Director of National Intelligence James Clapper had some news for Congress this morning, and it’s not good. Under President Obama’s watch, ISIS has now made and used chemical weapons and North Korea has expanded a uranium enrichment facility and restarted a plutonium reactor.
In testimony, Clapper confirmed that ISIS has produced and used toxic weapons—the first an extremist group has used such weapons in over 20 years. Furthermore, the Kim regime has taken the Administration’s non-response to North Korea’s rocket launch and alleged nuclear weapon test to further threaten America and our allies.
When will President Obama finally realize that failing to respond to aggressors ultimately makes America less safe?
It’s becoming difficult to keep track of just how dangerous the world is becoming. ISIS-inspired terrorists are striking Western cities. ISIS is using chemical weapons. The Syrian regime is starving out its own people while besieging dozens of cities. North Korea’s saber rattling is increasing. And that’s not even mentioning the growing instability and danger caused by Iran, Russia, China, the Taliban, al-Qaeda, Boko Haram…
The President’s response to the growing threats abroad has been the same as always: effectively nothing. Fundamentally, his strategy against ISIS is unchanged despite its failure to contain and defeat the group. And exercising “strategic patience” against North Korea is little more than cloaking inaction in euphemism. Obviously, his do-nothing-and-hope-for-the-best strategy is making the world a much more dangerous place.
We need a strategy to defeat ISIS. We need to increase sanctions on North Korea, as the House has already voted to do. The fact that we have to keep demanding that the President assert American strength is a testament to the poverty of his leadership.