As the 13th anniversary of the deadliest attack on American soil approaches, the U.S. continues to face threats from Islamic radicals on multiple fronts. A chief concern is the expanding capabilities of extremists representing the Islamic State terrorist organization.
Also known as ISIS, the group has claimed credit for the brutal murders of two American journalists in recent weeks. Furthermore, there is a growing threat of affiliated terrorists staging an attack in the U.S.
While Barack Obama declared that his administration has yet to develop a policy through which to thwart this danger, he recently referred to his predecessor as an example of how strong leadership can keep Americans safe. Speaking at a recent Rhode Island fundraiser, Obama did not mention George W. Bush by name, though it is clear from his statement which administration should be credited with the policies he praised.



“The good news is that we actually have unprecedented military capacity,” he said, “and since 9/11 have built up a security apparatus that makes us in the here and now pretty safe.”
He concluded that ISIS “doesn’t immediately threaten the homeland,” though he warned we must remain vigilant in recognizing the threat terrorists continue to pose against the U.S. and its allies around the world.
The Washington Examiner pointed out that, as he pays homage to Bush’s policies in the aftermath of numerous ISIS attacks, Obama’s rhetoric is increasingly similar to his Republican predecessor.
Brian Hughes noted that a recent statement regarding the ISIS threat bore a striking resemblance to Bush’s excoriation of Islamic terrorism following the 9/11 attacks.
“America does not forget,” Obama said recently. “Our reach is long. We are patient. Justice will be done.”
At the fundraiser during which Obama cited the post-9/11 successes, however, he apparently could not resist landing a jab against the GOP.
Attempting to blame Republicans for the failures of his party, Obama asserted that Democrats “have been willing to put forward agendas that try to allow us to govern and meet Republicans more than half way.”
In response, however, he lamented that the GOP leadership has been unwilling to compromise.
“The reason government does not work right now is because the other party has been captured by an ideological, rigid, uncompromising core that ignores science, is not particularly interested in facts, is not particularly interested in compromise, but is interested in having its own way 100 percent of the time,” he said; “and that way, in large part, includes dismantling so much of what has created this incredible middle class and this incredible wealth here in America.”