Week #15 (12/7-12/11)- 5 Major Themes in Obama’s Oval Office Terrorism Speech (Wall Street Journal)

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Video: Obama Says San Bernardino Attack an ‘Act of Terrorism’

President Barack Obama addressed the nation from the Oval Office on Sunday in the wake of the fatal mass shooting in San Bernardino, Calif. — seeking to reassure Americans that his administration has a handle on homegrown and international threats against the homeland.

President Barack Obama addresses the nation from the Oval Office.

 

Associated Press

The shooting at a community center in California left 14 people dead. Investigators have pointed to the possibility that the husband-and-wife pair suspected of carrying out the attack had been radicalized and had been inspired by Islamic State. The two suspects were killed in a shootout with police.

Here are the top themes of Mr. Obama’s rare Oval office Speech speech — which sought to tell a jittery public that the Obama administration has a clear plan for victory against terrorists at home and abroad.

1. The evolution of terrorism: Mr. Obama unambiguously called the San Bernardino attack “terrorism.” He noted that the U.S. has been at war with terrorism since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. But, at the same time, Mr. Obama noted that the threats from terrorism had changed. Instead of confronting “complex multifaceted” attacks like 9/11, the U.S. was seeing the rise of “less complicated acts of violence like the mass shootings.”

“We see growing efforts by terrorists to poison the minds of people like the Boston Marathon bombers and the San Bernardino killers,” Mr. Obama said about the process of American citizens or residents being radicalized or inspired by foreign terrorist organizations.

2. The limits of American power: Mr. Obama said the United States should continue working with international partners, as well as using targeted airstrikes and special forces as needed to strike against terrorist networks. But he also warned against an expansive ground war against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria — two countries where the group has made major inroads in the past few years. Mr. Obama called for a “sustainable” victory using a minimal amount of U.S. ground forces, saying that Islamic State would only grow stronger as an insurgency against an occupying power.

“We will prevail by being strong and smart, resilient and relentless,” he said.

3. Debating the role of Islam in terrorism: Mr. Obama made a plea to avoid demonizing Muslims and Islam in the wake of terrorist attacks,  while also acknowledging that the Muslim community needed to grapple with the issue of radicalization and political violence. His remarks urged Americans to see Muslims in their communities as neighbors, friends and countrymen and to avoid bigotry and discrimination.

“If we’re to succeed in defeating terrorism, we must enlist Muslim communities as some of our strongest allies, rather than push them away through suspicion and hate,” Mr. Obama said. But he also added: “That does not mean denying the fact that an extremist ideology has spread within some Muslim communities. It’s a real problem that Muslims must confront without excuse.”

4. The need to enlist Congress: Mr. Obama suggested a number of specific actions for Congress to take, hoping to share the responsibility of fighting terrorism more broadly with the Republican-controlled legislature. Mr. Obama said that Congress should prevent people suspected of links to terrorism from buying weapons. He also said he was willing to work with Congress on stronger screening procedures for visitors. Finally, he urged Congress to pass an authorization of military force against Islamic State.

” I think it’s time for Congress to vote to demonstrate that the American people are united and committed to this fight,” Mr. Obama said.

5. The role of guns: Mr. Obama has repeatedly called for stricter laws about the sale and possession of firearms and he briefly addressed the issue in his remarks on Sunday. In addition to proposing a ban on terrorism suspects buying weapons, Mr. Obama also called for an assault weapons ban.

“We also need to make it harder for people to buy powerful assault weapons, like the ones that were used in San Bernardino. I know there are some who reject any gun-safety measures, but the fact is that our intelligence and law-enforcement agencies, no matter how effective they are, cannot identify every would-be mass shooter, whether that individual was motivated by ISIL or some other hateful ideology,” Mr. Obama said.