Analysis: President Obama’s Speech on Afghanistan: December 1, 2009

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Let’s put politics aside for a moment, shall we? I know it’s hard to objectively view a speech when the stakes are high, but the purpose of my post isn’t to debate whether President Obama’s decision is right or wrong. Instead, I would prefer to examine the speech from the perspective of an evaluator to determine what worked and didn’t work in the speech. Fair enough?

OPENING

Obama wasted little time with his introduction. After a quick “good evening”, he stated the purpose of his speech and outlined the three main points he wanted to cover.

I want to speak to you tonight about our effort in Afghanistan — the nature of our commitment there, the scope of our interests, and the strategy that my administration will pursue to bring this war to a successful conclusion.

But rather than jump right into the fire, Obama employed a technique that is often mistaken for “throat clearing”. Obama took the time to point out the significance of the setting where he was delivering the speech.

It is an honor for me to do so here at West Point where so many men and women have prepared to stand up for our security, and to represent what is finest about our country.

Although this technique can’t be used in every speech, most speakers don’t even think about tying the significance of their setting to the speech that will be delivered. Of course, Obama had the luxury of deciding where to deliver the speech, but you don’t need that type of clout to tie in your setting to your speech. You just have to look a little harder to see if there’s a connection worth mentioning.

GOING BACK IN TIME

Although his opening was straightforward and to the point, Obama was wise to kick the speech into reverse and review the events that led up to the current situation. One of his strongest comments in the speech was:

To address these issues, it is important to recall why America and our allies were compelled to fight a war in Afghanistan in the first place. We did not ask for this fight. On September 11, 2001, 19 men hijacked four airplanes and used them to murder nearly 3,000 people. They struck at our military and economic nerve centers. They took the lives of innocent men, women and children without regard to their faith or race or station.

KEY PHRASE

In an earlier post on “How to Make Your Speeches More Memorable”, I mentioned that using triads and alliteration would help the audience remember your key points. Unfortunately, it’s not always guaranteed to work (no device is ever guaranteed). From where I sit, Obama’s speechwriters used both rhetorical devices, but the combination didn’t quite work.

I set a goal that was narrowly defined as disrupting, dismantling, and defeating al Qaeda and its extremist allies …

I didn’t remember it the first time he said it and can’t quite remember all the words without rereading the text.

MUDDLE IN THE MIDDLE

As the speech went on, I couldn’t help noticing that Obama seemed less comfortable than I’ve ever seen him during a speech. His rhythm was off and his sentences often sounded disjointed. I don’t want to speculate on the reasons for it, but I felt Obama struggled to deliver the majority of this speech.

Had he not rehearsed the speech enough? Did he leave it in the hands of his speechwriters and not edit it himself? Okay … I’m speculating, but he really seemed to struggle.

I also noticed that this was not a personable Obama. Though he used the term “I” on many occasions, the language he used sounded corporate and distant. For the first time that I can remember, Obama confused me with some of the things he said.

Let me be clear: There has never been an option before me that called for troop deployments before 2010 — so there has been no delay or denial of resources necessary for the conduct of the war. Instead, the review has allowed me ask the hard questions, and to explore all of the different options along with my national security team, our military and civilian leadership in Afghanistan, and our key partners.

The statement is clearer when I read it, but muddy when I listened to it. This was an error in writing for the eye instead of writing for the ear.

ADDRESSING OBJECTIONS

Even if your speech is not considered “difficult”, your audience still might have objections to what you’re saying. If you’re wise and have studied your audience, you can address those objections during your speech instead of waiting for the Q&A. Obama did this quite effectively on two occasions.

I do not make this decision lightly. I opposed the war in Iraq precisely because I believe that we must exercise restraint in the use of military force, and always consider the long-term consequences of our actions. We have been at war for eight years, at enormous cost in lives and resources. Years of debate over Iraq and terrorism have left our unity on national security issues in tatters, and created a highly polarized and partisan backdrop for this effort. And having just experienced the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, the American people are understandably focused on rebuilding our economy and putting people to work here at home.

Most of all, I know that this decision asks even more of you — a military that, along with your families, has already borne the heaviest of all burdens. As president, I have signed a letter of condolence to the family of each American who gives their life in these wars. I have read the letters from the parents and spouses of those who deployed. I have visited our courageous wounded warriors at Walter Reed. I have traveled to Dover to meet the flag-draped caskets of 18 Americans returning home to their final resting place. I see firsthand the terrible wages of war. If I did not think that the security of the United States and the safety of the American people were at stake in Afghanistan, I would gladly order every single one of our troops home tomorrow.

First, there are those who suggest that Afghanistan is another Vietnam. They argue that it cannot be stabilized, and we are better off cutting our losses and rapidly withdrawing. I believe this argument depends upon a false reading of history. Unlike Vietnam, we are joined by a broad coalition of 43 nations that recognizes the legitimacy of our action. Unlike Vietnam, we are not facing a broad-based popular insurgency. And most importantly, unlike Vietnam, the American people were viciously attacked from Afghanistan, and remain a target for those same extremists who are plotting along its border.

If you look closely enough, you’ll notice that Obama frequently uses anaphora to address objections.

A CURIOUS CHOICE OF WORDS

I was a little caught off guard when President Obama said:

Third, we will act with the full recognition that our success in Afghanistan is inextricably linked to our partnership with Pakistan.

Did he really say “inextricably”?

If you’re a junkie of great speeches,  you’ll know this was supposed to be a reference to the “I have a dream” speech in which Martin Luther King Jr. said:

The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.

The problem is, it didn’t work. The line wasn’t popular enough to resonate with the audience, so it just sounded like Obama used a multi-syllabic word for the heck of it.

AN INSPIRATIONAL ENDING

President Obama’s ending was inspirational and effective. In fact, I think his speech would have been stronger had he made the following point up front and then repeated it at the end:

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.

WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE

This was definitely not President Obama at his best. It could be that he wanted to distance himself from the message and speak on more formal terms than usual. Regardless, he still managed to address audience objections and state a strong case for unity in the war against terrorism.

Watch the speech and let me know your thoughts.

Tagged as: Afghanistan, Barack Obama, Martin Luther King Jr., Political Speeches, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking, Rhetorical Devices, Speech Writing