These Words from Obama Are Frightening — and Revealing

It’s less than comforting to hear the President make light of terrorist threats.

In a recent interview with The New Yorker, President Obama referred to today’s al-Qaeda fighters as the “jayvee” team.

“The analogy we use around here sometimes, and I think is accurate, is if a jayvee team puts on Lakers uniforms that doesn’t make them Kobe Bryant,” he said.

This shows that the Administration’s wishful thinking about al-Qaeda isn’t over. Obama and his fellow officials seem to think if you say something enough times, it will become true.

Before Benghazi, they claimed al-Qaeda was defeated and on the run. Four dead Americans later, this was proven false.

Then the President said we “cannot stay at war forever.” Again, a nice sentiment, but in the real world, war doesn’t end until both sides stop fighting.

Al-Qaeda is different today than it was on 9/11; that is true. But the new, decentralized version is not to be taken as lightly as Obama seems to. We are still at war—only now with an enemy that is harder to pin down. And the enemy has determination, numbers, resources, and capabilities that we have to worry about. In fact, CNN reported earlier this month that “al Qaeda appears to control more territory in the Arab world than it has done at any time in its history.”

President Obama needs to drop the cute (and misplaced) metaphors and recognize these serious threats for what they are.

There have been at least 60 Islamist-inspired terrorist plots against the U.S. homeland since 9/11. Fifty-three of these were thwarted long before the public was ever in danger, due in large part to the concerted efforts of U.S. law enforcement and intelligence.

We must stay serious about fighting terrorism and equip our dedicated military, intelligence, and law enforcement organizations to do their jobs. The safety of American lives and American interests depends on it.

Read the Morning Bell and more en español every day at Heritage Libertad.

Quick Hits:

• Breaking news on The Foundry: The Wall Street Journal’s Stephen Moore is returning to Heritage as chief economist.
• Here is the full New Yorker interview with President Obama where he talked about al-Qaeda.
• Did you hear what the governor of New York said about pro-life Americans? He’s now facing a backlash.
• You definitely don’t want to break the law without knowing it.
• See how long it took a hacker to access Americans’ personal data through HealthCare.gov.

Source material can be found at this site.