Winning the war in Afghanistan is more important, naturally, but the speech simply isn’t a necessary aspect of the war. Barack Obama could send the additional 30,000 troops to the war zone and work on routing out corruption in the Afghan government without a prime-time speech. Americans would be notified about changes the way they normally are: Through the media.

This speech isn’t about the pursuit of victory. It’s about making sure Americans can see Barack Obama talking tough about the war on terrorism. It’s about publicity and politics, providing an explanation to the anti-war left and ensuring the rest of Americans can see The One talking about victory. The fact it’s at West Point, a nice set for Obama to stand before while his image is broadcast into American homes, only further demonstrates that.

So complaints about American traditions being bumped to give Obama more screen time, to help further stroke his ego and possibly raise his approval ratings, are valid. The Peanuts Christmas special wasn’t bumped in pursuit of winning in Afghanistan. It was bumped in pursuit of stroking Obama’s ego and improving his public image.

On a personal note, I’ll still be watching A Charlie Brown Christmas but on DVD. We already know the basics and will soon know the full details of the surge. The rest is just watching Obama saying, “Let me be clear…,” for the eight millionth time this year.