Terry’s Thoughts: Obama’s Oval Office Speech

From the desk of Terry Moran:

“President Obama speaks tonight from the Oval Office, and that in itself is a sign of how he sees this moment, the withdrawal of the last US combat troops from Iraq.

Presidents use the Oval Office to address the nation  when they have something big to say, something serious, something they want to wrap in all the formality and power and majesty of the presidency. From JFK’s great speech on civil rights (“We are confronted primarily with a moral issue. It is as old as the scriptures and is as clear as the American Constitution.”), to Ronald Reagan’s eulogy for the Challenger astronauts (“they slipped the surly bonds of earth to touch the face of God”) to George W. Bush’s quiet reflections on 9/11 (“Today, our nation saw evil — the very worst of human nature — and we responded with the best of America.”), presidents have brought the greatest national challenges, triumphs and tragedies to the Oval Office to share with the country.

So President Obama marks the end of the US combat mission in the long war in Iraq from the Oval Office. It is a war he opposed and promised to end. He also opposed the strategy that has helped to bring US troops out of a country that is no longer on the brink of total, apocalyptic chaos. And it is a war that has involved enormous national sacrifice: more than 4,000 US dead; scores of thousands wounded; billions spent.

So look for no “victory lap” from President Obama.  He does not believe that term applies to Iraq. What he certainly will do—should do—is pay a profound tribute on behalf of a grateful nation to all those who sacrificed so much for our country in this war—the dead and their loved ones, the troops and their families, the brave idealists of the aid agencies and diplomatic corps, many of whom will stay behind to help the Iraqis with their scarred and battered country.

And there is no doubt a political point to this address. As a candidate, Barack Obama promised to bring American combat troops home. He has done so. This is a moment—in a brutal political environment for him and his party—to look the country in the eye and say, “I kept my promise to you.” That will especially be appreciated on the restive left.

But the real question is: Can President Obama find common ground for the country at this moment? After all the divisiveness this war sparked—after all the protests and name-calling and bitter political debates—can the president of the United States bring us together, and find some thread of meaning for the nation as this long war reaches a close?

If he does that, he will have made a great speech. If he does not, few will remember it.”

Tonight on Nightline, Terry Moran has a full report on Obama’s oval office speech, and Dan Harris is in Iraq with American troops.