Joel C. Rosenberg: Nation has lost confidence in Obama's ability to defeat Islamic terror.

As President Obama prepares for final State of the Union, nation has lost confidence in his ability to defeat Islamic terror. (Here’s the latest polling.) by joelcrosenberg (Virginia Beach, Virginia) -- During his 2015 State of the Union address, President Obama never mentioned the terms "Islam" or "Islamic extremism" or "Radical Islam" or"Apocalyptic Islam" or even "al Qaeda." He never even used the term the "Islamic State," calling our very serious enemy "ISIL" instead. He insisted that "in Iraq and Syria, American leadership -- including our military power -- is stopping ISIL’s advance," even though at that point the Islamic State had essentially doubled its territorial gains over the course of 2014, was slaughtering Muslims, engaged in genocide against Christians and Yazidis, and had recently seized Mosul, the second largest city in Iraq. What's more, Mr. Obama insisted that the mortal threat facing the American people wasn't from a nuclear Iran or a genocidal Islamic State. Rather, he said that "no challenge -- no challenge -- poses a greater threat to future generations than climate change." Even by August 28, 2015, after the Islamic State had seized more than one-third of the territory of Iraq and James Foley, an American journalist, had been beheaded by ISIS, the President admitted that “we don’t have a strategy yet” to defeat ISIS. In November of last year, the President insisted in November that his policy had“contained” ISIS. The next day came the terror attacks in Paris, and soon thereafter the attacks in San Bernardino. What, then, will the President say on Tuesday night, when he delivers his final State of the Union address? Will he finally acknowledge the threat of Radical and Apocalyptic Islam? Will explain them -- and their differences -- to the American people? Will he lay out a comprehensive strategy to actually defeat ISIS? Most Americans aren't holding their breath for such decisive leadership. In the wake of the attacks in San Bernardino and Paris and in so many other places -- and FBI arrests of at least 80 ISIS loyalists operating here in the homeland -- the American people have lost confidence in President Obama's ability to protect us from the terrorists. More Americans than ever before now believe the terrorists are winning, and the U.S. is losing the global war with Radical Islam. In fact, a recent CNN poll found a 17-point jump in the number of Americans who believe the terrorists are winning. What’s more, the CNN poll reveals that: Only 18% of Americans believe that the U.S. and our allies have the upper hand against the terrorists. Three-out-of-four Americans (74%) do not believe the United States is doing an effective job in the war against Radical Islamic terrorism. Nearly two-out-of-three Americans (64%) specifically disapprove the way President Obama is handling the threat posed by the Islamic State. The central theme of my recent novels -- The Third Target and The First Hostage -- is this: “To misunderstand the nature and threat of evil is to risk being blind-sided by it.” To the extent that President Obama and his senior team continue to fail to truly comprehend the evil we and our allies are facing from Iran and the Islamic State, the more dangerous a year 2016 is likely to be. ————– Order The First Hostage today — it’s now available in hardcover, e-book and audio formats. FACT SHEET: The Iranian leadership’s Apocalyptic Beliefs FACT SHEET: The Islamic State’s Apocalyptic Beliefs What the next US president will need to know about Iran and Islamic State.(my column in The Jerusalem Post) ——————- Subscribe (free) to the RSS feed (click here) and receive every new posting on this blog directly via email. Order THE THIRD TARGET today , the first in this new series — now out in paperback — the New York Times best-selling novel about ISIS capturing chemical weapons in Syria and plotting genocidal attacks. Make an investment in The Joshua Fund (www.joshuafund.net), our non-profit organization to help Christians care for Syrian refugees, educate and mobilize Christians to bless Israel and her neighbors in the name of Jesus, care for the poor and needy in Israel (both Jews and Arabs) with food and other humanitarian relief, care for Holocaust survivors, and strengthen the Church in the epicenter. Read our latest Donor Report, and make a tax deductible, secure, on-line contribution before the end of the year. Follow on Twitter — @joelcrosenberg joelcrosenberg | January 11, 2016 at 11:10 pm | Categories: Uncategorized | URL:http://wp.me/piWZ7-3QM