Obama's sweeping speech on the war on terror: 7 key highlights
The president outlines the future of drone strikes, Guantanamo, and the nation's overseas entanglements
President Obama on Thursday offered a sweeping outline of the future of his administration's counterterrorism efforts, laying out in strikingly specific terms his vision for a more limited American military engagement around the globe.
"America is at a crossroads," he said. "We must define the nature and scope of this struggle, or else it will define us, mindful of James Madison’s warning that 'No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare.'"
In a wide-ranging, hour-long speech, the president provided the clearest rationale yet for the use of drone strikes; insisted he would take action to finally close the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; and discussed the administration's shifting geographical focus in combating global terror.
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Some of the key passages from his speech, taken from his prepared remarks:
On new and emerging threats:
On targeted killings
On drones:
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On killing American citizens:
On soft power:
On leaks and the freedom of the press:
On Guantanamo:
Here's video of the president's full remarks on Guantanamo, from the New York Times:
And the full text of Obama's speech:
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Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.
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