Obama Says No Foreign Terror Org Has Attacked US in 8 Years
President Barack Obama spoke Wednesday at Joint Base Myer in Arlington, Va., for a military farewell ceremony.
While speaking, he touted the fact that "no foreign terrorist organization has successfully planned and executed an attack on our homeland these past eight years."
In response, people immediately pushed back against this statement on Twitter, mentioning attacks at Fort Hood, Texas, in San Bernardino, Orlando and Boston.
The White House, however, has characterized such attacks as lone-wolf attacks which were not directed or plotted by a foreign terror organization like ISIS or al Qaeda.
Obama made the same statement last month in a speech described as a "victory lap" for his anti-terror policies. The Washington Examiner reported that the claim is technically accurate, but is laden with caveats.
However, there's obviously much more to the story. The president's remarks are worded carefully for this reason.
By framing the issue in these very specific terms, Obama can position himself as the victor in the ongoing war on terror, while also avoiding mentions of the fact that there have been several major terrorist attacks in the U.S. under his watch. The president's remarks Friday, which are an amended version of when he claimed on Dec. 6, "No foreign terrorist organization has successfully planned and executed an attack on our homeland," also allow him to avoid mentioning that many of the attacks in the U.S. have been linked to overseas groups.
President Barack Obama spoke Wednesday at Joint Base Myer in Arlington, Va., for a military farewell ceremony.
While speaking, he touted the fact that "no foreign terrorist organization has successfully planned and executed an attack on our homeland these past eight years."
In response, people immediately pushed back against this statement on Twitter, mentioning attacks at Fort Hood, Texas, in San Bernardino, Orlando and Boston.
The White House, however, has characterized such attacks as lone-wolf attacks which were not directed or plotted by a foreign terror organization like ISIS or al Qaeda.
Obama made the same statement last month in a speech described as a "victory lap" for his anti-terror policies. The Washington Examiner reported that the claim is technically accurate, but is laden with caveats.
However, there's obviously much more to the story. The president's remarks are worded carefully for this reason.
By framing the issue in these very specific terms, Obama can position himself as the victor in the ongoing war on terror, while also avoiding mentions of the fact that there have been several major terrorist attacks in the U.S. under his watch. The president's remarks Friday, which are an amended version of when he claimed on Dec. 6, "No foreign terrorist organization has successfully planned and executed an attack on our homeland," also allow him to avoid mentioning that many of the attacks in the U.S. have been linked to overseas groups.
