minced no words in telling the assembled pacifists some of what they least wanted to hear: that war is sometimes necessary to bring peace.
This came at the end of a difficult year for the President, when his M.O. of hitting reset buttons with every country on the planet was sorely tested. He has reached out to Iran, only to see more deception and defiance by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in return.
He has tried to jump-start peace talks in the Mideast, only to see both sides backslide.
He has given highly touted talks in world capitals, only to be perceived by many as projecting weakness.
His remarks proved he's got a secure foothold on the learning curve. This was the speech of a commander in chief who has just wrestled with the wrenching decision to send Americans into harm's way - and become the wiser for it.
Far from being sheepish about his decision to escalate the war in Afghanistan, Obama defended it as a just struggle against a repressive and radical force.
He said that the terrorist threat we face today is exponentially more dangerous than any we have faced before, because of access to nuclear weapons and other terrible technologies.
He said that, though Mahatma Gandhi and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. are paragons of nonviolent reform, their tactics have profound limits in the face of true evil: "I cannot be guided by their examples alone. I face the world as it is."
Sure, there was the usual Obamian commitment to diplomacy and dialogue and engagement and mutual respect, but even a blindfolded Norwegian could see the President flexing his muscle.
And his brain. Rather than perfunctory eloquence, Obama stretched to articulate profound principles - and it paid off, with rhetoric that will stand the test of time, such as in a passage on today's brand of violent radicals:
"These extremists are not the first to kill in the name of God; the cruelties of the Crusades are amply recorded. But they remind us that no Holy War can ever be a just war. For if you truly believe that you are carrying out divine will, then there is no need for restraint - no need to spare the pregnant mother, or the medic, or even a person of one's own faith. Such a warped view of religion is not just incompatible with the concept of peace, but the purpose of faith."
Just a week ago, Obama was being widely panned for giving a speech at West Point in which he twisted himself into a political pretzel to explain sending more troops into Afghanistan in one breath, and in the next to call for the start of a pullout. Even those who supported the policy could not say much positive about the didactic, defensive speech.
Obama was direct and decisive in Oslo. Even his critics, who for months have chafed and rolled their eyes, must give credit where credit is due.
Which begs the question: Are we still capable as a nation of rallying, now and then, not just around our flag - but around our leader? Are we able to do this not only when missiles are flying or buildings are collapsing, but in quieter moments?
Let's hope so. He is our President, and he did us proud.
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