Be Afraid. . . Of Obama

According to a new Fox News poll, 83% of Americans think it is likely that ISIS will attempt to attack America in the near future. President Obama's refusal to acknowledge and counter the threats facing the United States and Western Civilization is likely contributing to the fear and anxiety that Americans are feeling.

There is less and less trust even in some corners of the left that Obama is capable or willing to steer the ship of state through these storm-filled waters.

The city of Brussels -- the capital of Belgium, seat of the European Parliament and NATO headquarters -- is on lockdown for the third straight day. And the prime minister just announced that it will stay on lockdown for at least a week. Major U.S. cities, like New York, are doing drills for possible terrorist scenarios. Intelligence reports suggest a chemical or biological attack could be next.

But President Obama continues to downplay the threat from the Islamic State. During a press conference in Malaysia yesterday, Obama said that ISIS was just a "bunch of killers with good social media."

MSNBC host Joe Scarborough was dumbfounded by the president's remarks. "It is staggering. I don't know where to begin," Scarborough said this morning.

"Democrats don't know where to begin. Foreign policy experts don't know where to begin. . . [Obama is] radically out of step with where the American people are, where our allies are, where foreign policy experts are," he added. Indeed he is. (See next item.)

Senator Dianne Feinstein, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, echoed those concerns. On CBS's "Face the Nation" yesterday, Feinstein said:
 

"I don't think [Obama's] approach is sufficient to [do] the job. . . I'm concerned that we don't have the time, and we don't have years. We need to be aggressive now, because [ISIS] is a quasi-state. [ISIS] has 30,000 fighters. It's got a civil infrastructure. It's got funding. It's spreading in other countries. And it's a big, big problem."

In addition to this immediate threat, we are suffering long-term damage due to the administration's unwillingness to defend the interests of the United States. Russian President Vladimir Putin, in front of our eyes, is wooing our European and Arab allies, and they are listening.

Both Putin and French President Hollande are calling for a Franco-Russian alliance. Saudi diplomats are in Moscow negotiating an arms agreement. Iranian fighter jets escorted Russian bombers to their new bases in Syria.

Meanwhile, the president reserved his outrage for conservatives who want tougher screening of Syrian refugees and for using rhetoric Obama claims will help ISIS recruit more jihadists. But the best recruitment tools for ISIS are Obama's failed policies. The Middle East requires a strong horse, not a Chicken Little.

Obama Vs. America

Last week, two polls found that overwhelming majorities of Americans oppose the president's plans to increase the number of Middle East refugees coming to the United States. The latest Fox News poll confirms those results and finds tremendous dissatisfaction with Obama's handling of ISIS and terrorism generally. Consider these results:
 

• 67% of Americans oppose Obama's decision to bring in 10,000 more refugees from Syria. They are right to be concerned. According to this Daily Caller report, the administration's political correctness is preventing us from asking the right questions during the screening process.
   
• 66% of Americans believe the country is at war with radical Islam.
   
• 65% say the Obama Administration "has not been aggressive enough" in fighting ISIS. They are right. Evidently, we are warning ISIS before we bomb its oil trucks.
   
• 63% say the war is going badly. Again, they are right. According to many pilots, bureaucrats are blocking three-quarters of our airstrikes against ISIS.

  Think about this for a moment. The reason millions of people are trying to escape Syria is due in part to the failed foreign policies of the current administration. This White House set a red line in Syria, and then ran away from it as fast as it could. It helped create the chaos that now exists in Libya.

  The tidal wave of humanity that is hitting the shores of Europe was largely caused by the violence of ISIS. But by refusing to forcefully engage and destroy ISIS, Obama is prolonging the misery, thereby creating more refugees.

  Back to the Fox poll, 59% oppose plans to close the terrorist detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and 73% oppose any attempt by Obama to bypass Congress and close the prison with executive orders.

  Another Administration Scandal

  The New York Times reported this weekend that "the Pentagon inspector general seized a large trove of emails and documents from military servers" recently. No, this has nothing to do with Benghazi, the IRS, the EPA or the VA.

  This latest email scandal is about allegations from senior analysts that intelligence on ISIS was intentionally distorted in order to more closely resemble the administration's rosy scenarios.

  In other words, as the president kept insisting that Al Qaeda was decimated and on the run, that ISIS was a "junior varsity team," that it was "contained" and that we did not need troops on the ground or a more aggressive air campaign, the military brass knew what the White House wanted to hear and it allegedly altered intelligence reports accordingly to fit the administration's narrative.

  We reported on this revelation several months ago when the story first broke. Members of Congress are also looking into the reports of manipulated intelligence. According to the New York Times, they had expected the Pentagon's investigation to be wrapped up by now. But the problem may be far worse than initially believed, and the investigation may continue well into 2016.