Obama Superbowl

1. Obama said that he would deploy approximately 30, 000 troops to Afghanistan. Also, he said that all of the troops would come home by July 2011.
2. Obama argued that the safety of the United States, and its people, was his top priority. SO, to make sure that the US is fine, he wanted to argue that troops are necessary in Afghanistan, and that the area between Afghanistan and Pakistan, which is the Taliban breeding area, should foever be rid of these pests. I feel that Obama was perfectly convincing. I understand his viewpint on the issue and his sentiments.
3. While I do not like the idea of waging war, I know for a fact that some issues cannot be dealt with in a conference or a diplomatic meeting. Sometimes, differences of opinion can be ironed out on the battlefield. This is a "no compromise" issue.
4. I do not think that Obama influenced my position on the war. However, due to his persuasive yet factual manner of speaking, I could see things from his viewpoint.
5. I would probably give Obama's speech an A- because I feel that he really tried to explain his rationale to the American public, especially to his audience at West Point, who will be directly affected by his stance on this issue. However, I do not think that he effectively got his message across to the general public, who might not understand his true intentions.

Hari Ayyar