Thune at CPAC: Obama 'Weak' on Terror

Speaking at CPAC 2011, Sen. John Thune criticized President Obama, claiming that thepPresident failed to take the terror threat seriously.

FrumForum has obtained a copy of the speech that Sen. John Thune is about to deliver at the Conservative Political Action Conference.

The potential 2012 presidential candidate will admit his shortcomings, noting that "it's fair to say that I don't have the same national name recognition of some of my more famous Republican colleagues." He details his roots - from his grandfather's journey from Norway to America, to Senator from South Dakota.

But he excoriates President Obama on a whole host of issues, saying that he was an ineffective politician. Thune points out that the President proposed a three year freeze on spending last year, and a five year freeze this year; he talked about free trade agreements last year, and is still talking the same free trade agreements this year.

On foreign policy, Thune claims that Obama has been ignorant of the threats. "The only thing more alarming than these threats is the President's weak response. We can't win the peace with apologies and reset buttons and deep cuts to our national defense. And we can't win the peace if we don't tell it like it is: an act of terrorism is, just that, terrorism. Calling it a 'man-caused disaster doesn't change the gravity of the threat," the Senator is expected to say.

Not being left of the Reagan fan club, Thune will talk about Reagan for five paragraphs, praising the late president for showing "us that there can be great hope in the midst of great despair."

The red meat he'll be tossing into the crowd will include: two year budgets that emphasizes spending in non-election years and wanes in election years; a balanced-budget amendment.

And of course, a joke. Talking about the bipartisan spirit at the State of the Union, Thune says he sat between two Democratic Senators. "Apparently I'm so conservative that it takes two Democrats to balance me out."

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