9:43 PM: This essential point – both on Russia and ISIS – is a real needle to thread but incredibly important. Russia’s aggressive behavior in Ukraine and Syria are largely tied to fear of losing few remaining international clients. And puncture this nonsense about the fight against ISIS being World War III or the war of our time or whatever, nonsense. It’s really nonsense. Even the point of continuing to refer to them as their “caliphate” is factually silly and strategically foolish. I heard a few days ago the Prime Minister of Iraq referring to ISIS as a “criminal gang.” By any historical terms, calling ISIS a “caliphate” is very dubious. And very few Muslims recognize it as such. So why, other than to puff up their historic significance, grant them this title, which is a historic and glorious one in the history of Islam.
9:48 PM: As this speech comes more into focus, its themes more evident, it becomes clear how much of it is one long “Let’s get real, folks” aimed at the GOP primary race and the country watching it.
9:55 PM: That passage on anti-Muslim bigotry, just powerful. No other way to put it.
That’s why we need to reject any politics that targets people because of race or religion. This isn’t a matter of political correctness. It’s a matter of understanding what makes us strong. The world respects us not just for our arsenal; it respects us for our diversity and our openness and the way we respect every faith. His Holiness, Pope Francis, told this body from the very spot I stand tonight that “to imitate the hatred and violence of tyrants and murderers is the best way to take their place.” When politicians insult Muslims, when a mosque is vandalized, or a kid bullied, that doesn’t make us safer. That’s not telling it like it is. It’s just wrong. It diminishes us in the eyes of the world. It makes it harder to achieve our goals. And it betrays who we are as a country.
