The Broken Trumpet
President Obama has made a lot of gaffes lately, especially for someone who has come so far on the strength of his oratorical skills. Last week he said he had no strategy for dealing with the Islamic State -- a remark that left Pentagon officials "apoplectic."
Yesterday the president sounded like a broken trumpet as he further muddled the message about America's commitment to defeating the jihadists. During a press conference with the president of Estonia, Obama was asked about his strategy for ISIS. He said this: "Our objective is clear, and that is to degrade and destroy ISIL so that it's no longer a threat not just to Iraq but also the region and to the United States."
He should have ended the press conference there. Moments later, Obama was asked whether he would be sharing his ISIS strategy with our NATO allies later this week. Obama responded: "If we are joined by the international community, we can continue to shrink ISIL's sphere of influence, its effectiveness, its financing, its military capabilities to the point where it is a manageable problem."
Destroy it? Manage it? Which is it?
The president's remarks left our allies confused. Even the folks at CNN and MSNBC were at a loss to explain these contradictory remarks.
Obama's comments were another reminder of the bizarre exchange he had recently with Thomas Friedman of the New York Times where they both agreed that the Middle East would work best if there were "no victors, no vanquished." That may be a nice sentiment, but as a strategy it works only if your enemy agrees to stop trying to kill you. If you go into war saying our goal isn't victory, it is pretty clear how that will turn out.
Meanwhile, Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder continue to use rhetoric more appropriate in fighting crime, not war. Holder recently announced that he was launching an "open criminal investigation" into the beheading of James Foley. Referring to the jihadist[s] who beheaded Foley and Steven Sotloff, Obama vowed that "justice will be served."
Given the track record of this administration, that means an ACLU attorney at taxpayer expense and a trial in civilian court. It is difficult to imagine Franklin Roosevelt saying, "We have the names of the Japanese pilots who bombed Pearl Harbor and we have issued warrants for their arrest."
America's Muslim Missionaries
I bet you didn't know that America has Muslim missionaries who are being paid with your tax dollars. Let me mention a few: Barack Obama. John Kerry. John Brennan.
Of course, I'm being sarcastic. But here's my point: The more we are attacked by radical Islamists, the more heads that roll, the more Christians are slaughtered, the more synagogues are bombed, the more threats made against our homeland, the more America's political leadership sings the praises of Islam. And it is being done in a way that they would never do for Christianity.
If you're a leader of ISIS, the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas or Hezbollah, surely you've noticed that the more you attempt to spread your Islamism, the more outrageous crimes you commit, you not only spread terror but also cause the leaders of the Western world you are attempting to destroy to sing the praises of your faith. Am I the only one who thinks this is beyond idiocy?
After an Islamist cut off a head, Secretary of State John Kerry said, "The real face of Islam is a peaceful religion based on the dignity of all human beings… it's is one where Muslim communities are advocating for universal human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the most basic freedom to practice one's faith openly and freely."
Really? Just where is this mythical nation with a majority Muslim population that it is known for its commitment to universal human rights?
Mr. Secretary, ask the women of Saudi Arabia and other Muslim countries who were sexually mutilated as young girls about the dignity of life under Islam.
Mr. Secretary, talk to the Christians being driven out of virtually every Muslim nation in the Middle East about Islam's respect for universal and fundamental freedoms. Muslim nations dominate the government's list of the world's worst violators of religious liberty.
Perhaps the gay rights lobby, which is such an important part of the left's coalition, should demand that Barack Obama stop negotiating with Iran as long as it continues to hang homosexuals.
The entire left-wing establishment (and some in the GOP too) mercilessly attacked Todd Akin and Richard Mourdock for poorly phrased comments about rape. But Kerry and Obama are praising a faith that makes it virtually impossible for women to prove rape. Jihadists believe they can forcibly assault infidel women and it's not even considered rape.
Here's an idea: The Obama Administration's promotion of Islam is clearly a violation of mosque and state. Does anybody at the ACLU have the time to tackle this one?
Where Are The Children?
The Border Patrol reports that it has apprehended more than 66,000 "unaccompanied alien children" crossing our southern border this year. Where are they?
Investigative reporter Sharyl Attkisson told Newsmax yesterday that the Obama Administration is stonewalling media and congressional attempts to identify the locations of dozens of shelters housing thousands of these children. Keep in mind that Obama had previously requested nearly $4 billion to help address this crisis. Congress is supposed to have oversight of how your tax dollars are being spent.
Local communities and taxpayers are on the hook for approximately $800 million in additional educational expenses. Yet the administration won't tell us anything about where these kids are going.
By the way, Obama is under heavy pressure to delay any executive order granting amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants. A new Rasmussen poll shows why: Only 26% of likely voters think it's a good idea, while 62% oppose it.
Surely the White House is doing its own polling and has seen similar numbers. Moreover, the poll found that only 24% of voters believe Obama has the legal authority to grant amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants, and 55% believe Congress should sue him if he tries it.