we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be,
we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender, and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this Island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God's good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue, and liberation of the old."
Winston Churchill- 1940
2009- Barack Obama, in one of his first acts as President, removes the bust of Winston Churchill from the White House and returns it to Great Britain.
"Paris was a setback."
"Let me now say a word about what we should not do. We should not be drawn once more into a long and costly ground war in Iraq or Syria. That's what groups like ISIL want.
Barack Obama 2015
Barack Obama was elected, in part, because of his superior rhetorical skills. Ironically, at a time when the Western world is crying out for leadership from the leading Western power, that voice has grown hesitant, tepid and equivocal. His speech in Turkey following the massacre in Paris fell flat. His address to the U.S. following the terrorist attack in San Bernardino likewise contained no new strategic initiatives to counter radical Islam's terrorist attacks on the West.
But it's even worse. If you consider the responses of various Obama administration officials to radical, violent jihad, you see a disturbing pattern of denial and truth distortions, and even a hint that we had it coming to us. Just the day before the Paris attack, Obama was insisting that ISIS was contained. Immediately before the San Bernardino attacks, he was assuring us that the U.S. was safe. His statements seemed as out of synch and ludicrous as those of the Black Knight in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. In some quarters, commentators were comparing him to the infamous Baghdad Bob, the Iraqi spokesman who continued to insist that the Iraqi army was prevailing as U.S. forces were dismantling the Republican Guard.
But wait, there's more. After the Paris attacks, John Kerry stated that there was a "rationale" (blame the victim) behind the Charlie Hebdo attack. And after San Bernardino, AG Loretta Lynch warned against an anti-Muslim backlash and vowed to "aggressively prosecute" individuals that said anti-Muslim things. The only new initiative that Obama proposed was more gun control (aimed at those on the secret government no-fly list. In sum, there were no new measures aimed at ISIS, but rather measures aimed at curtailing our rights of free speech, gun ownership and due process. President Obama could not find the time to visit either Paris or San Bernardino following the attacks.
The most frightening aspect of the administration's approach to
radical Islam is the blatant denial of facts throughout the course of its
tenure. From the assertion that Benghazi was the result of a spontaneous
riot caused by a film (again, a justifiable response to exercise of free
speech), to Susan Rice's assertion that Bowe Bergdahl "served with honor
and distinction" (the coward deserted), to ISIS is contained, to
"only a handful of Gitmo" releasees return to jihad (200 is a big
handful), Team Obama has consistently put forward falsehoods hoping we won't
notice. His assertion that Syrian refugees can be properly vetted has
been completely discredited by the F.B.I. The fact that DHS did not even
check social media of the San Bernardino woman jihadist before allowing her
into the U.S. tells us that the "vetting" process is a pretty flimsy
net.
But people are noticing. And they are fearful. They
know when a leader is not being forthcoming. Will it take another event of the
magnitude of 9/11 or worse? The rise of Donald Trump is a direct
reaction to the culture of denial and fecklessness of the Obama administration.
His proposal to stop Muslim immigration temporarily has gotten traction and attention.
That is not the right answer, but Trump is not afraid to ask the right
questions.
Radical Islam is a very difficult problem to solve and defend
against. It transcends borders and it is a political order that is
cloaked in religion, which acts as a force field around it. Its soldiers
don't wear uniforms and have the capacity to blend in and await in ambush for a
long time. While rejecting most of modernity, it uses modern tools like
the internet and social media to its advantage. They don't wear
identifying marks and we do not know with certainty how much of Muslim society
either participates or is sympathetic to its cause. And it has several
different and sometimes competing strains of virulence--- from ISIS to Boko
Haram to Al Qaeda.
Yes, Trump is simplistic, overreactive, and overly inclusive. But Trump is a
reaction to the dangerous culture of obfuscation and denial of the core issue
that the Obama administration refuses to face squarely. Until we do, we will have more San Bernardinos, and maybe worse ones.
W's idea of fighting them there so we won't have to fight them
here suddenly doesn't seem so trite anymore, does it?
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