President Obama took on the radical Islam controversy head on and with a whole lot of passion.
President Obama explains why the radical Islam moniker is counterproductive
President Obama did not pull any punches in today’s press conference. He went to the heart of the GOP and Trump’s statements about defining the enemy with the radical Islam moniker.
“For a while now, the main contribution of some of my friends from the other side of the aisle have made in the fight against ISIL,” President Obama said. “Is to criticize this administration and me for not using the phrase radical Islam. That’s the key; they tell us. We can’t beat ISIL unless we call them radical Islamists.”
The President pointed out the shallowness of the argument.
“What exactly would using this label accomplish,” Obama asked. “What exactly would it change. Would it make ISIL less committed to trying to kill Americans? Would it bring in more allies? Is there a military strategy that is served by this? The answer is none of the above.”
Obama made it clear that the current hoopla is nothing but a political distraction. It is evident he is speaking out now because the noise is coming from a presidential candidate and that has implications for the safety of all Americans.
The President noted that various of these attacks in America occurred at the hands of American citizens. He inferred that much of the rhetoric on the Republican side marginalizes many Americans, something this country has done before and is subsequently ashamed of today.
The president put Trump and his cohort in their proper place. He appropriately marginalized their narrative. One wonders what took so long for the President to address this issue. The President alway errs on the side of caution even though at times it is unwarranted.
