Terrorism Threats Not Deterred

As was made mention in the 2008 presidential campaign, our inexperienced President has indeed been tested in his responses to threats on the homeland. So far the response by the administration in the White House has been a failure. They continue to draw a stark contrast to the last administration because it is a winning political strategy for Barack Obama. Until lately. Now even his more ardent supporters are confused as to why he seems to be removed for the reality of the terrorist threats from just his first year in office.

In 2009 alone there have been repeated plots uncovered and some stopped before they became successful attacks. The Obama administration has fallen back on the standard pap of liberal thought - that terrorists are to be treated as criminals, not enemy combatants. We hear words like "alleged" used in reference to the latest terrorist taken into custody. He tried to bring down a jetliner with more than two hundred passengers aboard as it made its way to Detroit. His pants were on fire, he put up no resistance to restraint and he confessed to authorities, yet Obama makes reference to the "alleged" terrorist. And that was only after three days of silence from the president on the Christmas day attack.

The Director of Homeland Security renamed the war on terror to "man made disasters" as the new administration swept into office on a wave of naive belief of international kumbiya. If we just rename the problem, then no one will be insulted that we are aware of incoming threats. If we reach out and bow to murderous thugs who rule oil rich empires and poor countries on other continents, then they will love us. If we just prove this new president is not George W. Bush, then a re-birth of goodwill will be generated by those who hate us. On the Sunday talk shows, she said the security system in place in airports worked. Janet Napolitano said people did their job. No. It was a Dutch man that sprung into action. Security measures at airports failed. After a bit of sanity returned to the secretary, she amended her statement on Monday morning talk shows. She said her statement was taken out of context. It wasn't, of course, but at least she made the attempt to set the record straight.

Janet Napolitano should be fired. She was appointed to the position as political payback for early support of the Obama campaign - she being governor of Arizona at the time - and as the top politician of a border state she didn't exactly have a stellar record of controlling her border with Mexico.

President Barack Obama is indeed being tested. He is in way over his head. Not only is he determined to go back to the days of pre-9/11 thought in national security but he is hellbent to stubbornly deny his failures. He is briefed about the attempted attack on the jetliner on Christmas day, for instance, and he goes to the golf course. No statement to concerned citizens. No angry response to those intent on killing us. Barack's cool. He plays golf.

President George W. Bush decided to stop his regular golf games early on in his presidency. As a nation at war and other developing domestic problems, he thought golfing would present the appearance of an uncaring, not in touch leader. He was right.

What was the very first Executive Order issued by President Obama as he took office? He demanded the closing of Gitmo by year's end. Great play of this was made in the press and Obama proudly proclaimed himself not George W. Bush. Now that the actual closing process has proven to be unattainable any time in the near future, we are told that closing deadline will not be met. Turns out it is just not as simple as signing an Executive Order. If Obama was a man with any executive experience, he would have known that and saved himself from failure by not making the pledge in the first place.

A radicalized Muslim goes into a recruiting center in Arkansas and kills innocent Americans. Several plots are stopped before they are carried out thanks to intelligence gathering. A radicalized Muslim psychiatrist and member of the U.S. Army goes on base and kills thirteen fellow service members, plus a civilian security officer. He wounds many more. The first response from the Obama administration? We must not jump to conclusions. We must appreciate diversity in military. We must not criticize that red flags were raised about this man but not acted upon.

All of this political correctness will kill us. You'll remember Obama had no problem "jumping to conclusions" when the incident was one involving a friend from Harvard and the Cambridge police department. He was quick out of the box to call the police officers out on their handling of a call about a perceived burglary in a residential neighborhood.

Obama is not taken seriously as Commander in Chief. He shows no passion for what is his first and most important job requirement - to keep Americans safe at home. He continues to describe these terrorists as "isolated". They are not. They are trained and supplied by terror organizations abroad. They do not act alone. The problem spans the globe. Denial doesn't wish the problem away.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt, a president admired by Barack Obama, responded to Nazi saboteurs who landed off Long Island during World War II by capturing them and after arresting them, tried them in a military tribunal. In secret. Then they were executed. No announcement for the general public. No debate on sentencing. They were not treated as common criminals. FDR did what was necessary.

We need kind of leadership today.