--- title: Obama's West Point Speech Was Not Exciting description: And he will be criticized for that. There was nothing "new" in his address to the West Point graduates, some will say. Others--neo-conservatives and blood... canonical: https://time.com/124440/obamas-speech-was-not-exciting/ author: Joe Klein article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-05-28T17:00:38.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:01:17.381Z article:section: Politics og:title: Obama's West Point Speech Was Not Exciting og:description: And he will be criticized for that. There was nothing "new" in his address to the West Point graduates, some will say. Others--neo-conservatives and blood... og:url: https://time.com/124440/obamas-speech-was-not-exciting/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5543c2ba598428b4/698691123bc9996dbb1a3a73/president-barack-obama-west-point.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4162 og:image:height: 2341 og:image:alt: U.S. President Barack Obama arrives to deliver the commencement address to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point's Class of 2014 on May 28, 2014, in West Point, N.Y. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Obama's West Point Speech Was Not Exciting twitter:description: And he will be criticized for that. There was nothing "new" in his address to the West Point graduates, some will say. Others--neo-conservatives and blood... twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5543c2ba598428b4/698691123bc9996dbb1a3a73/president-barack-obama-west-point.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Obama's West Point Speech Was Not Exciting > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=8b690f81-fef7-413b-a0f4-f5cd04377833&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Monday to Saturday (3x per week) | TIME, August 2026 | | Subscribers | 85,000 | TIME, August 2026 | | Open rate | 37.0% | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Philip Elliott, Senior Correspondent | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The policy influence ecosystem. A policy-focused audience spanning government, public affairs, advocacy, law, research, political media, and the institutions that make, interpret and respond to public policy. ### TIME D.C. Brief: key statements * D.C. 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Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. It reaches 85,000 subscribers with a 37.0% open rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: Watch: Obama's Speech Highlights [Watch (HLS stream): Watch: Obama's Speech Highlights](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/w75pNUSr.m3u8) (2:31)  _Published 2014-05-30. Watch: Obama's Speech Highlights_ by [Joe Klein](https://time.com/author/joe-klein/) ## Joe Klein May 28, 2014 5:00 PM UTC  U.S. President Barack Obama arrives to deliver the commencement address to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point's Class of 2014 on May 28, 2014, in West Point, N.Y. U.S. President Barack Obama arrives to deliver the commencement address to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point's Class of 2014 on May 28, 2014, in West Point, N.Y. Susan Walsh—AP by [Joe Klein](https://time.com/author/joe-klein/) ## Joe Klein May 28, 2014 5:00 PM UTC And he will be criticized for that. There was nothing “new” in his address to the West Point graduates, some will say. Others–neo-conservatives and blood curmudgeons like John McCain– will say that it was a ratification of the President’s policy of weakness and retreat. And while those of us who generally agree with the President on foreign policy might have hoped for some pyrotechnics, a more passionate defense of his policy, the substance of the speech was solid, just as the net substance of his actions overseas have been. He began with a deliberate oversimplification: --- > “” --- As a “self-described” realist, I can’t think of a member of my sect who believes that the conflicts mentioned are “not ours to solve.” We’re just extremely reluctant to use military force or—in the case of Syria—military supplies to solve them. There are other diplomatic, humanitarian and economic means that we need to use more effectively. The one initiative he did announce, the $5 billion counter-terrorist partnership fund, is a step in the right direction (especially if it helps ease the Syrian refugee crisis). If there is a realist gripe against the President, it’s his handling of the details—his foreign policy staff isn’t very smart or subtle when it comes to the close work of diplomacy. Indeed, that’s an actual point of agreement between realists and interventionists: too often the President’s words have no consequences. He says “Assad Must Go” and Assad stays; indeed, Assad is bolstered by a chemical weapons deal that Obama blunders into. His Secretary of State, John Kerry, says something dangerously undiplomatic almost every week. Everything is ad hoc, in the moment; there is very little long-term strategic thinking. That said, this was a realist speech. The President made no threats or promises that he couldn’t carry out, which was a relief. He refused to cave to his feckless domestic opponents–and he paid no commitment other than lip service to the human rights activists who represent a significant strain on his foreign policy staff. He offered no bright line “Obama Doctrine,” which is probably a very good thing. The last President who stood at West Point and offered a Foreign Policy Master Plan was George W. Bush, who made the case for pre-emptive war in 2002\. We know where that led. The only appropriate doctrine in a world where the American military–and military spending–is peerless has to be subtle and humble: We’ll take each case as it comes. We’ll lead coalitions to help solve the problems of the world, but we also reserve the right to defend ourselves unilaterally against direct security threats. We will be prudent in word and deed. We won’t bluster about our “indispensability” but will prove it through our actions. If there is a bright line test for presidential success in foreign policy, it’s Hippocratic: First do no harm. Obama has passed that test, with a few painful, if relatively minor, exceptions. He has ended wars, not started them, while using appropriate levels of force–drones, special operations–to continue the battle against Islamic radicalism. He has been calm and yes, realistic. He has been unfairly bludgeoned by opponents “engaged in partisan politics” and by a media that, all too often, looks at foreign policy as a “winning the day” proposition when the real purpose of diplomacy is to slowly win the future. He allowed himself to be pushed into making this speech by those forces. But he did not allow them to change his policy, for which we should be grateful. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/124440/obamas-speech-was-not-exciting/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/124440/obamas-speech-was-not-exciting/"},"headline":"Obama's West Point Speech Was Not Exciting","datePublished":"2014-05-28T17:00:38.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T08:01:17.381Z","description":"And he will be criticized for that. There was nothing \"new\" in his address to the West Point graduates, some will say. 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