What is not a jihadi recruiting tool?

Jay Nordlinger:

Our president keeps calling Guantanamo Bay a “recruiting tool,” something that causes Muslims to join up with the jihad. The other day, he said,

“Make no mistake: We will close Guantanamo prison, which has damaged our national-security interests and become a tremendous recruiting tool for al-Qaeda. In fact, that was an explicit rationale for the formation of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.”

Uh-huh. What is not a recruiting tool? Think of them, these tools: The existence of the United States. The existence of the Free West. The existence of Israel. The American-Israeli alliance. An Iraq striving toward democracy. The air itself. Did terrorism against us begin when Gitmo became a holding place for jihadists? Of course not. There has always been something, there will always be something.
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One more thing: Obama said, “That was an explicit rationale for the formation of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula,” referring to Guantanamo Bay. The president should be awfully careful not to suggest that a terrorist group will call our shots. The American-Israeli alliance is an “explicit rationale” for these groups, too. But we don’t deep-six that alliance because of that, right?

An aside: Barack, if left to his own devices - i.e. if he had no political pressure from voters - would deep six the American-Israeli alliance in a millisecond, and would believe doing so was helping to resolve America's conflict with Jihadism. Such is EXACTLY the way Barack thinks, and is EXACTLY the way much of the world left thinks.

The main point I wish to make: we cannot expend ourselves trying to please any groups in the world - be they governments or populations or Jihadists. We cannot dance to their tune and then desperately beg "Like us! Please like us!" Such is contemptible, profane, and even worse: ineffective.

We must do what is best for our nation. We must say, via our actions: "Appreciate us (i.e. our principles and values) if you are wise; scorn us if you are foolish." Those who do not appreciate our principles and values will at least appreciate that we are a strong horse who is unafraid to kick.


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