Maybe Megyn Kelly and Bill Sammon are angry that President Obama didn’t put on a cowboy hat and say "bring it on," maybe they wish he'd used the Bush-Cheney "war on terror" rhetoric, but as you can see in this video, the president directly addressed the substance of the issue, including the 9/11 attacks.
President Obama affirmed America’s commitment to stand firm against violent extremism of all kinds, and most significantly, he urged Muslims throughout the world to join the U.S. in the quest for peace.
Video transcript below the fold.
MEGYN KELLY, FOX ANCHOR: Well, the president talked a lot in his speech today about reaching out to Muslims. What he did not talk a lot about was terror. Bill Sammon is Fox News vice president of news. [cut] Not one mention of terror, the war on terror, or terrorism. What do you make of it?
BILL SAMMON, FOX VP NEWS: Well, I make of it that he has taken us off a war footing as a nation, and it’s now clear. When you give a six-thousand-plus word speech to the Muslim world and you don’t mention terror, terrorist, or terrorism, that’s not an accident.
THE PRESIDENT: The first issue that we have to confront is violent extremism in all of its forms.
In Ankara, I made clear that America is not – and never will be – at war with Islam. We will, however, relentlessly confront violent extremists who pose a grave threat to our security. Because we reject the same thing that people of all faiths reject: the killing of innocent men, women, and children. And it is my first duty as President to protect the American people.
The situation in Afghanistan demonstrates America’s goals, and our need to work together. Over seven years ago, the United States pursued al Qaeda and the Taliban with broad international support. We did not go by choice, we went because of necessity. I am aware that some question or justify the events of 9/11. But let us be clear: al Qaeda killed nearly 3,000 people on that day. The victims were innocent men, women and children from America and many other nations who had done nothing to harm anybody. And yet Al Qaeda chose to ruthlessly murder these people, claimed credit for the attack, and even now states their determination to kill on a massive scale. They have affiliates in many countries and are trying to expand their reach. These are not opinions to be debated; these are facts to be dealt with.
Make no mistake: we do not want to keep our troops in Afghanistan. We seek no military bases there. It is agonizing for America to lose our young men and women. It is costly and politically difficult to continue this conflict. We would gladly bring every single one of our troops home if we could be confident that there were not violent extremists in Afghanistan and Pakistan determined to kill as many Americans as they possibly can. But that is not yet the case.
That’s why we’re partnering with a coalition of forty-six countries. And despite the costs involved, America’s commitment will not weaken. Indeed, none of us should tolerate these extremists. They have killed in many countries. They have killed people of different faiths – more than any other, they have killed Muslims. Their actions are irreconcilable with the rights of human beings, the progress of nations, and with Islam.