President Obama, U.K. Prime Minister Cameron Polar Opposites On ISIS And World

 

In the days and weeks following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks by Al Qaeda on the U.S. homeland, it became apparent that then-Prime Minister Tony Blair and President George W. Bush perceived the threat from radical Islam in much the same manner, and shared much the same worldview. Even during times of public outrage, the two most-powerful Western leaders of the free world stood side-by-side and steadfast against the pressures of staying the course in Iraq and the greater War on Terror.

Over the past six years, the U.S.-U.K. relationship has undergone a radical shift and, as is also the sometimes very visible case with U.S.-Israeli relations, is now nearly unrecognizable from past presidencies. At no time has this become more apparent than in the aftermath of the horrific video surfacing on the Internet, in which a British-born executioner belonging to ISIS, also known as IS or ISIL, beheaded American journalist James Foley.

Speaking at a press conference Thursday, President Obama downplayed the prospect of an imminent threat from ISIS, as well as reports claiming the White House was crafting plans to commence U.S. airstrikes in Syria.

“ISIL poses an immediate threat to the people of Iraq and the people of the region,” Obama said, flatly ignoring recent warnings from the U.S. intelligence community over potential terror attacks on the U.S. homeland. With the anniversary of 9/11 approaching, Obama has convinced himself the threat is apparently willing to wait. The president shocked the entire White House press corps by admitting “we don’t have a strategy yet” with a straight face.

Meanwhile, across the pond in the U.K., Prime Minister David Cameron has been far more engaged than President Obama. In the immediate aftermath of James Foley’s execution, Cameron returned from his vacation to meet with the heads of MI5 and MI6, Britain’s two main intelligence agencies, as well as members from his government. He had a mission to 1) identify the obviously British-born executioner in the video and, 2) assess the prevalence of homegrown radicalization in the U.K. isles.

On the other hand, President Obama could be photographed fist-bumping Cyrus Walker during a five-hour long round of golf at the Farm Neck Golf Course on Martha’s Vineyard. Worse still for both optics and simple humanity, Obama’s ear-to-ear smile is unstoppable just minutes after making remarks respecting Foley’s murder and the ISIS threat.

Not Prime Minister Cameron, who British intelligence officials told PPD was vehement and adamant from the onset, and still remains. Further, Cameron’s worldview is the basis for why his remarks were unapologetic.

“This threat [ISIS] can not be solved simply by dealing with the perceived grievances over Western foreign policy,” U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron said in public remarks Friday. Unlike President Obama, who truly and foolishly believed radical Islam would somehow dissipate without incident if only the U.S. pulled out of Iraq, Cameron appeared clear-minded regarding the nature of the threat from radical Islam.

“Nor can it be dealt with by addressing poverty, dictatorship, or instability in the region, as important as those are. The root cause of the threat to our security is quite clear,” he added. “There is a poisonous ideology of Islamist extremism that is condemned by all faith and by all faith leaders.”

Cameron reminded the British people of the homegrown 7/7 bombers who blew up two trains and buses. On July 7, 2005, Islamic terrorists carried out a series of coordinated suicide attacks in central London, which intentionally targeted civilians through public transportation, during the morning rush hour no less to be more effective. Not including the 4 suicide bombers, 52 British citizens lost their lives in the attack and roughly 700 were injured.

“The links between what happens overseas and what happens here has also always been there,” Cameron said. “What we’re facing in Iraq now with ISIS now is a greater and deeper threat to our security than we have known before.”

While President Obama doesn’t want to “put the cart before the horse” when confronting the threat from ISIS and radical Islam, Prime Minister Cameron appears to making the argument to the British people that precedes military engagement. Even if Obama is actually working politically and diplomatically behind the scenes to “cobble together” a coalition, it is hard to believe that Cameron would feel confident in his resolve or strategy to follow through.

Last week, President Obama twice contradicted both his own joint chief of staff’s and defense secretary’s statements, as well as his own past statements. We learned this week that U.S. intelligence was aware of the existential threat from ISIS long before the president made his “JV” remarks, but his critics say he intentionally ignored the threat for political reasons and to avoid admitting he was wrong on Iraq, all along.

Obama’s stubborn refusal to change course as his predecessor’s have done — including President Carter who abandoned a similarly naive worldview following the Iran hostage crisis — is making it increasingly difficult to combat the current and grave threat facing the West. Despite the overwhelming evidence of its foley, he has opted for indecision, something no leader nor ally — even our once-inseparable ally, Great Britain — could ever follow.