President Obama (Pretty Much) Tells It Like It Is About Terrorism

I knew Obama was stepping into it by giving that speech last night about the San Bernardino terrorism attack because it would do little or nothing to make intelligent people feel better -- what CAN be done to stop these one-off loons? -- and even less for people looking for a reason to not be placated. But this (predictable) Republican response is just laughable. He DID say who did it -- followers of radical Islamic beliefs -- and he did call it an act of terrorism. Much to my surprise/relief, he EVEN made a point of saying: 

That does not mean denying the fact that an extremist ideology has spread within some Muslim communities. This is a real problem that Muslims must confront, without excuse. Muslim leaders here and around the glove have to continue working with us to decisively and unequivocally reject the hateful ideology that groups like ISIL and al Qaeda promote; to speak out against not just acts of violence, but also those interpretations of Islam that are incompatible with the values of religious tolerance, mutual respect and human dignity

But what I find particularly galling about this complaint is that it's acting as though what happened after Pearl Harbor was a good thing ... you remember, internment camps?

The president then said:

But just as it is the responsibility of Muslims around the world to root out misguided ideas that lead to radicalization, it is the responsibility of all Americans — of every faith — to reject discrimination. It is our responsibility to reject religious tests on who we admit into this country. It’s our responsibility to reject proposals that Muslim Americans should somehow be treated differently. Because when we travel down that road, we lose. That kind of divisiveness, that betrayal of our values plays into the hands of groups like ISIL. Muslim Americans are our friends and our neighbors, our co-workers, our sports heroes — and, yes, they are our men and women in uniform who are willing to die in defense of our country. We have to remember that.

It's a difficult line for a U.S. president to toe, but I think he did it as well as he could. Not all Muslims are terrorists, but many terrorists are Muslims. I think anyone listening heard him loud and clear. Read his full speech HERE.