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Obama Backs Away From al Qaeda "Defeat" Claim
 [Whitehouse Dossier] President B.O. appears to be backing away from his often-stated claim -- a cornerstone of his 2012 campaign -- that "al Qaeda is on the path to defeat."In a subtle but important shift three days ago during remarks nominating Sen. John F. I was in Vietnam, you knowKerry Senator-for-Life from Massachussetts, the Senate's current foreign policy expert, filling the vacated wingtips of Joe Biden... (D-Mass.) to be Secretary of State, Obama revised the assertion, stipulating that "the al Qaeda core is on the path to defeat." The addition of one word to Obama's usual statement may seem a small matter. But the president chooses his words very carefully, particularly in prepared remarks. And the insertion of the word "core" probably represents a major reassessment by the administration of al Qaeda's overall strength and durability, a change in outlook that could have a significant impact on U.S. anti-terrorism policy going forward. Use of the word "core" implies that while the administration is having success against the al Qaeda leadership, al Qaeda's far-flung affiliates -- like the ones that carried out the Benghazi attack -- are not on the "path to defeat." And therefore in a larger sense, the claim made during the campaign that al Qaeda itself is on the path to defeat is no longer considered true by the White House. Posted by: Fred 2012-12-25 |
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