President Obama decided that the 15th anniversary of 9/11 is offering him an appropriate opportunity to remind U.S. citizens of their duty in appreciating diversity, rejecting division and spurning racial and ethnic hatred.
On Saturday — the eve of the 15th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 — the White House released one of its weekly address videos. In this one, entitled “Upholding the Legacy of Those We Lost on September 11th,” Obama paid homage to the nearly 3,000 lives lost from “all walks of life, all races and religions, all colors and creeds, from across America and around the world.” Praising the “resilience” of the American people, Obama also reaffirmed his commitment to standing with “the survivors who still bear the scars of that day” and honored those who served and gave their lives “to help keep us safe.”
“Because it’s our diversity, our welcoming of all talent, our treating of everybody fairly — no matter their race, gender, ethnicity, or faith — that’s part of what makes our country great.”
But in what would have otherwise been a touching tribute, Obama decided to throw in a not-so-subtle jab aimed at Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and his supporters who decry the threat of “radical Islamic terrorist.”
“In the face of terrorism, how we respond matters. We cannot give in to those who would divide us. We cannot react in ways that erode the fabric of our society,” Obama lectured. “Because it’s our diversity, our welcoming of all talent, our treating of everybody fairly — no matter their race, gender, ethnicity, or faith — that’s part of what makes our country great.”
Obama also pointedly refrained from using the term “radical Islamic terrorism” in describing the attack, the phrase that Trump has continuously admonished him for not using in the wake of the Orlando shooting at a gay nightclub on June 12. And while Obama acknowledged al-Qaida, Osama bin Laden, ISIL, terrorist threats and terrorists, he never mentioned the Islamic faith and the radicalization that inspired and fueled the 9/11 attacks.
In his failure to acknowledge the real threat, Obama keeps pushing a politically correct agenda.
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In contrast, following the tragic terror attack in Orlando earlier this year, Trump said, “If we do not get tough and smart real fast, we are not going to have a country anymore. Because our leaders are weak — I said this was going to happen, and it is only going to get worse. I am trying to save lives and prevent the next terrorist attack. We can’t afford to be politically correct anymore.”
He added, “We need to protect all Americans, of all backgrounds and all beliefs, from radical Islamic terrorism — which has no place in an open and tolerant society.”
Trump leveled an even more direct charge at both Obama and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
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“President Obama disgracefully refused to even say the words ‘radical Islam.’ For that reason alone, he should step down,” Trump said in a statement at the time. “If Hillary Clinton, after this attack, still cannot say the two words ‘radical Islam,’ she should get out of this race for the presidency.”
But in remembering the “true spirit of 9/11,” Obama made sure his American listeners remembered their duty to promote “diversity” — and this, apparently, included avoiding the topic of “radical Islamic terrorism” altogether. And for a nation that is still grieving the loss of the 49 men and women lost in the Orlando shooting and is watching the aftermath of the terrorist attacks that swept throughout Europe this past year, Obama’s words may have fallen tragically short.
“Terrorists will never be able to defeat the United States,” Obama said. “Their only hope is to terrorize us into changing who we are or our way of life. That’s why we Americans will never give in to fear. And it’s why this weekend we remember the true spirit of 9/11.”
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