Reinvigorated Al Qaeda Calls Obama's National Security Record into Question

Although President Obama has been quick to tout national security victories where he can find them, the invigorated al Qaeda he now faces calls into question any overarching successes on the national security front. 

Between September 12, 2012 and November 1, 2012 alone, Obama assured Americans Al Qaeda was “on the run” or “on the path to defeat” 32 separate times.

And as CNSNews reported, many of those 32 assurances also included Obama claiming, “I ended the war in Iraq” or “[By] working with Joe Biden and our national security team, we have been able to decimate Al Qaeda.” And, of course, there was the constant reminder that “bin Laden is no more.”

Fast forward to August 2013 and U.S. citizens are fleeing Yemen, and the State Department is closing embassies and/or consulates in various places throughout the world.

Yet the White House continues to look for ways to tout al Qaeda’s alleged demise. The Hill reports that on August 5, White House spokesman Jay Carney said, “There is no question over the past several years Al Qaeda’s core has been greatly diminished, not the least because of the elimination of Osama bin Laden.”

A more sober and realistic assessment comes from Rep. Pete King (R-NY), who said the resurgence of al Qaeda “is a wake up call.” He said, “Al Qaeda is in many ways stronger than it was before 9/11 because it’s mutated, and it spread, and it can come at us from different directions.”

Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter @AWRHawkins.