The message: There's no ambiguity or skirting a line to preserve feelings in king's speech
Who would have thought that the country that would answer a barbaric execution of a prisoner with a decisive strike and the promise of vengeance would be a tiny Middle Eastern country with limited personnel and air power.
But that is exactly what King Abdullah II of Jordan told his people and the message he sent to ISIS when he sent fighter jets over to Syria to hit a city known to harbor the Islamic extremists.
He did not sit and stew about what he should call the radical Islamists who burned a 26-year-old man alive on video.
He did not measure his words in his comments and his resolve. He did not worry about public relations or political fallout.
He stood strong, acted quickly and started what could be the first step in a Middle Eastern response to an action that has horrified the world.
He was a leader.
And President Barack Obama could learn something from him.
This took courage -- especially considering Jordan's size and military preparedness.
But he did it because it was the right thing to do -- and this nation, and others in the alliance, should stand firmly behind him.
ISIS is no group of oppressed minorities trying to claim legitimacy. Its members are terrorist butchers who kill not only enemy combatants, but innocents as well.
It is time to stop worrying about whom we are offending. Placating terrorists does not work -- and avoiding calling them terrorists does nothing but make us look weak and cowardly.
If the president is not going to stand up and lead, it is time for Congress to speak loudly and decisively.
The foreign policy strategy of the Obama administration does not work.
It is time for a new direction -- and a strong response that sends a message that this is still the United States that led the battles in World War II and in many fights since. It is time to remind the world that this is a nation that is not to be trifled with and that will stand strong with others of the same ilk.
Now is the perfect time to start -- thanks to the response of a king and a small country thousands of miles away.
Published in Editorials on February 5, 2015 10:45 AM