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Obama backs away from war on terror
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Image Credit: AP
In his uninspiring inauguration speech, President Obama told the world we would not waver in defense of our way of life, and he told the evil doers that "our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you."
That wasn't even three weeks ago, but it seems like a different time. Since uttering that strong rhetoric, President Obama has backed away from the war on terror as fast as he can.
It started two days after Obama became the president. Obama directed the closing of the terrorist detention center in Guantanamo Bay, even though he has no clue what to do with the terrorists detained at Guantanamo.
At the two-week mark of the Obama presidency, the president was asked in a television interview why he didn't use the phrase "war on terror." Obama's Carter-like naive response was to say he believes the U.S. can win over moderate Muslims if he chooses his words carefully:
"Words matter in this situation because one of the ways we're going to win this struggle is through the battle of hearts and minds," Obama said in an interview with CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360."
[. . .]
"I think it is very important for us to recognize that we have a battle or a war against some terrorist organizations," Obama said Tuesday. "But that those organizations aren't representative of a broader Arab community, Muslim community."
He added that he believes the U.S. can convince Muslims "that we should be working together to make sure that everybody has got a better life."
Obama's "choice of words" response brings to mind the just words speech Obama stole from Massachusetts Democrat Deval Patrick. I agree that words matter, but when one's actions speak so loudly the words can't be heard, the words matter only to mock the speaker.
Obama continues to walk away from the war on terror at a quickening pace. Two days after Obama talked to Anderson Cooper about his choice of words, Obama ordered charges dropped against the terrorist mastermind of the bombing of the USS Cole.
In meeting with families of September 11 terrorist attacks and the 17 sailors killed in the terrorist bombing of the USS Cole, Obama made it clear that he was more concerned about the prosecution of terrorists than prosecution of the war on terror:
"The previous administration was very focused on the prosecution of the war on terror and keeping America safe from future attacks. The current administration is very focused on the prosecution of the detainees of the war on terror. The important thing for America is to find the right balance of both those approaches."
Then, even though Obama said he will send more troops to Afghanistan as he withdraws combat soldiers from the war in Iraq, today we learn Obama has put the brakes on more troops for Afghanistan. This step back comes even as military commanders continue to plead for more troops.
In his 2003 commentary, A Bloody March to Peace, Tony Blankley reminds us that the Islamafacists and terrorists continue wage war against us because they doubt our staying power:
- They remember Vietnam, where we lost the will to fight.
- They remember Beirut in 1983, where we turned tail and ran after they killed our Marines in their barracks.
- They remember the first World Trade Center bombing in February 1993, when we turned to our lawyers instead of our soldiers.
- They remember Mogadishu in October 1993, where we left our dead and skedaddled out of country.
- They remember the attack on the USS Cole in 2000, where we ordered our ships to sea rather than our Marines to shore.
Obama's walking away from the war on terror will only encourage our enemies. It is the functional equivalent of appeasement. We are no more able to successfully appease the Islamafacist terrorists, than Chamberlain was able to successfully appease Hitler.
We are involved in a long struggle. We didn't choose this war, and we cannot back away from it. We cannot afford to be seen, or even be perceived, to falter in our determination to prevail. If we are, it will encourage our enemies and prolong the war.
Special Report: Obama's First 100 DaysExclusive examiner.com coverage of the Obama administration's promise to bring about change.
