Our President is speaking LIVE NOW on the topic of counterterrorism policies (LINK)

[Poll_Blind]

View LIVE streaming HERE at WhiteHouse.gov.

PB

[grantcart]

1. Perfect timing thanks

[flamingdem]

2. Turning out to be a major speech nt

[Skidmore]

4. Yes, it is.

And he's reminded the nation of all the other attacks prior to his first administration.

[Pragdem]

3. Anyone not pleased by this speech hate this President...

And they should work on their rigidness.

[Skidmore]

5. It's not a matter of being pleased so much as hearing

the rationale for current security decisions. I do think that the most strident of critics would be equally strident should there be another catastrophic attack here. I don't like the notion of drones, but there is also the fact that we rely on a volunteer military already stretched thin. There are no easy answers.

[Pragdem]

6. "There are no easy answers."

Yep. Not much more can be said than that.

Way more grays than blacks and whites in these policies.

[patrice]

8. +++1 Everything is about understanding, where we are and what is happening. nt

[patrice]

7. Wow! This is BIG stuff. He's "going there"! nt

[Sancho]

9. I've been listening, and I think the speech misses the point...

I don't care if the military uses drones, photon torpedoes, or any other future weapon. What is clear to me is that the military (and White House) are too secretive and not subject to judicial oversight.

I think way too many decisions by the military, NSA, CIA, FBI, and their "reports" to the executive branch are escalating the conflicts. Even a well-meaning President can over react or be fooled by inaccurate information.

JFK understood this, and so did Jimmy Carter. I honestly think that Obama may not be quite so "rational" or choose the same tactic if he had served in the military, but who knows?

We may kill a terrorist with a drone before they attack, but we're creating an army of haters every time that drone flies. Seems short-sighted to me. Obama is talking about helping other countries, negotiating peace, etc.; but it falls on deaf ears as long as we have armies and drones and CIA operatives in every part of the world. Even the least educated and poorest folks around the world see the US as a bully.

Just my take on things...

[patrice]

10. The last 2-3 minutes were specific references to PROCESS issues, i.e. "working it out" how to ID

what needs to be done and what doesn't NEED to be done.

[Skidmore]

11. Wayyyyy back in 2001, Congress washed its hands of its war powers and handed them off to the

executive branch. It will remain this way as long as Congress refuses to do its job. And that certainly will not happen with the Congress we have.

[patrice]

12. "part of free speech is you being able to listen" a profound truth missed most often by those

with fascistic tendencies.

Interrupting and yelling and insulting when you don't know precisely what your comments relate to in reality is actually the act of an oppressor.

I respect free speech advocates who respect reality well enough to know more or at least admit that they don't know it all and may in fact not know something that IS substantive to the rest of us.

[patrice]

13. So will that speech be posted now in the WH "Featured Videos" on that linke?

I'd like to listen to it again, to see if he addressed the shouter's issues.