Pa-friggen-thetic.
Via Weekly Standard:
The elusive distinction of most ludicrous analysis of Obama’s Afghanistan speech should be awarded to NPR for its story, “Obama’s Afghan Speech Echoed Lincoln’s Talk.” The segment was less than a minute-and-a-half, but it was a doozy. Here’s the excerpt on NPR’s website:
President Obama has studied the life of President Lincoln. In his second inaugural address in 1865, Lincoln spoke of the Civil War, then nearing its end: “With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in.” A section of Obama’s speech had a similar rhythm.
The comparable text in Obama’s remarks?
With confidence in our cause; with faith in our fellow citizens; and with hope in our hearts, let us go about the work of extending the promise of America. . .
From here, NPR tries to draw a parallel between Obama’s Afghanistan decision and the Civil War. “President Obama’s speech brought Lincoln to mind and also highlights an advantage that Lincoln had in 1865,” the female radio host says. “Lincoln was speaking near the end of a four-year war. Victory for the Union side was not quite won, but was in sight.”