Jack Kingston on #Orlando

By Jack Kingston

Now comes the parade.

In the days ahead, following the sickening attack in Orlando, we will see a sympathetic press circling Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton as they wring their hands and with sober voices denounce hatred, call for unity and make convincing statements that we have to “learn more” about violence.

They will vaguely suggest the Orlando tragedy is more the fault of intolerance in the Christian community and the NRA than with ISIL or any global threat.

They will act as if it can be blamed on a Bush or some previous decision maker.

They will whine as if they were victims of forces they have no control over.

But you will never hear from them or their adoring press the problem: that the President has been ineffective and absentee when it comes to ISIL and radical jihadist extremism.

You will never hear that the President blew it when he dismissed ISIL as JV.

You will hear nothing about his meaningless threats regarding crossing the red zone.

No, you’ll just hear the same old speeches.

At this point, does any adult believe that if we exhibit more understanding and tone down our rhetoric everything will be fine?

It is time for America and the free world to take on jihadist extremists in much the way George W. Bush did. That is to say, we need to show international leadership and conviction. We need to fight them on their home territory and let them know that actions have consequences. It wasn’t easy, popular or orderly then. War never is. But there was a clear signal. It wasn’t without-missteps. But there were goals—to eradicate specific threats, to protect the American people and innocent people across the globe from further danger—and there were active steps taken to meet these goals.

In contrast, pick your tragedy—San Bernardino or Paris, Ft. Hood or Brussels, Istanbul or Orlando—there has been little retaliation. Thus, the bad guys continue to grow and continue to recruit.

History has given us a valuable lesson that needs to be applied here—the best way to stop an army is to smash it. America doesn’t have to go alone. We didn’t in the Bush years. Our coalition was real, not a paper tiger. Countries, including Islamic countries, from all over globe contributed. But they understood the goals and knew that America meant it. That requires leadership.

Again, it’s not easy, popular or perfect (another lesson from history), but it won’t happen until Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are back in the private sector. In the meantime, we will hear more talk about guns, gays and candle light vigils. That’s far easier than addressing the real problems.

Jack Kingston is the former Congressman representing Georgia’s First District and currently serves as Chairman of the Georgia Republican Party Foundation. |fb.com/JackKingston|JackKingston.org