in Congress, Foreign Policy, Obama, War on Terror

Congress: Terror Threat at Highest Level Since 9/11

by Andrew December 6, 2016, 9:52 pm 139 Comments

According to a report from the House Homeland Security Committee, the U.S. faces an Islamic terror threat today that is at its highest level since the September 11, 2001 attacks. The new Terror Threat Snapshot says that one of the biggest threats to national security comes from Americans being radicalized in their homes.

Homeland Security Chairman Michael McCaul issued a statement laying the blame at Obama’s doorstep.

“Make no mistake: we face a deadlier threat than ever before not only because our enemies have gotten savvier, but because we took the pressure off them,” said McCaul. “For eight years, the Obama Administration reluctantly played global whack-a-mole with terrorists rather than leaning into the fight with decisive leadership.”

The report says that the Islamic State is backing away from its original caliphate messaging, which aimed to draw radicals into Syria and Iraq. Instead, they are focused on encouraging sympathizers to carry out terrorist attacks where they live. This message is accompanied by a concerted effort to use refugee pipelines to gain access to Western countries where their soliders can wreak havoc on innocent civilians.

In his statement, McCaul said the country just got a first-hand look at this kind of lone wolf radicalization. “The attack last week at Ohio State University is further proof that our homeland remains in the crosshairs of Islamist terrorists,” McCaul said. “Groups like ISIS are radicalizing new operatives from within our borders, and just this week, their new spokesman called for more inspired attacks by supporters ‘all over the world’.”

Thankfully, the devastation at Ohio State was not as tragic as it could have been, but it’s only a matter of time before we’re confronted with another Boston Marathon, another San Bernardino, another Pulse nightclub. Another horrific event that steals dozens of lives, rocks our communities, and puts hundreds of families into unimaginable grief.

The difference next time – assuming we can make it another couple of months – is that we’ll have a president who won’t respond to the attack by lecturing us on the evils of Islamophobia. A president who won’t try to use the attack to push his gun control agenda. A president who will not be afraid to look evil in the eye and call it what it is.

Rhetoric alone won’t keep us safe from terrorism, but rhetoric can precede a new course of action. And when it comes to the war on terror, a new course of action is desperately needed.