Obama now owns another war

The president held his
own people accountable and acknowledged that the government had the
information to uncover and disrupt the Christmas Day plot. But instead of
placing blame, Obama took sole responsibility: “The buck stops with
me,” he said.

Republicans didn’t
have much to criticize in Obama’s latest remarks, but there is nothing he can do
to satisfy them on the issue of national security as long as he continues to
attempt to shut down Guantánamo Bay, and because of the administration’s
decision to provide due process to Khalid Sheikh Mohammed as well as
Abdulmutallab. Taking both men through our judicial system, rather than holding
them as enemy combatants and trying them in military tribunals, presents
enormous political risk for Obama.

But critics and
supporters can agree that nearly one year into office, the war against al
Qaeda, which is what Obama likes to call it, belongs to him.

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