Obama: Current strategy to defeat ISIS more likely to succeed than alternatives

“We have no evidence that the [San Bernardino] killers were directed by a terrorist organization overseas or that they were part of a broader conspiracy here at home,” said Obama in. “But it is clear that the two of them had gone down the dark path of radicalization, embracing a perverted interpretation of Islam that calls for war against America and the west.”

“As groups like ISIL grew stronger amidst the chaos of war in Iraq and then Syria, and as the Internet erases the distance between countries, we see growing efforts by terrorists to poison the minds of people like the Boston Marathon bombers and the San Bernardino killers,” he added.

The Washington Post notes that Obama again called for new gun safety measures, emphasizing that proposals to bar terrorist suspects who names appear on the U.S. no-fly watch-list were “a matter of national security.”

“We also need to make it harder for people to buy powerful assault weapons, like the ones that were used in San Bernardino,” he added. “I know there are some who reject any gun-safety measures, but the fact is that our intelligence and law-enforcement agencies, no matter how effective they are, cannot identify every would-be mass shooter, whether that individual was motivated by Isil or some other hateful ideology.”

The president also said that the administration would review the Visa Waiver program in order to “put in place stronger screening for those who come to America without a visa so that we can take a hard look at whether they’ve traveled to war zones.”

Obama also criticized alleged Islamophobia and backlash against Syrian refugees.

“If we’re to succeed in defeating terrorism, we must enlist Muslim communities as some of our strongest allies, rather than push them away through suspicion and hate,” Obama said. “Let’s not forget that freedom is more powerful than fear,” added Obama. “That we have always met challenges, whether war or depression, natural disasters or terrorist attacks, by coming together around our common ideals as one nation and one people.”

“I know that after so much war, many Americans are asking whether we are confronted by a cancer that has no immediate cure,” the president said. “I am confident we will succeed in this mission because we are on the right side of history.”

“Even in this political season, even as we properly debate what steps I and future presidents must take to keep our country safe. Let’s make sure we never forget what makes us exceptional. Let’s not forget that freedom is more powerful than fear,” he concluded.

Presidential candidate Jeb Bush led the chorus of Republican criticism of the speech. “President Obama has finally been forced to abandon the political fantasy he has perpetuated for years that the threat of terrorism was receding,” said Bush. “We need to remove the self-imposed constraints President Obama has placed on our intelligence community and military, and we need to put in place an aggressive strategy to defeat ISIS and radical Islamic terrorism.”

Representative Adam Schiff (D-California), a member of the House permanent select committee on intelligence, welcomed the president’s cautious response, but noted that recent terrorist attacks “demonstrate the urgency of defeating ISIS and depriving it of the time, resources and space in Iraq, Syria and anywhere else to plot and plan against us.”

“Ultimately, ISIS must be defeated on the ideological battlefield as well as militarily,” Schiff added. “And in this facet of the struggle — as the president pointed out — the Muslim community at home and abroad must be our chief ally.”