Target the real enemy
President Barack Obama had two messages for the American public during his address from the Oval Office on Sunday night. While one left much to be desired, the other was precisely what the nation needed to hear.
To start, the president outlined his administration's actions against the Islamic Statefighters who control vast swaths of territory in Iraq and Syria. He also proposed a few modest, but important, steps he'd like to see adopted to support that campaign.
The president broke little new ground here. Most Americans have watched with wary trepidation as the White House has graduated from airstrikes to special operations forces deployment with little to show for it. More than a year since promising to "degrade and ultimately destroy" the Islamic State, the battle lines are little changed.
In fact, a recent intelligence report ordered by the administration concluded that the Islamic State is growing in size and influence despite a sustained bombing campaign and raids by our elite military units. One wonders how the president's plan — essentially more of the same — will result in a more favorable outcome.
President Obama did suggest some additional steps that should be considered.
First, Congress needs to approve an Authorization for the Use of Military Force against the Islamic State, and it needs to do so quickly. Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine has led the push for such a bill, and we fully endorse his reasoning. It is critical that the nation stand as one and for those waging the fight to know they will have the resources, equipment and support they need to prevail.
Second, he wants to work with Congress to tighten the review process for foreign citizens traveling to this country via the visa waiver program and the fiancé visa process. This is a direct response to the investigation into the recent San Bernardino, Calif., massacre and deserves Washington's attention.
Finally, he chastised Congress for failing to pass legislation that would have prohibited people on the terror watch list from purchasing a gun. However, the so-called "no-fly list" is riddled with errors and needs significant reform, which should precede its use as an instrument of gun control.
Overall, this half of the address was a disappointment. Mr. Obama failed to use this important moment — only the third Oval Office speech of his presidency — to propose changes to a strategy that has yet to show results.
However, the president used the balance of his address to set forth a forceful defense of American values. Using some of the strongest language we've heard from him lately, he delineated the sharp differences between this country and its vision, and what the Islamic State hopes to achieve.
This was President Obama at his best, calling on his fellow Americans to show courage and unity in the face of fear. It was an Oval Office pep talk, reminding citizens that the nation was "founded upon belief in human dignity — that no matter who you are, or where you come from, or what you look like, or what religion you practice, you are equal in the eyes of God and equal in the eyes of the law."
The American public should have heard this from their president in the aftermath of the Paris attacks. He needed to be a more prominent voice, reminding the public of its responsibilities, asking for sacrifice and, above all, appealing to their better angels when it comes to the fight against the Islamic State.
Instead, Americans have been listening to those who want Mr. Obama's job. The message from the candidates has been blunt, ugly and generally mistaken in how best to confront the threat before us. That was made clear on Monday when Republican front-runner Donald Trump called for a ban on Muslims entering the country.
It is critical to remember that the religious fanatics we face are the extremists, the outliers, the fringe of their society. By painting all Muslims with the same brush, we tip the scales in favor of the Islamic State. It's what these terrorists want.
We share the president's fear that public discourse has dipped into dangerous, harmful territory of late. And we agree with him that we have a powerful ally in moderate Muslims, both here and abroad, who are horrified by the actions of these killers.
This was the responsible message to deliver, and we'll need to hear more of it from the president — and his would-be successors — as we steel ourselves for the lengthy commitment required in order to triumph in this fight.
