Obama Failed To Impress 

President Barack Obama's press conference yesterday about the VA scandal left many journalists, members of Congress and veterans scratching their heads.

CNN's Drew Griffin, the reporter who broke the story about the Phoenix VA's secret wait lists, said: 
 

"I was a little caught off-guard by what apparently is a disconnect between what is happening out here in the country and what the president is talking about. I hate to be curt, but … this problem is real. It exists and it really doesn't have to be studied… And to say you are now going to wait for more studies… I was a little confused by the president's remarks today. …We are five years into his presidency and the problem seems to be certainly not better, perhaps even worse." 

National Journal's Ron Fournier called the White House's response "pathetic." Fournier added, "The president came into office knowing this was a systemic problem. …What did he do? Like he's done with a lot of other things -- he didn't pay attention, he didn't govern. Now he's holding nobody accountable." 

Rep. David Scott (D-GA) was so upset, he took to the House floor and took aim at both President Obama and VA Secretary Eric Shinseki. During a debate yesterday on a bill giving Shinseki more power to fire career bureaucrats, Rep. Scott said: 
 

"The first person we need to fire is the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Mr. Shinseki himself. …I listened to the president today, and I was very disappointed with President Obama today. There was no urgency. Mr. President, we need urgency, we need you to roll up our sleeves and get into these hospitals! 

"Reports are out that the taxpayers have paid out $1 billion for medical malpractice … because the VA cut off the wrong arm, the wrong leg, the wrong testicle, the wrong kidney. …We don't have time for many more investigations. The reports are in!"

Leaders of veterans organizations expressed their frustration too. American Legion National Commander Daniel M. Dellinger said, "The question is this: if the administration has known about these issues for at least four years, why is it just now taking action? …Words are nice, and even somewhat comforting, but when will the VA's house be cleansed of those who are soiling it and dishonoring the system?"

Paul Rieckhoff of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America said, "The president's remarks today were a tremendous disappointment to America's newest generation of veterans. He did nothing to quell the growing nationwide VA controversy. His long-overdue remarks gave outraged IAVA members no reason to believe anything will change at the VA anytime soon… Speeches and excuses will not solve this problem." 

Al Qaeda Is NOT On The Run 

How many times have we been told this administration that Al Qaeda has been decimated and is on the run? It would be nice if it was true. A lot of well-meaning people believed it. In fact, James Comey, President Obama's choice to lead the FBI, did believe it. 

According to a New York Times report this week, Director Comey "brought to the job a belief, based on news media reports, that the threat from Al Qaeda was diminished." In other words, Comey trusted the Obama Administration's spin, and wanted to shift the FBI's focus away from terrorism and "into more traditional criminal prosecutions." 

Now here's the title of the New York Times story: "At FBI, Change In Leaders Didn't Change Focus On Terror." Why not? Once confirmed as director of the FBI, Comey learned the truth. Consider this excerpt: 
 

"But nine months into his tenure as director, Mr. Comey acknowledges that he underestimated the threat the United States still faces from terrorism. 'I didn't have anywhere near the appreciation I got after I came into this job just how virulent those affiliates had become,' Mr. Comey said, referring to offshoots of Al Qaeda in Africa and in the Middle East… 'There are both many more than I appreciated, and they are stronger than I appreciated.'
 

"Based on what he now knows, Mr. Comey said, he is convinced that terrorism should remain the main focus of the Federal Bureau of Investigation."

As it turns out, there has been an intense fight within the Obama Administration regarding the threat from Al Qaeda. Many in the intelligence community believe the threat is growing and worry the White House is trying to "wish away things on a timetable." 

Syrian Jihadists Coming To America 

Here is a prime example of the threat: Intelligence officials believe as many as 100 Americans, perhaps more, have joined radical Islamists fighting Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria. Now they are coming back to the U.S., and we don't know where all of them are. 

One intelligence official said, "We know where some are. The concern is the scale of the problem we are dealing with." 

That scale far exceeds just 100 individuals. Aaron Zelin is a terrorism expert who tracks jihadists and has catalogued all major plots against the West in the past 20 years. Zelin said: 
 

"…there are up to 3,000 European citizens from countries that have visa waivers with the United States who have also joined the jihad in Syria. This is why so many Western counter-terrorism officials are so worried, it's much easier to get into our country with a Western passport."

The Left's Oppression Nostalgia 

The claim that conservatives want to take the country back to some bygone era undergirds liberal talking points on most political and cultural issues, particularly those related to race, women, organized labor, and gay rights. But the way liberals talk about these issues shows that it is they, not conservatives, who are nostalgic for the past.  

Click here to read my latest column, co-authored with American Values' Daniel Allott, about the left's oppression nostalgia. 
 

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