Sounds weird –
Yeah, Mr. President, you and I mean you and your predecessors, created this monster, so you kill it. ISIL is just one of the ripples of your legacies in the Middle East since you, the Evil Empire of the Brits, and the United Nations connived to plant the seed of evil (Israel) in
the midst of the Muslim World. For as long as you remain a whimpering dragon to
your masters in Israel – there will never be peace in the Middle East. You
created a replicating vampire that you cannot handle, which is sucking the life of many for so long in Palestine, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Yemen, Syria, and
back again to Babylon (Iraq). Good Luck…I mean it, or maybe not. Endless wars
you crave – endless wars you get.
FULL TEXT OF THE PRESIDENT’S SPEECH
Editor's note: The White House released
this text of the president's prime-time address to the nation as it was
prepared for delivery
The White House (CNN) -- My fellow
Americans -- tonight, I want to speak to you about what the United States will
do with our friends and allies to degrade and ultimately destroy the terrorist
group known as ISIL.
As Commander-in-Chief, my highest priority
is the security of the American people. Over the last several years, we have
consistently taken the fight to terrorists who threaten our country. We took
out Osama bin Laden and much of al Qaeda's leadership in Afghanistan and
Pakistan. We've targeted al Qaeda's affiliate in Yemen, and recently eliminated
the top commander of its affiliate in Somalia. We've done so while bringing
more than 140,000 American troops home from Iraq, and drawing down our forces
in Afghanistan, where our combat mission will end later this year. Thanks to
our military and counterterrorism professionals, America is safer.
Still, we continue to face a terrorist
threat. We cannot erase every trace of evil from the world, and small groups of
killers have the capacity to do great harm. That was the case before 9/11, and
that remains true today. That's why we must remain vigilant as threats emerge.
At this moment, the greatest threats come from the Middle East and North
Africa, where radical groups exploit grievances for their own gain. And one of
those groups is ISIL -- which calls itself the "Islamic State."
Now let's make two things clear: ISIL is
not "Islamic." No religion condones the killing of innocents, and the
vast majority of ISIL's victims have been Muslim. And ISIL is certainly not a
state. It was formerly al Qaeda's affiliate in Iraq, and has taken advantage of
sectarian strife and Syria's civil war to gain territory on both sides of the
Iraq-Syrian border. It is recognized by no government, nor the people it
subjugates. ISIL is a terrorist organization, pure and simple. And it has no
vision other than the slaughter of all who stand in its way.
In a region that has known so much
bloodshed, these terrorists are unique in their brutality. They execute
captured prisoners. They kill children. They enslave, rape, and force women
into marriage. They threatened a religious minority with genocide. In acts of
barbarism, they took the lives of two American journalists -- Jim Foley and
Steven Sotloff.
So ISIL poses a threat to the people of
Iraq and Syria, and the broader Middle East -- including American citizens,
personnel and facilities. If left unchecked, these terrorists could pose a
growing threat beyond that region -- including to the United States. While we
have not yet detected specific plotting against our homeland, ISIL leaders have
threatened America and our allies. Our intelligence community believes that
thousands of foreigners -- including Europeans and some Americans -- have
joined them in Syria and Iraq. Trained and battle-hardened, these fighters
could try to return to their home countries and carry out deadly attacks.
President Obama: 'ISIL is not Islamic'
I know many Americans are concerned about
these threats. Tonight, I want you to know that the United States of America is
meeting them with strength and resolve. Last month, I ordered our military to
take targeted action against ISIL to stop its advances. Since then, we have
conducted more than 150 successful airstrikes in Iraq. These strikes have
protected American personnel and facilities, killed ISIL fighters, destroyed
weapons, and given space for Iraqi and Kurdish forces to reclaim key territory.
These strikes have helped save the lives of thousands of innocent men, women
and children.
But this is not our fight alone. American
power can make a decisive difference, but we cannot do for Iraqis what they
must do for themselves, nor can we take the place of Arab partners in securing
their region. That's why I've insisted that additional U.S. action depended
upon Iraqis forming an inclusive government, which they have now done in recent
days. So tonight, with a new Iraqi government in place, and following
consultations with allies abroad and Congress at home, I can announce that
America will lead a broad coalition to roll back this terrorist threat.
Our objective is clear: we will degrade,
and ultimately destroy, ISIL through a comprehensive and sustained
counter-terrorism strategy.
First, we will conduct a systematic
campaign of airstrikes against these terrorists. Working with the Iraqi
government, we will expand our efforts beyond protecting our own people and
humanitarian missions, so that we're hitting ISIL targets as Iraqi forces go on
offense. Moreover, I have made it clear that we will hunt down terrorists who
threaten our country, wherever they are. That means I will not hesitate to take
action against ISIL in Syria, as well as Iraq. This is a core principle of my
presidency: if you threaten America, you will find no safe haven.
Second, we will increase our support to
forces fighting these terrorists on the ground. In June, I deployed several
hundred American service members to Iraq to assess how we can best support
Iraqi Security Forces. Now that those teams have completed their work -- and
Iraq has formed a government -- we will send an additional 475 service members
to Iraq. As I have said before, these American forces will not have a combat
mission -- we will not get dragged into another ground war in Iraq. But they
are needed to support Iraqi and Kurdish forces with training, intelligence and
equipment. We will also support Iraq's efforts to stand up National Guard Units
to help Sunni communities secure their own freedom from ISIL control.
Across the border, in Syria, we have ramped
up our military assistance to the Syrian opposition. Tonight, I again call on
Congress to give us additional authorities and resources to train and equip
these fighters. In the fight against ISIL, we cannot rely on an Assad regime
that terrorizes its people; a regime that will never regain the legitimacy it
has lost. Instead, we must strengthen the opposition as the best counterweight
to extremists like ISIL, while pursuing the political solution necessary to
solve Syria's crisis once and for all.
Third, we will continue to draw on our
substantial counterterrorism capabilities to prevent ISIL attacks. Working with
our partners, we will redouble our efforts to cut off its funding; improve our
intelligence; strengthen our defenses; counter its warped ideology; and stem
the flow of foreign fighters into -- and out of -- the Middle East. And in two
weeks, I will chair a meeting of the UN Security Council to further mobilize
the international community around this effort.
Fourth, we will continue providing
humanitarian assistance to innocent civilians who have been displaced by this
terrorist organization. This includes Sunni and Shia Muslims who are at grave
risk, as well as tens of thousands of Christians and other religious
minorities. We cannot allow these communities to be driven from their ancient
homelands.
This is our strategy. And in each of these
four parts of our strategy, America will be joined by a broad coalition of
partners. Already, allies are flying planes with us over Iraq; sending arms and
assistance to Iraqi Security Forces and the Syrian opposition; sharing
intelligence; and providing billions of dollars in humanitarian aid. Secretary
Kerry was in Iraq today meeting with the new government and supporting their
efforts to promote unity, and in the coming days he will travel across the
Middle East and Europe to enlist more partners in this fight, especially Arab
nations who can help mobilize Sunni communities in Iraq and Syria to drive
these terrorists from their lands. This is American leadership at its best: we
stand with people who fight for their own freedom; and we rally other nations
on behalf of our common security and common humanity.
My Administration has also secured
bipartisan support for this approach here at home. I have the authority to
address the threat from ISIL. But I believe we are strongest as a nation when
the President and Congress work together. So I welcome congressional support
for this effort in order to show the world that Americans are united in
confronting this danger.
Now, it will take time to eradicate a
cancer like ISIL. And any time we take military action, there are risks
involved -- especially to the servicemen and women who carry out these
missions. But I want the American people to understand how this effort will be
different from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It will not involve American
combat troops fighting on foreign soil. This counter-terrorism campaign will be
waged through a steady, relentless effort to take out ISIL wherever they exist,
using our air power and our support for partner forces on the ground. This
strategy of taking out terrorists who threaten us, while supporting partners on
the front lines, is one that we have successfully pursued in Yemen and Somalia
for years. And it is consistent with the approach I outlined earlier this year:
to use force against anyone who threatens America's core interests, but to
mobilize partners wherever possible to address broader challenges to
international order.
My fellow Americans, we live in a time of
great change. Tomorrow marks 13 years since our country was attacked. Next week
marks 6 years since our economy suffered its worst setback since the Great
Depression. Yet despite these shocks; through the pain we have felt and the
grueling work required to bounce back -- America is better positioned today to
seize the future than any other nation on Earth.
Our technology companies and universities
are unmatched; our manufacturing and auto industries are thriving. Energy
independence is closer than it's been in decades. For all the work that
remains, our businesses are in the longest uninterrupted stretch of job
creation in our history. Despite all the divisions and discord within our
democracy, I see the grit and determination and common goodness of the American
people every single day -- and that makes me more confident than ever about our
country's future.
Abroad, American leadership is the one
constant in an uncertain world. It is America that has the capacity and the
will to mobilize the world against terrorists. It is America that has rallied
the world against Russian aggression, and in support of the Ukrainian peoples'
right to determine their own destiny. It is America -- our scientists, our
doctors, our know-how -- that can help contain and cure the outbreak of Ebola.
It is America that helped remove and destroy Syria's declared chemical weapons
so they cannot pose a threat to the Syrian people -- or the world -- again. And
it is America that is helping Muslim communities around the world not just in
the fight against terrorism, but in the fight for opportunity, tolerance, and a
more hopeful future.
America, our endless blessings bestow an
enduring burden. But as Americans, we welcome our responsibility to lead. From
Europe to Asia -- from the far reaches of Africa to war-torn capitals of the
Middle East -- we stand for freedom, for justice, for dignity. These are values
that have guided our nation since its founding. Tonight, I ask for your support
in carrying that leadership forward. I do so as a Commander-in-Chief who could
not be prouder of our men and women in uniform -- pilots who bravely fly in the
face of danger above the Middle East, and service-members who support our
partners on the ground.
When we helped prevent the massacre of
civilians trapped on a distant mountain, here's what one of them said. "We
owe our American friends our lives. Our children will always remember that
there was someone who felt our struggle and made a long journey to protect
innocent people."
That is the difference we make in the
world. And our own safety -- our own security -- depends upon our willingness
to do what it takes to defend this nation, and uphold the values that we stand
for -- timeless ideals that will endure long after those who offer only hate
and destruction have been vanquished from the Earth.
May God bless our troops, and may God bless
the United States of America.
