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President Obama Declares War on Ebola: An Address to the Nation

Barack Obama

NOTE: The news arrived Tuesday that President Obama will be sending U.S. forces to Liberia to fight the deadly outbreak of the Ebola virus. The president has not yet addressed the nation on this important and pressing matter. But what if he did? Here's what we think he would say.

My fellow Americans, tonight I want to speak to you about what the United States will do with our friends and allies to diagnose, degrade, and ultimately destroy the virus known as Ebola.

Let me be clear. As commander-in-chief, among my highest priorities is the security of the American people. Over the last several years, we have consistently taken the fight to those diseases which threaten our country.

Some folks are saying that the world has gotten rather ill on my shift. That’s not so. The world has always been sick. We’re just noticing now, in part because of social media.

The truth is, over the past few years, we’ve actually cured many colds. We've reset President Vladimir Putin’s fever. We've slowed Iran’s buildup of nuclear phlegm. We've removed Syria’s stockpiles of chemical mucus. We've loudly condemned various illnesses in Israel. We are bringing the sneezing in Afghanistan and Iraq to a responsible end.

Still, we can’t erase every cold from the world. Small groups of pathogens will always have the capacity to do us great harm. That’s why we must remain vigilant as threats emerge.

Now, there are some critics who say that we can’t cure Ebola. And there are others who say that, unless we cure all diseases in all places for all times, then we shouldn’t try. I reject these false choices.

Let me be clear. This isn’t my opinion. This is the opinion of the American Medical Association.

Committing troops is never easy. But rest assured, when our troops come face to face with the enemy that is Ebola, that enemy won’t shoot back. That is why I took this tough decision.

Already there are those seeking to play the politics of division on this critical issue. They say it’s a shame that we have a wan, diffident, professorial president with no foreign policy other than "don’t do stupid stuff." I do not make apologies for being careful in these areas, even if it doesn’t make for good theater.

And while I’ve previously cloaked my abdication of responsibility for the hardest decisions on national security in a call for congressional unanimity of purpose, in this instance, the political costs to me being minimal, I have decided to take decisive action and embark upon this war without congressional approval. This is American leadership at its best.

America cannot be the world’s doctor. We cannot heal those who do not help to heal themselves. Nor can we take the place of our medical partners in securing their region. That is why I had previously insisted that additional U.S. action depend upon the governments of Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea guaranteeing their citizens an affordable health insurance exchange. And I’m pleased at the progress these countries have made toward rolling out that system. Indeed, it looks like it might be operational before ours.

American leadership is the one constant in an uncertain world. That is the difference I make in the world. And our own safety, our own security, depends on our willingness to do what it takes to defend this nation and uphold the values that we stand for—timeless ideals that will endure as long as I keep saying so.

To the American people I say this: When the world sneezes, don’t worry about catching a cold.

Just smile and say bless you.

Bless you all. And may god bless the United States of America.