Obama Seeks to Settle Americans’ Fears in Prime-Time Address

In a rare speech from the Oval Office, President Barack Obama urged Americans on Sunday against using divisive rhetoric against Muslims following last week’s mass shootings in Southern California and proposed a modest set of reforms to enhance security as the Islamic State seeks to inspire lone-wolf attacks in the United States.

The 13-minute speech did not outline a shift in strategy against the Islamic State; rather, it sought to give an update on the Obama administration’s efforts against the Sunni extremist group, also known as ISIL. The president also warned the U.S. public against giving into fear.

“The threat from terrorism is real, but we will overcome it,” Obama said, speaking from a podium. “Our success won’t depend on tough talk, or abandoning our values, or giving into fear. That’s what groups like ISIL are hoping for. Instead, we will prevail by being strong and smart, resilient, and relentless.”

The use of the Oval Office for a prime-time address, something Obama has only done twice before, showed his desire to wrest away the narrative from the Islamic State following deadly attacks on Paris, Beirut, and Egypt — all of which have been attributed to the extremist group.

The Islamic State continues to control large swaths of territory in Iraq and Syria despite more than a year of U.S.-led airstrikes and Washington’s deployment of 3,500 troops to Iraq. The president called the deadly attacks in San Bernardino, California, “an act of terrorism,” but said the FBI has no evidence that the assailants were directed by overseas terrorists.

Obama called for a government review of the U.S. visa program and specifically called on Congress to authorize using force for the current military operation in Iraq and Syria to replace a 2001 war authorization against al Qaeda and its affiliates.

He also pressed lawmakers to approve a measure that would ban those on the federal government’s “no-fly” terrorist watch list from buying a gun — a move Republicans in Congress and the National Rifle Association oppose.

“What could possibly be the argument for allowing a terrorist suspect to buy a semiautomatic weapon?” Obama said.

While acknowledging that intelligence officials and state and local law enforcement agencies cannot thwart every possible terrorist attack, he said “what we can do, and must do, is make it harder for them to kill.”

Despite criticisms from Republicans and Democratic hawks that Obama has been too cautious in confronting the terrorist group, the president stood by his strategy and chafed at calls for a bigger ground presence in the country.

“We should not be drawn once more into a long and costly ground war in Iraq or Syria. That’s what groups like ISIL want,” he said.

They “know that if we occupy foreign lands, they can maintain insurgencies for years, killing thousands of our troops, draining our resources, and using our presence to draw new recruits,” he added.

Republicans wasted little time in bashing the address, faulting the president for not offering a new strategy.

“What we heard tonight was so disappointing: no new plan, just a halfhearted attempt to defend and distract from a failing policy,” House Speaker Paul Ryan said in a statement.

“Until we hear from the president what more can be done — with our military, our intelligence-gathering, and our international partners — we will remain one step behind our enemy,” Ryan said.

In his remarks, Obama called on Muslims to help lead the fight against extremism and radicalization.

“Muslim leaders here and around the globe have to continue working with us to decisively and unequivocally reject the hateful ideology that groups like ISIL and al Qaeda promote, to speak out against not just acts of violence, but also those interpretations of Islam that are incompatible with the values of religious tolerance, mutual respect, and human dignity,” he said.

He also urged Americans not to give into fear-mongering against Muslims, noting the many contributions of Muslim-Americans as “our friends and our neighbors, our co-workers, our sports heroes,” Obama said. “And, yes, they are our men and women in uniform who are willing to die in defense of our country. We have to remember that.”

The address wasn’t free of errors. During the remarks, Obama noted his intention to order a review of the “visa waiver program” that one of the San Bernardino killers used to enter the United States. In fact, Tashfeen Malik arrived through with a fiancée visa, not the waiver program. The review the president ordered was for U.S. visa approvals in general. Shortly after the speech, the White House nixed the word “waiver” from the transcript, acknowledging the mistake.

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