When I heard Barack Obama was planning to address the nation and discuss his new anti-terrorist strategy, I thought for a moment the President finally got it, especially after the terrorist attack in San Bernardino, California. I said to myself: Obama’s gonna do now what he should have done for years, I was wrong.
Barack Obama spoke to the nation from the Oval Office on December 6th. The President’s speech was pure rhetoric and demagoguery. Worst of all, he did not announce any changes to his 7 year failed anti-terrorist policy.
Instead, Obama used the opportunity to give us some type of behavioral advice and promote his anti-gun agenda. He also reminded us that his anti-terrorist strategy is âworkingâ.
Next, I will mention some of the President’ remarks and the facts behind his words.
1. Obama: “So far we have no evidence that the killers were directed by a terrorist organization overseas or that they were part of a broader conspiracy here at home.”
The truth: According to reports from the FBI and police, before the attack in San Bernardino, Syed Farook (one of the shooters) maintained contact online with terrorist groups abroad. Similarly, his wife, Tashfeen Malik, swore loyalty to the leader of ISIS (Abu Bakr) in a Facebook message. The Islamic State is the most recognized and dangerous international terrorist organization today and the couple was influenced by terrorist groups operating in the Middle East. Farook and Malik met in Saudi Arabia and maintained communication with Muslim extremists before killing and injuring more than 30 people. After the shooting in San Bernardino, the official radio of the Islamic State issued a statement claiming that the terrorist act was perpetrated by “supporters” of the extremist group. At this moment, all evidence suggests that Farook and Malik were inspired by the Islamic State to carry out the attack in San Bernardino. According to Barack Obama, the information provided by the FBI and police shows no evidence of conspiracy or foreign terrorist influence.
2. Obama: “For seven years, I’ve confronted this evolving threat each and every morning in my intelligence briefing, and since the day I took office, I have authorized US forces to take out terrorists abroad precisely because I know how real the danger is.”
The truth: According to people close to the White House, the President ignores certain intelligence reports. In this regard, the latest complaint came from researcher journalist Sharyl Attkinson. Based on what she was told, Obama only selects intelligence reports of the groups he considers terrorists. Moreover, the problem seems even worse; the Republican representative from New York, Peter King, recently reported on a CNN program on alleged complaints of alterations in the intelligence reports to cover up the administration. The presidentâs assertion that he ordered to take out terrorists from the day he took power is absolutely false. For years, Barack Obama didn’t move a finger to eliminate the growing threat of the Islamic State. Lets remember that the airstrikes against the Islamic State began after the terrorist group decided to behead Americans. Did the president really understand the danger?
3. Obama: “ISIL fighters were part of the insurgency that we faced in Iraq, but they also know that if we occupy foreign lands, they can maintain insurgencies for years, killing thousands of our troops and draining our resources, and using our presence to draw new recruits.”
The truth: The presence of US forces does not attract more terrorists. On the contrary, it eliminates them. After the September 11 attack, the American forces took out thousands of militants. The US was also able to prevent the resurgence of terrorism in several countries in the Middle East. The situation changed dramatically when Obama assumed the Presidency in 2009. The Islamic State was caused by President Obama when he decided to withdraw American troops from Iraq. Each and every one of the members of the Islamic State was recruited during the Presidency of Barack Obama. George W. Bush warned that premature withdrawal of troops would lead to the resurgence of terrorism with catastrophic consequences. Obama ignored the warning.
4. Obama: “We will destroy ISIL and any other organization that tries to harm us.” “Our military will continue to hunt down terrorist plotters in any country where it is necessary.”
The truth: Global terrorism has increased significantly in recent years. Obama has done virtually nothing to counter the attacks and the influence of the Islamic State, Boko Haram, al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups in several countries such as Yemen, Lebanon, and Libya. In a recent report, Vision for Humanity revealed that international terrorism has quadrupled since Barack Obama assumed the Presidency in 2009. According to the director of national intelligence, James Clapper, 2014 was the worst year for terrorism ever reported. Clapper told Congress that there were 13,000 terrorist attacks that killed 31,000 people in the first 9 months of the year. If we review these statistics from recent years, it becomes clear the remarks from Barack Obama are far from reality.
5. Obama: “We will continue to provide training and equipment to tens of thousands of Iraqi and Syrian forces fighting ISIL on the ground so that we take away their safe havens. In both countries, weâre deploying special operations forces who can accelerate that offensive.”
The truth: Despite the growing evidence of Islamic terrorism, Obama objected for years to deploy troops to Iraq and Syria. Several experts and military analysts suggested changing the course. However, the President refused to listen. Recently, Obama decided to send 50 special troops to fight 30,000 militants of the Islamic State. So far, the Administration has not informed anyone as to what the role of the 50 troops sent to Syria is. During his speech, Obama mislead the American people, giving the impression that he deployed a sufficient number of troops to destroy the terrorist organization. The word “fifty” was obviously absent in the Presidentâs speech.
6. Obama: “We constantly examine our strategy to determine within additional steps are needed to get the job done. Thatâs why Iâve ordered the departments of State and Homeland Security to review the visa waiver program under which the female terrorist in San Bernardino originally came to this country.” “We should put in place stronger screening for those who come to America without a visa so that we can take a hard look at whether theyâve traveled to war zones.”
The truth: The deficient visa tracking system is the cause for which thousands of people come to the United States and remain in the country under minimum scrutiny. Tashfeen Malik and the terrorists that attacked during the Boston Marathon are typical examples. Barack Obama knows it and has done nothing to resolve the problem. On the contrary, the President has softened immigration laws and stopped the deportation of illegal immigrants. Even worse, the Administration allowed Muslim extremists to return to the United States after they joined the terrorist group in the Middle East. Obama has also facilitated the entrance of thousands of foreigners through visa programs available online. One of them was Tashfeen Malik, who was able to legalize her immigration status without scrutiny, despite having signs of radicalization prior to entering the US.
7. Obama: “We also need to make it harder for people to buy powerful assault weapons like the ones that were used in San Bernardino.”
The truth: Gun control does not prevent terrorists from obtaining weapons. The attack in Bernardino was a perfect example. California is one of the States with the most strict gun laws in the United States. The same thing happened in France. In both cases, the terrorists were able to acquire weapons to murder in cold blood, while the victims remained helpless and armless, without any protection. Even after multiple previous attacks, Barack Obama and American leftists refuse to accept the fact that disarming citizens only guarantees success to any terrorist group. Gun control will not prevent terrorist attacks; it will just make us vulnerable and defenseless.
8. Obama: “In Iraq and Syria, air strikes are taking out ISIL leaders, heavy weapons, oil tankers, infrastructure.”
The truth: The administration has not provided detailed information on the number of terrorists who have been killed or captured, nor the real impact on the heavy weapons, oil tankers or infrastructure of terrorist organizations. In fact, Barack Obama has blocked 75% of air strikes against the Islamic State. Pilots who returned to military bases after their authorization to attack targets were denied revealed this information. A representative of the administration even admitted to the problem, saying that sometimes the attacks do not take effect because of the potential danger that these could represent to the environment. Surprisingly, the President talks about eliminating terrorists, but at the same time freeing them from Guantanamo.
9. Obama: “If Congress believes, as I do, that we are at war with ISIL, it should go ahead and vote to authorize the continued use of military force against these terrorists.”
The truth: Military experts have suggested to the President on multiple occasions to declare war on the Islamic State. Obama has consistently ignored this recommendation. It is interesting that the president now affirms that we are at war with the Islamic State after refusing to recognize this fact for seven years. By doing so, Obama throws the responsibility to Congress, one year before finishing his second term. Furthermore, the President contradicted himself during his speech. While asking Congress to authorize the continued use of military forces against terrorists, Obama also said the following: “I do not want to get engaged once again in a long and costly war in Iraq or Syria.”
10. Obama: “With American leadership, the international community has begun to establish a process and timeline to pursue cease-fires and a political resolution to the Syrian war. Doing so will allow the Syrian people and every country, including our allies but also countries like Russia, to focus on the common goal of destroying ISIL. A group that threatens us all. This is our strategy to destroy ISIL.”
The truth: If something is missing in the global war against global terrorism, itâs American leadership. Vladimir Putin ignored President Obama and decided to launch his own war against the Islamic State. After the attack in Paris on November the 13th, François Hollande, in a true act of leadership, visited England and Germany. The French President requested assistance and participation in the fight against terrorism. Immediately, both countries began airstrikes against targets of the Islamic State. It is pathetic that President Obama talks about leadership while not being present in Paris to join France in solidarity after the terrorist attack in January of this year.
11. Obama: “If weâre to succeed in defeating terrorism, we must enlist Muslim communities as some of our strongest allies rather than push them away through suspicion and hate.”
The truth: On this remark Obama creates the impression that the American people profess hate and discrimination against Muslim communities. The President even believes Americans invite Jihad by criticizing Islam. Currently more than 5 million Muslims live in the United States. Historically, the country has opened its doors to people from all over the world. Immigrants enjoy freedom of expression, freedom of religion and opportunities like nowhere else. According to updated reports, Muslims have built more than 2,000 mosques in the United States. Obama ignored two facts: 1. Christians are not treated the same way in many Middle East countries. 2. The majority of the Muslim community stays silent to the terrorism committed by Muslim extremists in the West. Anywhere in the world, a true ally stands up and defends the values and freedom of the country regardless of religious affiliation.
12. Obama: “The strategy that we are using now, air strikes, special forces, and working with local forces who are fighting to regain control of their own country, that is how weâll achieve a more sustainable victory, and it wonât require us sending a new generation of Americans overseas to fight and die for another decade on foreign soil.”
The truth: The administration’s anti-terrorism strategy is precisely what has not worked for 7 years. What kind of victory is President Obama talking about? The country just suffered the worst terrorist attack since September 11, several weeks ago the Islamic State brought down a Russian plane, and Europe witnessed the worst terrorist attack on French soil. It is worth it to remind President Obama that the Islamic State controls a zone in the Middle East the size of England. The group has also been able to recruit approximately 30,000 militants in more than 70 countries.
In conclusion, the President’s speech was embarrassing, erroneous and misleading. His anti-terrorist strategy has been one of the worse national security policies in history. Sadly, the price of human life and the humanitarian crisis of Obama’s anti-terrorist agenda will be remembered for generations to come.
