 A number of prominent Republican politicians publicly praised the speech, including Newt Gingrich and Sarah Palin.Conservative "The New York Times" columnist Ross Douthat called it an oftentimes impressive speech that was "An extended defense of using realist means in the service of liberal internationalist ends".Columnist Andrew Sullivan distinguished between the Obama and Bush messages, stating that "Obama is "far more conservative" than his predecessor" in his views on human imperfection, reality, and war; he also linked the speech back to the tragic nature of Obama's line "the audacity of hope".