Funny Chris should say that, because that's exactly the phrase that popped through my mind as I listened to the speech, "Why would he deliver it there, of all places? That is going to be a skeptical audience, perhaps even a hostile one."

Of course, Mathews' comments didn't quite strike me with the same kind of self-evident Smoking Gun Evidence of Liberal Treachery reaction that they seem to evoke from you, at least, not from the 30 second snippet you linked to. I think that Obama choosing to deliver his speech at West Point took great courage, as did the fact he systematically addressed all the objections to the plan, from left and right, he is getting this morning. At least he seems to have anticipated and considered them thoroughly ahead of time.

Whether he has made the right decision or not depends on the future, and it is certainly too early to tell yet. There are cogent criticisms of the plan on both sides of the aisle, and I think both left and right will attack it for being too centrist, and not going full bore one way or the other. Personally, I was not too happy with the proposals I was going to hear, as already outlined by the pundits before he gave the address. My opinion was that we should either get out now, immediately, or go in full steam and kick ass. But if the leader of the Free World recognizes the enormity of this problem, far be it from me to presume I have all the answers. Still, I must confess this strategy seems too middle of the road for my taste (which, by the way, I do not necessarily equate with "timid"). Sometimes a measured response takes more courage than wagering it all on one throw of the dice.

I was getting ready to be very disappointed when I strapped on my radio to listen to the speech while I exercised last night. But after hearing it I realized he has indeed thought this out very carefully, and is acting on what he believes to be right, not just on what he thinks he can get away with. Whatever you may think of his policy, it is not based on the easy way out, or on trying to please as many people as possible. He is taking enormous risks here. I hope the plan succeeds, but whether it does or not, I support it, for now. I was proud of Mr. Obama, and proud to be an American after I heard what he had to say.