President Barack Obama delivered his third round of empty promises Sunday night from the Oval Office in response to the San Bernardino, California mass shooting that killed 14 people. It is certain, however, that the events in San Bernardino will resonate in next November’s presidential election.
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Obama addressed the nation from the Oval Office to discuss the threat posed by the Islamic State and terrorism as a whole to the United States and the rest of the world.
“Arguing that if the President had been more aggressive in Syria and Iraq that we would not now face these problems at home”, says Holyoke.
Given the likelihood of continued attacks, here and overseas, and the fact that victory is clearly not just around the corner, the President in his own as well as in the national interest, simply cannot afford to leave an information vacuum for the loud and too often demagogic voices of Trump and some of the others. “So this was an act of terrorism”. “They know they can’t defeat us on the battlefield… but they also know that if we occupy foreign lands, they can maintain insurgencies for years”. The White House has been particularly concerned about the heated rhetoric from Republican presidential candidates about Muslims. The New York Times noted over the weekend that Republican candidates have been almost hysterical about what they see as World War III, but “for all the heated expressions from Republicans, there emerged no real detailed consensus among them about how to destroy the Islamic State or stop it from inspiring future adherents in the United States”. That’s what groups like ISIL want. But it is clear that the two of them had gone down the dark path of radicalization, embracing a perverted interpretation of Islam that calls for war against America and the West. They had stockpiled assault weapons, ammunition, and pipe bombs. “Instead, we will prevail by being strong and smart, resilient and relentless”. Others are lambasting Obama for trying to make the fight against terrorism a gun control issue.
“To begin with, Congress should act to make sure no one on a no- fly list is able to buy a gun”, the president said. The Florida Republican said he believes the current USA approach lacks “intensity” – whatever that means in this context – but he didn’t reject any specific parts of Obama’s strategy.
Obama said it is the responsibility of Muslim leaders to “root out misguided ideas” in their community; and he said it is the “responsibility of all Americans, of every faith, to reject discrimination”.
Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) said he is part of a bipartisan group working to write a bill that will change this program.
“Obama refused to say (he just can’t say it) that we are at WAR with RADICAL ISLAMIC TERRORISTS”, Trump said in a series of tweets soon after Obama delivered a rare address to the nation in which he assured Americans of defeating ISIS.
The FBI is investigating the massacre as a terrorist attack that would be the deadliest by Islamic extremists on American soil since September 11, 2001.
“The Islamic state calls itself a Islamic group”.
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Typically, the president delivers Oval Office addresses from behind his desk.
