The leftists at the New York Times are angry. Very angry. The reason? They’ve noticed that Republicans have the chutzpah to call the mass shooting in San Bernardino what it is: a terrorist attack carried out by Islamic extremists.
The Republican candidates for president angrily demanded on Friday that the United States face up to a new world war, one that has breached its borders, threatened the safety of Americans and brought the menace of Islamic terrorism deep into the homeland. With striking unanimity, they accused President Obama and his fellow Democrats of shrinking from a long-overdue assault on the Islamic State and its frighteningly effective tools of global recruitment.
Note the “angrily demanded” part. Isn’t that typical? A terrorist attack has taken place, innocent lives were lost, and instead of focusing on issues that have nothing to do with it — like gun control — the Republicans dare talk about the actual cause. Won’t someone make those angry conservatives go away? I mean, just look what Chris Christie had to say:
“Our nation is under siege,” Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey said at a cafe in rural Iowa. “What I believe we’re facing is the next world war. This is what we’re in right now, already.”
The Times explains:
The rising tide of bellicosity gripped the Republican presidential field, as the initial restraint and calls for prayers that followed the shootings gave way to revelations that the massacre may have been inspired by the Islamic State.
Do you see how hypocritical those Republicans are? On the day of the attacks — when little was known about the perpetrators and their motives — conservatives offered lousy prayers for the victims, but now that we know the attacks were carried out by Muslim radicals, that’s suddenly the only thing they’re talking about! What do they think a government should do? Keep its people safe?
Consider too what candidates Ted Cruz and Jeb Bush said yesterday. Listening to them, you’d almost think the nation’s at war or something:
Senator Ted Cruz of Texas seethed with disgust for Democrats, declaring, “This nation needs a wartime president. Whether or not the current administration realizes it, or is willing to acknowledge it,” he added, “our enemies are at war with us.”
Their language was almost apocalyptic. Jeb Bush described the looming threat of “Islamic terrorism that wants to destroy our way of life, wants to attack our freedom.” He gravely added: “They have declared war on us. And we need to declare war on them.”
To make matters even worse, Cruz actually suggested we have to take down Muslim terrorists, adding that the right to bear arms enables Americans to defend themselves when they’re under attack:
They favored symbolism over specific policy prescriptions. Mr. Cruz on Friday appeared at a shooting range in Johnston, Iowa, emphasizing Americans’ right to bear arms in these newly dangerous times. “We need to target the bad guys,” Mr. Cruz said of the San Bernardino attackers, in a room whose back wall was filled with replicas of historic guns, including a Thompson submachine gun.
Insanity! Doesn’t he know that the shooters were only able to carry out the attack because of America’s insane gun laws?! I mean, it’s not as if France has some of the strictest gun laws in the world and terrorists were able to get their hands on automatic weapons nonetheless, right? Nope, America should learn from France: restricting the right to bear arms will result in fewer shootings. Take it from Hillary Clinton:
She quickly pivoted to the issue that has consumed the Democratic side of the campaign since the massacre: the ready supply of guns in the United States. “Part of that strategy, I’m just going to say this,” she said, “is to try to prevent terrorists from getting their hands on guns in our country.”
As the New York Times has explained, we can only hope that Republicans will finally see the light and admit what the real problem is: guns.
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