◼ Obama’s Speech To The American Legion Was Painfully Awkward [VIDEO] - Daily Caller
It wasn’t exactly the roaring, adoring, campaign-style crowd President Barack Obama is accustomed to....
◼ Tepid clapping greets unpopular Obama's VA speech at American Legion convention in his first speech to group since 2011 - David Martosko/Daily Mail [UK]
President Barack Obama faced a tough crowd on Tuesday – American military veterans – and fell flat on his applause lines as he failed to win over the American Legion's convention-goers.
His 35-minute speech seemed to have reminded the audience of the stark divide between the White House's policy choices and the feelings of the men and women often called on to carry them out.
A Virginia legionnaire who served in the U.S. Marine Corps told MailOnline that 'a small group of Obama's admirers – and there are some here – sat near the front and tried to generate applause for him about 10 times.'
'They didn't get much pickup,' the retired lieutenant colonel said of the 'instigators' gathered at the Charlotte, North Carolina event, but 'they were persistent. You could tell when the applause was genuine and when it wasn't. It was obvious to everyone here.'
Most of the veterans sat on their hands, leaving awkward silences where White House speechwriters expected ovations....
After the customary introductions and thank-yous to dignitaries, Obama spoke for nearly eight full minutes on Tuesday without a single clap.
He touted his foreign policy bona fides, boasting that 'even countries that criticize us – when the chips are down and they need help, they know who to call. They call us. That's what American leadership looks like.'
Silence.
'Sustaining our leadership, keeping America strong and secure, means we have to use our power wisely,' Obama cautioned, in keeping with his slow approach to battling ISIS and other terror groups overseas.
'History teaches us of the dangers of overreaching and spreading ourselves too thin, and trying to go it alone without international support, or rushing into military adventures without thinking through the consequences.'
Crickets.
President Obama gets cold welcome from veterans at American Legion National Convention http://t.co/OOLOcgEnao via @mchalfant16
— Red Alert Politics (@RedAlert) August 27, 2014
