Madison Thames, Staff Writer
The biggest threat our country is currently facing is coming from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, also known as ISIS or ISIL.
For those who don’t know, ISIS is the successor Sunni militant group that originated from al Qaida in Iraq. In recent weeks, Islamic State has expanded its reach from Syria and moved deep into Iraqi territory, taking over cities not far from Baghdad.
The primary goal of ISIS is to establish a Sunni Muslim caliphate across Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Israel and other parts of the Middle East, with plans to one day establish it in every country of the world.
Brutal methods have already been used to kill thousands of civilians in the Middle East, along with the beheadings of two American journalists.
As this large group of about 10,000 militants threatens our country’s safety, we ask what our commander in chief is doing to keep our safety intact? But maybe a better question is what mistakes were made to lead us to where the problem existed in the first place?
On July 12, 2007 at a White House news conference, President Bush prophetically declared what would happen if American troops were pulled from Iraq too soon.
“I know some in Washington would like us to start leaving Iraq now. To begin withdrawing before our commanders tell us we’re ready would be dangerous for Iraq, for the region and for the United States.
“It would mean surrendering the future of Iraq to al-Qaida. It would mean that we’d be risking mass killings on a horrific scale. It would mean we’d allow the terrorists to establish a safe haven in Iraq to replace the one they lost in Afghanistan.
“It would mean we’d be increasing the probability that American troops would have to return at some later date to confront an enemy that is even more dangerous.”
Three years later President Obama did exactly what Bush warned against. He pulled out of Iraq, even though he was going against recommendations to keep troops made by, Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, the commander on the ground.
Since 2010, everything Bush laid out in that news conference in 2007 has become reality. Maybe this doesn’t mean that Bush is that much smarter than Obama.
The difference is that Bush was smart enough to listen to the people around him who are trained in those areas. Whereas Obama just ignored their knowledge because it didn’t fit the narrative he was trying to sell to our country.
On September 10, Obama addressed the problem of ISIS to the world along with sharing his plan of action.
“Now let’s make two things clear: ISIL is not ‘Islamic.’ No religion condones the killing of innocents,” stated Obama on national television.
Maybe he is right in the fact that no religion condones the killing of innocent people. But the radical Muslims that make up ISIS don’t see the people they are killing as innocent. The very name of their organization begins with the word ‘Islamic’, so how exactly is ISIS not ‘Islamic?’
They base their actions on the Islamic bible. They believe the Koran calls for a holy war. They pray to Allah. They organize in mosques. They may be radical, but it sounds like they believe they are a religion to me.
