A Passover To Remember 

Carol and I were deeply honored to participate last night in the Passover Seder at the home of Israeli Ambassador Ron Dermer and his lovely wife, Rhoda, and their five children. Also attending the small, private gathering were members of their extended family and a number of Washington insiders, including journalist Andrea Mitchell. 

Secretary of State John Kerry represented the Obama Administration. I was gratified to be there representing the millions of pro-Israel Christians who stand with Israel. 

In Jewish tradition, the central purpose of the Passover Seder is to express gratitude and love to God for leading the Jews out of slavery in Egypt "with a strong hand and outstretched arm" to freedom in their own land. Participants are encouraged each Passover to remember the suffering experienced in captivity and the joy experienced when God brought it to an end through the Exodus. 

Children are an important part of the Passover tradition. The night begins with children asking four questions, the first one being "Why is this night different from all other nights?" In response, the story of the Exodus is told by the father, reading from a book called the Haggadah. 

Carol and I were honored to be part of this important night with Ambassador Dermer and his family. I pray that Secretary Kerry was as deeply moved as we were by the message of the Seder and God's promises to the Jewish people that they would be rescued from slavery and given their own nation. That covenant cannot be broken by Secretary Kerry, the president or any other man. 

"We Must Eliminate The Cross" 

Did that headline get your attention? I hope so. 

Those words were spoken recently by Nasir al-Wuhayshi, Al Qaeda's number two leader. He was addressing at least 100 Al Qaeda fighters in Yemen, and he spoke out in the open, in plain view. 

He told them, "We must eliminate the cross. ... The bearer of the cross is America!" 

Let that sink in for a moment, folks. For all those who say this isn't a religious war, think again. For those who insist that our foreign policy or that America's support for Israel is the problem, think again. There is a reason the extremists in Iran refer to America, not Israel, as "the great Satan." Israel and America are allies in the same war against the same enemy -- radical Islam. 

Video of al-Wuhayshi's comments is burning up jihadi websites right now. CNN writes that it shows what is believed to be "the largest and most dangerous gathering of Al Qaeda in years." One terrorism expert describe it as "extraordinary," adding that al-Wuhayshi was "taking a big risk" speaking so publicly. 

And we missed it. Peter Bergen, CNN's national security analyst, commented, "The U.S. intelligence community should be surprised that such a large group of Al Qaeda assembled together, including the leadership, and somehow they didn't notice." 

Responding to this video, Rep. Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said that Al Qaeda is re-grouping and getting ready to strike again. Rep. Rogers also suggested that the Obama Administration has taken its eye off the ball: 
 

"…[Al Qaeda is] feeling empowered. The less pressure you put on them, the more they take that as a victory, the more that they believe that they can get away with plotting, planning, organizing… All of the things that they would need to do to strike a Western target, they're going through that process."

I know many Americans are war-weary. But radical Islam has declared war on us. And it clearly has not surrendered yet. 

Pence Calls For Peace Through Strength 

The 2016 presidential race continues to get a lot of coverage, even though we are still months away from the 2014 election. While most of the spilled ink is about Hillary and Jeb, Indiana Governor Mike Pence is a potential dark horse candidate who could emerge as a serious contender.

Governor Pence insists he has not made any decisions about 2016, but today he delivered a speech in Berlin, Germany, challenging President Obama to restore the missile defense shield to our eastern European allies that he cancelled in 2009.

One might expect the governor of Indiana to highlight agricultural exports. And I am sure that was one of the focuses of his trip. But having served a decade on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Gov. Pence knows what he is talking about when it comes to foreign policy and national security. Here are some excerpts of his remarks today: 
 

"With Russian aggression on the rise, clearly conciliatory diplomacy has failed. While sanctions are of some value, in the interest of our alliance, I believe the United States and the [European Union] must respond with deeds more than words to strengthen our economic and strategic defenses. …

"And, with continued instability in the Middle East, Iran's ongoing effort to develop long-range missiles and nuclear technology, and Putin's annexation of Crimea and aggression in Ukraine, I believe we must take immediate steps to deploy a robust missile defense in Europe -- especially Poland and the Czech Republic -- to protect the interests of our NATO allies and the United States in the region.

Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher didn't bring down the Soviet Union with press releases or socks. It took action -- rebuilding our military, deploying missiles in Europe and launching the Strategic Defense Initiative. The Soviet Union collapsed because America and its allies demonstrated resolve, not flexibility.