Soul searching is normal after something as tragic and senseless as the Paris attacks on Friday - especially combined with two bombings in Beirut on Thursday and the downing of a Russian jetliner over the Sinai two weeks ago.
Now President Obama, who has never been able to interest our Congress in taking a vote on either more or less U.S. action in the Middle East to thwart the Islamic State, now is taking tremendous heat from lawmakers and candidates over what they say "isn't working."
Read more
* Experts say states lack legal authority to block refugees * Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama move to stop accepting Syrian refugees * Group says Haslam, state lawmakers on 'wrong side of history' regarding Syrian refugees * Alabama Gov. Bentley directs state agencies to resist Syrian refugee relocation* Wary governors halt, question plan to accept Syrian refugees
News analysts who are parroting the political genuflections seem also to be missing memory that the president has repeatedly said the U.S. is not the world's policeman, and other countries must stand with America to stop this kind of extremist terrorism.
Not surprisingly, that sort of cooperation from Russia ramped up recently after the Russian jet exploded in the sky and killed 224. Also not surprisingly, GOP candidates used Russian actions as a way to create more general American fear, as well as more disappointment with Obama's Middle East strategy.
Ditto that after Friday's terror in Paris killed 129 and injured more than 300: Suddenly the French became much more involved, and made - with U.S. support - airstrikes on the Islamic State stronghold in Raqqa, Syria. After the French "we're at war" bellowing and actions, heat rose again on Obama, who, incidentally, for more than a year has been overseeing targeted airstrikes in Syria and Iraq.
As of Nov. 12, the U.S. and "partner nations" in a coalition have conducted a total of 8,125 strikes, according to the U.S. Department of Defense. The U.S. conducted 6,353 strikes. The rest of the coalition conducted 1,772.
The coalition with the U.S. is Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, The Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.
Meanwhile, compassion for the those torn from their homes in the Middle East has devolved to xenophobia and religious intolerance for the estimated 9 million Syrians who have fled their homes since the outbreak of civil war there in March 2011. More than 3 million have fled to Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq, about 150,000 have declared asylum in the European Union, The U.S. has said it will take 10,000.
But after the Paris attacks, at least 10 governors - all Republican - said they will not accept Syrian refugees in their states - Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Massachusetts, and Texas - because, they say, there's a chance the refugees include people with terrorist ties. In Tennessee, the same state lawmaker who was so wrong recently in her claim that Islamic doctrine was being taught in Tennessee middle schools, Rep. Sheila Butt, R-Columbia, is asking colleagues to sign a letter to persuade Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam to join in. Haslam wants the federal government to "suspend" placements.
GOP candidates and others suggested vetting those granted a safe haven by religion.
In other words, they equate even refugees from an Islamic region with terrorism. Jeb Bush acknowledged the U.S. should help find "safe" zones in the Middle East for the refugees, but suggested "Christians" get special treatment. Like what? Like only Christians can come to the U.S.?
The president appropriately labeled such talk as "shameful."
"We do not close our hearts to these victims of such violence and somehow start equating the issue of refugees with the issue of terrorism. We don't have religious tests to our compassion," he said.
He's right. And no, wars against terror are not easy. Nor are they confined to worrying only about non-Christians. Just ask the widowed and orphaned victims of Timothy McVeigh in Oklahoma and Eric Rudolph in both Birmingham and Atlanta. Both were self-professed Christians acting on their beliefs.
It's time to understand there is a difference between religion and ideology. One is faith, the other is belief. Faith is love. Belief is capable of hate.