Watch tonight: Nation should know what plan is to deal with terrorists

There is no place for politics in tonight's speech to the nation about dealing with the continuing threat of ISIS.

The decision on what to do next should be all about one goal -- protecting the American people and creating a world coalition that is determined to put Islamist militants out of business.

When the time comes to choose a new commander in chief, comments about what we should be looking for in a leader will be relevant. And perhaps that would be a better time to discuss how foreign policy should be handled as compared to the decisions made by the current administration.

But, for now, it is time to think about the best way to make sure that the current surge of Islamist militant terrorism is contained and eradicated.

So we need to listen to the president's speech tonight -- closely. We need to evaluate the substance and to discard the purely political. We need to see if the message he is sending is the one we want.

We need to think about the dangers, assess the risks and then to support the efforts taken in Washington and by the men and women we have charged with caring for our country.

We need to decide for ourselves if we like what we hear or if we want to hear much more.

This is the time to come together as a nation and to get serious. And to do that, all of us have to be informed.

So take some time tonight to listen -- and don't be afraid to say what you think. This is too important a decision to leave it solely in the hands of Washington.

Published in Editorials on September 10, 2014 11:14 AM