More Than an “Isolated Extremist”

WASHINGTON–Commenting on the failed Christmas attack of Flight 253, President Obama called the incident an act of “terrorism” and the would-be bomber an “isolated extremist.” Since his remarks, al-Qaeda has claimed responsibility for the attempted attack, showing the disconnect between the administration’s characterization of our enemy and the reality of the situation.
“America’s security depends on identifying precisely the enemy that threatens our lives–and then crushing it, rendering it a non-threat,” writes Elan Journo, a fellow at the Ayn Rand Center. “The enemy Washington evasively calls ‘terrorism’ is actually an ideologically inspired political movement: Islamic totalitarianism. It seeks to subjugate the West under a totalitarian Islamic regime by means of terrorism, negotiation, war–anything that will win its jihad.
“To defend American lives properly, we should target not terrorism, a tactic, but militant Islam, the ideology that motivates the terrorists.”
To learn more about our government’s failures since 9/11 and a proper course of action for the United States, read Winning the Unwinnable War, a new book by Mr. Journo.