Military mentions in Obama speech were carefully phrased
NPR's "It's All Politics" blog analyzed President Barack Obama's references to U.S. military operations in Tuesday's State of the Union address and concluded his words were carefully chosen.
The president didn't devote much of the speech to military issues, but he opened and closed with a tribute to the armed forces, holding out their "team" approach as an example for the rest of society. "At a time when too many of our institutions have let us down," he said, "they exceed all expectations. They're not consumed with personal ambition. They don't obsess over their differences. They focus on the mission at hand."
NPR noted that Obama skirted mention of the recently concluded war in Iraq, saying he saluted the colors under which the returning troops fought but not saying he saluted the cause. He used more favorable terms discussing the war in Afghanistan, NPR pointed out, saying the Taliban's "momentum has been broken."
"The secret military operation that led to the killing of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan received considerable emphasis in the president's address," NPR said. "The operational commander, Adm. William McRaven, was a special guest in the first lady's box, and Obama devoted two paragraphs of his speech to recounting the bin Laden mission."
NPR's post on the military mentions in the State of the Union address
