No, it was only after a near-universal outcry by the
American people that their president appeared oddly detached and aloof in the
aftermath of the would-be attack that Mr. Obama swung into action. He boldly
ordered his administration to investigate what took place and proclaimed that
new security measures would immediately be put into place. When this failed to
convince the public about his leadership to protect us from future attack, the
president did what he did best during his first year in office to address an
issue: He took to the airwaves and delivered another speech.
This time, what is revealing is what President Obama told us
as well as what he didn’t. First, he told us that “our nation is at war
against a network of violence and hatred and that we will do whatever it takes
to defeat them and defend our country, even as we uphold the values that have
always distinguished America among nations.” It seems to me those who have
distorted the Islamic faith have been at war with us since at least 1979. Whether
we recognized it at the time or not, certain elements have been at war with us
for more than 30 years. America only responded to the threat directly and
decisively after 3,000 innocent Americans lost their lives on Sept. 11.
Apparently willing to change the semantics of being involved
in a war against terror lest they inherit any terminology used from the
previous administration, Mr. Obama and his staff have been reluctant to use the
terms “war” and “terror” in the same sentence (they do
appear quite willing to complain they inherited a tough economy and wars abroad
from George W. Bush, but not his success and actions taken to protect the
country following Sept. 11). Fine. So if we’re in a war and the president is
willing to do whatever it takes to defend the country against future attack,
why is the Christmas Day terrorist being read his Miranda rights and clamming
up during interviews with authorities, rather than being transferred to the
military and being interrogated as an enemy combatant?
The answer lies in the second part of the president’s
statement above — the clause where he notes that he will protect the
country “even as we uphold the values that have always distinguished
America among nations.” That is the sniveling, condescending and elitist
view held by many on the left: that we won’t protect the country by doing
anything that Bush and then-Vice President Dick Cheney did.
What will distinguish America among nations in the days to
come will be the tacit acknowledgment that we will take every step necessary to
protect our citizens both here and abroad using every means necessary. And if
an individual who was trained by al Qaeda, obtained explosives from al Qaeda
and secured passage on an American airliner to murder 300 American citizens
above Detroit on Christmas Day isn’t both an enemy combatant and a
terrorist, then I don’t know who would every qualify as such.
If we’re truly at war, Mr. President, a war you now
grudgingly recognize, then it’s time to treat those enemy combatants in our
custody as such while pursuing all means necessary to thwart future terrorist
attacks. Actions speak louder than words.