First it was Paris just a few months ago and now Brussels, Belgium. ISIS claimed to have a hand in both attacks. Terrorists are known for striking the most vulnerable targets and knowing a great deal about the security or lack there of at the targets they hit. In both the Paris and Brussels attacks their security people admitted that security was lacking in several areas.
The most important element in determining what went wrong and what to do next after an attack is to have sane leaders with courage to face the challenge without fear and not over react. Tough talk won't get the job done and neither will political positioning or name calling. So far, the leaders of France and Belgium seem to get the message and are acting accordingly.
In the United States the attacks on Brussels exposed the fear card used by Donald Trump and Ted Cruz. One would think their response indicated the terrorists attacked America on that day as they went after President Obama's policies in the middle east. Trump also said he would not take the nuclear option off the table for going after ISIS. Ted Cruz said the U.S. should spy on and secure moslem communities in the U.S. Those statements by Trump and Cruz do not define a sane response from a Presidential candidate.
Trump and Cruz have learned nothing from President Bush's invasion and occupation of Iraq over WMD that did not exist or his failed policies in the middle east. Trump in fact has taken different positions on the war in Iraq. He said he opposed the war but said we should have taken Iraq's oil. Prior to the war, Saddam and his military kept terrorists out of Iraq and Iraq was also a country that kept Iran in check. Iraq under Saddam was the balance. And Trump wanted to take their oil. How would that have kept Iran in check. Yeah, right, you got it, it would not have kept them in check.
At present the U.S. has a President who is both sane and responsible and has a policy in the middle east which includes fighting terrorists like ISIS and Al Queda. It has just been announced that the U.S. in the last month killed 3 of ISIS's top leaders and that Iraq forces supported by U.S. air power will be starting a ground and air campaign to retake Mosul from ISIS. Mosul is the largest city in north Iraq. Fighting terrorists is not easy or fast work, just ask President's Reagan, Bush 41, Clinton, Bush 43 and Obama. And at the present time our country is losing less lives while fighting the war. We Americans should be able to relate to that and support the President's efforts. Our men and women in uniform and their families have been paying the price in the middle east far too long.
Our country and its people need serious leaders now more than ever. That will still be true when the election rolls around in November.
This commentary written by Joe Lorio
