Obama warns against overreaction to Islamic State attacks

[webfact]

Obama warns against overreaction to Islamic State attacks
By JOSH LEDERMAN

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Trying to reassure a nation on edge, President Barack Obama said Sunday the Islamic State group "cannot strike a mortal blow" against the U.S., and he warned that overreacting to the Paris attacks would play into extremists' hands. "We will destroy this terrorist organization," he vowed.

Ending a trip to Asia, Obama implored Americans not to let the specter of terror cause them to compromise their values or change the way they live.

"We do not succumb to fear," he said. "The most powerful tool we have to fight ISIL is to say that we're not afraid, to not elevate them, to somehow buy into their fantasy that they're doing something important," Obama said, using an acronym for the terrorist organization.

Since IS militants killed 130 in France nine days ago, Obama's strategy has come under repeated questioning. He dismissed the group's global prowess of IS and said, "They're a bunch of killers with good social media."

Rejecting the notion of an existential threat, Obama said IS "can't beat us on the battlefield, so they try to terrorize us into being afraid."

"I think it is absolutely vital for every country, every leader, to send a signal that the viciousness of a handful of killers does not stop the world from doing vital business," Obama said. The president and world leaders are set to gather in Paris next week for long-scheduled climate talks. The White House has insisted there will be no change in plans.

Obama also said there was an "increasing awareness" by Russian President Vladimir Putin that IS is Moscow's gravest threat in the Middle East. IS claimed responsibility for downing a Russian passenger jet in Egypt last month with 224 on board.

Long before that, Obama had urged Putin to use Russia's air campaign in Syria to target IS, not U.S.-backed rebel groups fighting Syrian President Bashar Assad, a Moscow ally. U.S. officials have said Russia has started focusing some airstrikes against IS. Obama said it was not clear whether Putin could work effectively with the U.S.-led coalition.

Putin "needs to go after the people who killed Russia's citizens," Obama said. The two met last week during an economic summit in Turkey.

Nearly five years of fighting between Assad and Syrian rebels has created a vacuum that allowed IS to thrive in both Syria and Iraq. More recently, the militant group has started exporting violence outside its stronghold, radiating fears across the West. U.S. officials have said IS aspires to attack America but they have played down any specific threat.

As Obama spoke in the Malaysian capital, other Western leaders were stepping up their rhetoric against IS, while the European diplomatic hub of Brussels remained under the highest threat level for the second day in a row. French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said the West would "annihilate Islamic State worldwide."

After Obama's return to Washington early Monday, he will prepare for a White House meeting with French President Francois Hollande on Tuesday, where the leaders will discuss bolstering the international coalition fighting IS. Hollande then goes to Russia for similar talks with Putin.

U.S.-led military efforts come amid parallel talks about a diplomatic solution to end Syria's civil war. The violence has killed more than 250,000 people and displaced millions, leading to a migrant crisis in Europe and intense concerns in the U.S. about Obama's plan to take in thousands of Syrian refugees.

U.S. lawmakers are pushing legislation to tighten screening requirements for Syrian refugees; some Republican presidential candidates want to halt their entry. In Turkey and the Philippines last week, Obama pushed back on those proposals as un-American, drawing criticism from some who said he failed to grasp Americans' post-Paris fears.

The president has since softened his tone. His administration tried to convince U.S. House members that the refugee screening process was sufficient, and Obama began entertaining a U.S. Senate proposal to deny visa waivers to recent visitors to Iraq and Syria. That program lets foreigners enter the U.S. without visas from 38 countries for short stays.

"The American people are right to be concerned," Obama said Sunday. Still, he said there's a difference between vigilance and surrendering to fears "that lead us to abandon our values, to abandon how we live."

Obama's insistence that Americans not be terrorized carried echoes of the weeks and months after the Sept. 11 attacks, which brought significant changes to U.S. air travel, civil liberties law and views about Muslims in the U.S. Then, as in now, leaders asked Americans not to "let the terrorists win."

"Our nation was horrified, but it's not going to be terrorized," President George W. Bush declared five days after those attacks. "We're a nation that can't be cowed by evil-doers."

Obama brought up the 9/11 analogy when he answered questions at a news conference Sunday. He said the U.S. had survived mass casualties before and pointed out that New York's Times Square was again filled with people — "rightly so."

"I was very proud of the fact that the fundamental nature of America and how we treated each other did not change," Obama said. "We've made some bad decisions subsequent to that attack in part based on fear, and that's why we have to be cautious."
___

Follow Josh Lederman at http://twitter.com/joshledermanAP. His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/author/josh-lederman


-- (c) Associated Press 2015-11-23

[jaidam]

What kind of fool is this man? The Islamic terrorists will almost certainly have amassed WMD in the US, be it chemical, biological or most likely some sort of nuclear device(also in Europe). They will use it when the time is right, to create sensational headlines and impress the so called moderates worldwide and spur them into the end game ie formation of the caliphate.

Expulsion of them all until they have cleaned up or denounced their religion is the only way forward here. Sadly, their strongest player Trump is not hard enough to get the job done.

[ukrules]

Europe will do its own thing regardless, if not in spite of anything the US does.

[Jingthing]

He's right. Don't overreact. But don't under-react either. Demonization of all Muslim people would backfire badly, but these active terrorists are happy to die, they have lots of money, and if they get better weapons, like dirty nukes, they could change our entire civilization.

Edited November 22, 2015 by Jingthing

[shirtless]

So we just sit back at let them take over our countries,

[ezzra]

"We do not succumb to fear," he said."

You're a day late and a dollar short Mr O. Europe and many other countries are gripped with fear already,

you can talk the talk but you will not walk the walk, again you're prostrating yourself in a Muslim country,

this is your specialty, are you hoping to perhaps bring IS to a peace talks in camp David? this is

not Iran, IS is all about sowing fear and intimidation all over the world and they're doing good job of it,

Yes...Not all Muslims are bad, but all bad People are Muslims....

[Jingthing]

These terror events from the Jihadists, whatever their brand of the day, they kill all the people they can, just to kill people. If they get the tools, they'd be happy to kill entire cities. Got to nip this in the bud. This is war. The Jihadists attacked France and all civilization. The only realistic response is war.

[MaxYakov]

"Obama said. "We've made some bad decisions subsequent to that attack in part based on fear, and that's why we have to be cautious.""

Is anyone in their right mind believe this or anything else this man says? It's such an elevating and enlightening experience to be lectured by this man, isn't it?

Edited November 23, 2015 by MaxYakov

[craigt3365]

"Obama said. "We've made some bad decisions subsequent to that attack in part based on fear, and that's why we have to be cautious.""

Is anyone in their right mind believe this or anything else this man says?

I think that is spot on. Some things were done after 9/11 that maybe should not have been done. But were done out of anger. I was living and working in NYC on that day, actually on my way to the WTC for a meeting. If you asked me then what we should have done, I would have said "kill them all!". If asked now, I'd say a more pragmatic approach would perhaps be better.

Silly things get done in the heat of the moment. You may not like Obama, but he is a very smart man.

[Linky]

"We do not succumb to fear," he said."

You're a day late and a dollar short Mr O. Europe and many other countries are gripped with fear already,

you can talk the talk but you will not walk the walk, again you're prostrating yourself in a Muslim country,

this is your specialty, are you hoping to perhaps bring IS to a peace talks in camp David? this is

not Iran, IS is all about sowing fear and intimidation all over the world and they're doing good job of it,

Yes...Not all Muslims are bad, but all bad People are Muslims....

Interesting last line. So muslims are the only bad people. If you are not muslim you cannot ge bad. What sort of daft logic is that? And to think you would believe it.

[jaidam]

"Obama said. "We've made some bad decisions subsequent to that attack in part based on fear, and that's why we have to be cautious.""

Is anyone in their right mind believe this or anything else this man says?

I think that is spot on. Some things were done after 9/11 that maybe should not have been done. But were done out of anger. I was living and working in NYC on that day, actually on my way to the WTC for a meeting. If you asked me then what we should have done, I would have said "kill them all!". If asked now, I'd say a more pragmatic approach would perhaps be better.

Silly things get done in the heat of the moment. You may not like Obama, but he is a very smart man.

Smart men make good decisions. Obama, for eg is a cigarette smoker. The habit will harm his health and may well kill him. He chose to be a smoker knowing the dangers. That is not the action of a "smart" man. Obama is one heck of a public speaker. His use of pause is incredible, it gives his message such gravity. I even found myself nodding along to a speech of his the other day, although his message on a logical level was absurd. If he was truly a smart man, he would allow the issues to be discussed without drawing the racist/bigot card at the first sign of a question that shows his logic to be nonsense. That he doesn't, will cause festering resentment and hate, and when the worm finally turns(and it will), there will be sparks to put it mildly.

Silly things do get done in the heat of the moment, but doing things then allows emotion to be used as an excuse at a later stage. Look at Putin now, clearly "on tilt" and is IMO going to do more to stop the worldwide spread of Islam than the appeasers have in the last decade. Remember we gave these people free money, houses, food, freedom and they repay us by using terror in an effort to overthrow democracy and install Sharia. Quite simple to cure, once you have stuck 2 fingers up to the PC brigade and are able see the problem for what it is.

[MaxYakov]

"Obama said. "We've made some bad decisions subsequent to that attack in part based on fear, and that's why we have to be cautious.""

Is anyone in their right mind believe this or anything else this man says?

I think that is spot on. Some things were done after 9/11 that maybe should not have been done. But were done out of anger. I was living and working in NYC on that day, actually on my way to the WTC for a meeting. If you asked me then what we should have done, I would have said "kill them all!". If asked now, I'd say a more pragmatic approach would perhaps be better.

Silly things get done in the heat of the moment. You may not like Obama, but he is a very smart man.

Not so smart by my standards. I hold a distinction between being "clever" and being "smart". I would give him credit for being "clever".

Justifiable fear is a basic and necessary survival mechanism. US and World transport security was drastically increased after 9/11 out of fear of additional attacks, for example. Should we have simply stated that "we are not afraid of you" and not changed any air transport policies?

The main reason he can get away with his rationalization of his minimalist "strategy" to eliminating ISIS is that a large number of US citizens have not been killed by them. He probably considers the non-US-citizens that have been massacred simply collateral damage or necessary casualties in support of his "strategy".

If the world should fear anything it would be having this man making important decisions.

Edited November 23, 2015 by MaxYakov

[craigt3365]

I'd also say a lot of things are being done internally, but not presented to the press. For obvious reasons.

[craigt3365]

"Obama said. "We've made some bad decisions subsequent to that attack in part based on fear, and that's why we have to be cautious.""

Is anyone in their right mind believe this or anything else this man says?

I think that is spot on. Some things were done after 9/11 that maybe should not have been done. But were done out of anger. I was living and working in NYC on that day, actually on my way to the WTC for a meeting. If you asked me then what we should have done, I would have said "kill them all!". If asked now, I'd say a more pragmatic approach would perhaps be better.

Silly things get done in the heat of the moment. You may not like Obama, but he is a very smart man.

Smart men make good decisions. Obama, for eg is a cigarette smoker. The habit will harm his health and may well kill him. He chose to be a smoker knowing the dangers. That is not the action of a "smart" man. Obama is one heck of a public speaker. His use of pause is incredible, it gives his message such gravity. I even found myself nodding along to a speech of his the other day, although his message on a logical level was absurd. If he was truly a smart man, he would allow the issues to be discussed without drawing the racist/bigot card at the first sign of a question that shows his logic to be nonsense. That he doesn't, will cause festering resentment and hate, and when the worm finally turns(and it will), there will be sparks to put it mildly.

Silly things do get done in the heat of the moment, but doing things then allows emotion to be used as an excuse at a later stage. Look at Putin now, clearly "on tilt" and is IMO going to do more to stop the worldwide spread of Islam than the appeasers have in the last decade. Remember we gave these people free money, houses, food, freedom and they repay us by using terror in an effort to overthrow democracy and install Sharia. Quite simple to cure, once you have stuck 2 fingers up to the PC brigade and are able see the problem for what it is.

Not sure I agree that Putin is really helping that much. Most of his operations are helping to prop up a brutal dictator. The root cause of this problem. His sales of weapons to Syria over the past few years have helped fuel this conflict, not stop it. And is also creating a lot more refugees.

And as we all know, there are a lot of civilian casualties caused by Russia. Can you imagine the uproar if this was done by the West? But many seem to think it's OK for Russia to do this. A bit contradictory, IMHO.

[Usernames]

I'd also say a lot of things are being done internally, but not presented to the press. For obvious reasons.

Sorry, but that sounds a little too much like Nixon's "secret plan" to end the Vietnam War, where we couldn't be told what was going on for "our own good." Proof of any internal action is in the results they provide, and CLEARLY the results since Obama has been in office slide on the scale from slipshod to horrific. Lack of transparency in a democratic government and how it intends to solve problems, be it in Asia or the US, is mandatory to gaining the confidence and backing of the nation. To not do so, risks anarchy and revolt.

[craigt3365]

I'd also say a lot of things are being done internally, but not presented to the press. For obvious reasons.

Sorry, but that sounds a little too much like Nixon's "secret plan" to end the Vietnam War, where we couldn't be told what was going on for "our own good." Proof of any internal action is in the results they provide, and CLEARLY the results since Obama has been in office slide on the scale from slipshod to horrific. Lack of transparency in a democratic government and how it intends to solve problems, be it in Asia or the US, is mandatory to gaining the confidence and backing of the nation. To not do so, risks anarchy and revolt.

Many things are done internally without public notice. Don't want to tip off ISIS as to what your plans are to thwart their attacks. Makes sense.

This is true for every nation in the world. Every one. With that being said, many are fully aware of these plans. They just don't end up in the NY Times on the front cover.

[ggt]

The missing voice...the people who should be the most vocal...are the Muslims themselves...where is their voice of reason...calming the fears of Non-Muslims...showing us the emotion of the Muslim community that says they really care what happens to people as a results of the Islamic terrorists...

As a group of people...watching their fellow countrymen slaughter innocent civilian citizens...there should have been a concerted effort to denounce these crimes from the on-set...

One must wonder...if by their silence...are they giving tacit approval to the slaughter going on in the ME...and now elsewhere...?

[Usernames]

I'd also say a lot of things are being done internally, but not presented to the press. For obvious reasons.

Sorry, but that sounds a little too much like Nixon's "secret plan" to end the Vietnam War, where we couldn't be told what was going on for "our own good." Proof of any internal action is in the results they provide, and CLEARLY the results since Obama has been in office slide on the scale from slipshod to horrific. Lack of transparency in a democratic government and how it intends to solve problems, be it in Asia or the US, is mandatory to gaining the confidence and backing of the nation. To not do so, risks anarchy and revolt.

Many things are done internally without public notice. Don't want to tip off ISIS as to what your plans are to thwart their attacks. Makes sense.

This is true for every nation in the world. Every one. With that being said, many are fully aware of these plans. They just don't end up in the NY Times on the front cover.

Whatever their "plans" are, they are clearly a mess. If what we have seen in the past three to four years in Syria and Iraq is indication of Obama's planning capacity, then tipping off ISIS could hardly do worse. I don't see a need to keep secret what is already an undeniable failure.

[Hayduke]

So, let's get this straight Barry. If some lunatic has a knife to your throat....you should....

1) Be concerned about why he’s unhappy?

2) Wonder how you can (without insulting his motives for putting a knife to your throat) persuade him not to kill you?

3) Wonder how you might be able to run away (without hurting him, of course) and hide?

4) Feel profound remorse because you were selfishly insensitive in failing to appreciate the beauty of his madness?

5) Or...fill in the politically correct blank._________________

Is it really possible to be this obtuse?

Apparently.

Edited November 23, 2015 by Hayduke

[Linky]

The missing voice...the people who should be the most vocal...are the Muslims themselves...where is their voice of reason...calming the fears of Non-Muslims...showing us the emotion of the Muslim community that says they really care what happens to people as a results of the Islamic terrorists...

As a group of people...watching their fellow countrymen slaughter innocent civilian citizens...there should have been a concerted effort to denounce these crimes from the on-set...

One must wonder...if by their silence...are they giving tacit approval to the slaughter going on in the ME...and now elsewhere...?

Use google and you wont have to wonder.

[MaxYakov]

So, let's get this straight Barry. If some lunatic has a knife to your throat....you should....

1) Be concerned about why he’s unhappy?

2) Wonder how you can (without insulting his motives for putting a knife to your throat) persuade him not to kill you?

3) Wonder how you might be able to run away (without hurting him, of course) and hide?

4) Feel profound remorse because you were selfishly insensitive in failing to appreciate the beauty of his madness?

5) Or...fill in the politically correct blank._________________

Is it really possible to be this obtuse?

Apparently.

5) Have the Quran totally memorized in case you're hit with a pop quiz (pun not intended ... maybe). Being able to recite it in arabic is a definite plus!

Edited November 23, 2015 by MaxYakov

[Nomyai]

What kind of fool is this man? The Islamic terrorists will almost certainly have amassed WMD in the US, be it chemical, biological or most likely some sort of nuclear device(also in Europe). They will use it when the time is right, to create sensational headlines and impress the so called moderates worldwide and spur them into the end game ie formation of the caliphate.

Expulsion of them all until they have cleaned up or denounced their religion is the only way forward here. Sadly, their strongest player Trump is not hard enough to get the job done.

O is all in for IRAN. Isis creates havoc in Middle Easat. Good for Iran to take over.

[Nomyai]

The missing voice...the people who should be the most vocal...are the Muslims themselves...where is their voice of reason...calming the fears of Non-Muslims...showing us the emotion of the Muslim community that says they really care what happens to people as a results of the Islamic terrorists...

As a group of people...watching their fellow countrymen slaughter innocent civilian citizens...there should have been a concerted effort to denounce these crimes from the on-set...

One must wonder...if by their silence...are they giving tacit approval to the slaughter going on in the ME...and now elsewhere...?

Use google and you wont have to wonder.

One koran used by extremists and moderates. How can you denounce extremists when you believe the same thing.

Khao jai?

[Mosha]

"Obama said. "We've made some bad decisions subsequent to that attack in part based on fear, and that's why we have to be cautious.""

Is anyone in their right mind believe this or anything else this man says?

I think that is spot on. Some things were done after 9/11 that maybe should not have been done. But were done out of anger. I was living and working in NYC on that day, actually on my way to the WTC for a meeting. If you asked me then what we should have done, I would have said "kill them all!". If asked now, I'd say a more pragmatic approach would perhaps be better.

Silly things get done in the heat of the moment. You may not like Obama, but he is a very smart man.

The problem with 9/11 was the alliance of the stupid attacked the wrong country. How many Iraqis v How many Saudis were involved?

[arrowsdawdle]

Europe will do its own thing regardless, if not in spite of anything the US does.

Obama and his Democrats emulate Europe, to the chagrin of thinking Americans because it is obvious how that has worked out.

[realenglish1]

Overreact Obama is a bonehead and will not destroy Isis because he does not have the will to do it SIMPLE

[oneday]

"...he warned that overreacting to the Paris attacks would play into extremists' hands. "We will destroy this terrorist organization," he vowed..."

What, pray-tell, is overreacting?

...and just how in hell will we destroy them without ground troops?

Obama needs to bend over backwards and kiss his posterior. He is not qualified to be the "Commander of Chief".

[dcpo]

The missing voice...the people who should be the most vocal...are the Muslims themselves...where is their voice of reason...calming the fears of Non-Muslims...showing us the emotion of the Muslim community that says they really care what happens to people as a results of the Islamic terrorists...

As a group of people...watching their fellow countrymen slaughter innocent civilian citizens...there should have been a concerted effort to denounce these crimes from the on-set...

One must wonder...if by their silence...are they giving tacit approval to the slaughter going on in the ME...and now elsewhere...?

Muslims are condemning the attacks all over the place, both as individuals and as organizations, in public statements and in private. It's not their fault that you're not listening. What do you want them to do? Apologize to you personally? Would you even listen if they did?

This thread is mainly a bunch of incredibly poorly informed people reinforcing each others' bullshit. This whole forum reverberates with idiotic bigotry.

[Steely Dan]

Would Nero have been over reacting had he for a moment put down his fiddle whilst Rome was burning?

[robertson468]

What kind of fool is this man? The Islamic terrorists will almost certainly have amassed WMD in the US, be it chemical, biological or most likely some sort of nuclear device(also in Europe). They will use it when the time is right, to create sensational headlines and impress the so called moderates worldwide and spur them into the end game ie formation of the caliphate.

Expulsion of them all until they have cleaned up or denounced their religion is the only way forward here. Sadly, their strongest player Trump is not hard enough to get the job done.

You clearly have better Intel than the rest of the Major Powers in the World. You have my greatest admiration...........or is this your well researched and carefully thought out opinion on how the future will pan out? Ever thought of starting up Master Classes in Socio-Political Studies?