Thoughts On Orlando From Ambassador John Bolton

Ambassador John Bolton has long been a voice of reason in speaking about the war on terror.

Today Fox News posted some of his comments on the killings in Orlando, Florida, yesterday. Here are a few of the comments:

Beyond the human cost, however, also lies the tragedy that Barack Obama, speaking even as it became clear that the murderer was a radical Islamic terrorist, is still unable or unwilling to draw the appropriate conclusions. The president’s remarks omitted any linkages between the cold-blooded murders, the terrorist’s ideology, and the broader international threat that motivated the Orlando killer and perhaps others yet unknown.

We will, in the coming days, doubtless hear that the terrorist was a lone wolf, that he did not belong to any known terrorist organization, that there are no wider threats.  In particular, those who are blind to the terrorist threat will downplay even the incontrovertible fact that Mateen pledged loyalty to ISIS as he committed his murders.

...First, the number of true “lone wolf” terrorists is infinitesimal.  The implications of that phrase, namely that terrorism is not a widespread and still-growing phenomenon, are profoundly impairing our ability to protect innocent civilians. Terrorists like Mateen are not “one offs” who emerge randomly, unexpectedly and inexplicably, perhaps victims of mental disorders. The evidence is now indisputable that we are confronting a far larger threat, albeit not one organized conveniently for our understanding.  This threat is unmistakably ideological, as Sunday’s Orlando attack and the apparently thwarted attack in Santa Monica demonstrate.

…Second, the United States must urgently discard the fiction that we pay no price for not pursuing international terrorists vigorously and relentlessly. President Obama’s strategy against terrorist bases of operation, when it is evident at all, has been lackadaisical and offhanded.  There is a clear rationale to this casualness. Obama manifestly believes that, as bad as terrorist attacks are, American “overreaction” is worse.  In his view, the use of U.S. forces risks increasing the problem rather than reducing it, making us much a part of the problem as the terrorist threat itself.

Sharia Law demands the killing of homosexuals. As America allows more Muslims into the country who support Sharia Law, we can expect to see more killings. The Muslims who believe in Sharia Law feel that it is a religious obligation to kill homosexuals. What happened in Orlando yesterday has nothing to do with guns or politics–it has to do with the tenets of the Muslim faith. Until we wake up and pay attention to the threat among us, we will continue to see more of these attacks.