Thanks, Obama: My Hopey, Changey White House Years

by David Litt

refused to indulge in clash-of-civilizations rhetoric favored by both right-wing pundits at home and ISIS propagandists abroad. This was almost certainly the right decision. It deprived some of the world’s most sadistic killers of an easy recruiting tool. But at times it put POTUS at odds with the national mood. When the Foley beheading video was released, President Obama was in Martha’s Vineyard; he chose not to cut his vacation short. Also, he referred to ISIS as “ISIL.” While technically accurate, this could come across as tone deaf, like a waiter who explains that it’s wagyu beef, not Kobe, on which you are currently choking. Even our political allies could be frustrated by President Obama’s near-pathological calmness. Still, his message to the public was simple, never directly stated but always easy to infer. Don’t freak out.