President Obama isn’t seeking re-election, but his Sunday
address about fighting Islamic State-style terrorism will be a major topic of
the 2016 race to succeed him, according to Republicans who critiqued the
speech.
Donald Trump, the leader in Republican polls, tweeted
that Obama had too little to say about defeating the Islamic State in the wake
of mass attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, Calif.
“Is that all there is?” Trump said. “We need a new
President – FAST!”
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., appearing on Fox News right
after the speech, said Obama failed to address public concerns about the
threats from the Islamic State. Nothing the president said “will assuage
people’s fears,” the Florida senator said.
“We are at war with a radical jihadist group,” Rubio
said.
After Obama’s speech Sunday, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Tex., said that if he wins
the presidency, he will order the Pentagon to “destroy” the Islamic State, and
“shut down the broken immigration system” that is letting terrorists into the
country. “Nothing President Obama said tonight will assist in either case,”
Cruz said.
In his remarks, Obama appeared to reference the
presidential campaign by denouncing what he called divisive rhetoric about
Muslims and terrorism. “We cannot turn against one another by letting this
fight be defined as a war between America and Islam,” he said.
As for some GOP calls for American ground forces, Obama
repeated that he does not want to see the United States bogged down in another
Middle East war.
“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,” Obama said. “Let’s not forget that freedom is more powerful
than fear.”
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