What should Obama say to the American people tonight? Glenn has a few ideas

September 10, 2014

The Glenn Beck Program

President Obama is set to address the nation on Wednesday about his strategy to deal with the Islamic State. When you consider just nine months ago Obama was referring to ISIS as a “jayvee team,” it is clear how much has changed. On radio this morning, Glenn delivered the speech he would like to hear from the President tonight – though it's unlikely.

On Sunday, the American people finally learned the true priorities of the Obama Administration. When asked if he regretted his highly criticized gold outing in Martha’s Vineyard following his press conference to confirm American journalist James Foley’s beheading, Obama said he did not regret hitting the links – but he did regret the “optics.”

“Everybody has a pivot point. His pivot point is on optics. [But] this is not an optics problem. This is a real problem,” Glenn said. “This isn't a P.R. problem. This isn't a photographic problem… This is actually something. And I don't know if the president can do something about this.”

With that in mind, Glenn said this is what he would like to hear Obama say to the American people:

Hello, America.

A few years ago, I didn't believe that it was possible that a Caliphate could be established. Nobody really did. It's an insane thought. It's the thought that all of the Middle East could be united under one banner. And the way that happens is through force. I really thought that we were a better planet than that. I thought we were past the days of barbarism. I thought we were out of the Middle Ages because I'm an optimistic guy. I believe we're better that, and I believe the people of the Middle East are better than that. I believe the people of the Middle East don't want that.

I also know that this United States of America is war weary. We're tired of these wars. They don't seem winnable. They don't seem like they'll ever end. I came into office telling you that they would end. I was going to end them. Well, I will tell you this: I ended the war in Iraq, and I'm ending the war in Afghanistan. We did go after Osama Bin Laden, and we got him. We have killed some of the bad terrorists. It was my misunderstanding of what we were dealing with when we were in the campaign. I said to then Governor Romney that the '80s wanted their policies back, that Russia wasn't a threat. We see now Russia is. But again, that mistake was made because I'm an optimist.

We now see that is not true. I want to continue to believe that the world is a better place than perhaps it is, that the leaders around the world are better than perhaps they are, and that we are the greatest nation ever put together in the history of the world. Perhaps we're not. But I believe that. Because I believe that, it requires us to do certain things and that is: Admit when we're wrong and show you not only are we wrong, we're going to correct these things.

It would be disingenuous for me to come to you tonight and say I've got a plan because last week I told you, in a frank moment, I didn't have a plan yet. I told you seven months ago that ISIS was a JV team. It clearly wasn't. I want you to know, I take full responsibility for my understanding of what these people were and where they're going. However, with that being said, the president of the United States has a lot to do. I am the president of the entire country, not just one group of people or another group of people, but the entire country. It's my responsibility. The economy, the wars, the healing that is going on, the future policy, technology, we're looking at all sort of things. Our border.

A lot is on fire, and you know that. That's why I have trusted advisors. I want you to know that I think all of the guys that served with me on advisory panels, James Clapper is one of them, who said that I won't even address the Caliphate because that's a mockery. That it would never, ever happen. I thanked James just before I went on the air tonight for his great service to this nation. I thanked him for all of the advice that he's given. But obviously, having James at the C.I.A. – who believes and never saw this coming seven months ago, in fact, mocked it – he's the wrong guy for the C.I.A. in this ever-changing world. I'm only telling you this not to shame him or not to take excuse. I'm showing you this because it's important for you to know I see the difference from where I was to where I am.

In the last 10 days, I've assembled the best minds that I could find that were not mocking the Caliphate. They were the ones in the periphery of my cabinet. They were the ones in the halls of the Pentagon that said, ‘Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute. The Caliphate could happen. ISIS is not a JV team.’ Those voices were dismissed in the past. I have promoted them today.

I'm coming to you tonight to tell you that I take ISIS seriously. I'm telling you, I don't have a plan for you right now because I'm not just going to come in here and give you a speech for optics. It's the eve of September 11th. Nobody needs to see the President say anything. What the world needs to see is America doing something. I want you to know what ISIS is, what they stand for, and what they do is evil. Period. The best way for evil to grow is for good men and women to do nothing. America is great because America is good. Therefore, let the world be put on notice. Because we are good, we will not stand around and do nothing as evil grows.

I'm going to get back to work with my advisers. I will tell you that it's not going to be a long protracted war. I will tell you this: We will win in the end. We will show the world what America is capable of in both defense – defense of ourselves and the innocent, defense of our values – and we will also show the rest of the world what happens if you decide you want to behead our journalists and our citizens.

Oh, one more thing. I just want to put on notice: If you're here as a citizen, you have a passport or a visa, you leave this country and you go fight on behalf of evil, you're not welcome here. You might as well burn your passport when you leave because you're not coming back. You're an enemy combatant of the United States of America. You're not welcome on the shores. You have to make a choice. You're either here for freedom and opportunity for all – even those people who you disagree with, those religions who you don't like, because I will defend your religion and your right to practice your religion in the way you understand it and see fit as long as it means that you have that same respect for other religions. But the minute you leave this country and you fight for somebody who says, ‘The United States of America is the great Satan and we're coming here,’ I'm sorry. I can no longer give you the benefit of the doubt. You leave here. You're done here.

Good night, America.

“I could give him all kinds of lines that would give him ways out and people would embrace him,” Glenn concluded. “That's pretty much all he has to say. He could give more detail, but I don't think he could give it with any kind of real credibility. But… he's not going to give us any of those things.”

Glenn discussed this story in the morning meeting:

How did Trump's would-be assassin get past Secret Service?

PATRICK T. FALLON / Contributor | Getty Images

Editor's Note: This article was originally published on TheBlaze.com.

Former President Donald Trump on Saturday was targeted in an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. It occurred just after 6:10 p.m. while Trump was delivering his speech.

Here are the details of the “official” story. The shooter was Thomas Matthew Crooks. He was 20 years old from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. He used an AR-15 rifle and managed to reach the rooftop of a nearby building unnoticed. The Secret Service's counter-response team responded swiftly, according to "the facts," killing Crooks and preventing further harm.

Did it though? That’s what the official story says, so far, but calling this a mere lapse in security by Secret Service doesn't add up. There are some glaring questions that need to be answered.

If Trump had been killed on Saturday, we would be in a civil war today. We would have seen for the first time the president's brains splattered on live television, and because of the details of this, I have a hard time thinking it wouldn't have been viewed as JFK 2.0.

How does someone sneak a rifle onto the rally grounds? How does someone even know that that building is there? How is it that Thomas Matthew Crooks was acting so weird and pacing in front of the metal detectors, and no one seemed to notice? People tried to follow him, but, oops, he got away.

How could the kid possibly even think that the highest ground at the venue wouldn't be watched? If I were Crooks, my first guess would be, "That’s the one place I shouldn't crawl up to with a rifle because there's most definitely going to be Secret Service there." Why wasn't anyone there? Why wasn't anyone watching it? Nobody except the shooter decided that the highest ground with the best view of the rally would be the greatest vulnerability to Trump’s safety.

Moreover, a handy ladder just happened to be there. Are we supposed to believe that nobody in the Secret Service, none of the drones, none of the things we pay millions of dollars for caught him? How did he get a ladder there? If the ladder was there, was it always there? Why was the ladder there? Secret Service welds manhole covers closed when a president drives down a road. How was there a ladder sitting around, ready to climb up to the highest ground at the venue, and the Secret Service failed to take it away?

There is plenty of video of eyewitnesses yelling that there was a guy with a rifle climbing up on a ladder to the roof for at least 120 seconds before the first shot was fired. Why were the police looking for him while Secret Service wasn't? Why did the sniper have him in his sights for over a minute before he took a shot? Why did a cop climb up the ladder to look around? When Thomas Matthew Cooks pointed a gun at him, he then ducked and came down off the ladder. Did he call anyone to warn that this young man had a rifle within range of the president?

How is it the Secret Service has a female bodyguard who doesn't even reach Trump's nipples? How was she going to guard the president's body with hers? How is it another female Secret Service agent pulled her gun out a good four minutes too late, then looked around, apparently not knowing what to do? She then couldn't even get the pistol back into the holster because she's a Melissa McCarthy body double. I don't think it's a good idea to have Melissa McCarthy guarding the president.

Here’s the critical question now: Who trusts the FBI with the shooter’s computer? Will his hard drive get filed with the Nashville manifesto? How is it that the Secret Service almost didn't have snipers at all but decided to supply them only one day before the rally because all the local resources were going to be put on Jill Biden? I want Jill Biden safe, of course. I want Jill Biden to have what the first lady should have for security, but you can’t hire a few extra guys to make sure our candidates are safe?

How is it that we have a Secret Service director, Kimberly Cheatle, whose experience is literally guarding two liters of Squirt and spicy Doritos? Did you know that's her background? She's in charge of the United States Secret Service, and her last job was as the head of security for Pepsi.

This is a game, and that's what makes this sick. This is a joke. There are people in our country who thought it was OK to post themselves screaming about the shooter’s incompetence: “How do you miss that shot?” Do you realize how close we came to another JFK? If the president hadn't turned his head at the exact moment he did, it would have gone into the center of his head, and we would be a different country today.

Now, Joe Biden is also saying that we shouldn't make assumptions about the motive of the shooter. Well, I think we can assume one thing: He wanted to kill the Republican presidential candidate. Can we agree on that at least? Can we assume that much?

How can the media even think of blaming Trump for the rhetoric when the Democrats and the media constantly call him literally worse than Hitler who must be stopped at all costs?

These questions need to be answered if we want to know the truth behind what could have been one of the most consequential days in U.S. history. Yet, the FBI has its hands clasped on all the sources that could point to the truth. There must be an independent investigation to get to the bottom of these glaring “mistakes.”

POLL: Do you think Trump is going to win the election?

Kevin Dietsch / Staff, Chip Somodevilla / Staff, Kevin Dietsch / Staff | Getty Image

It feels like all of the tension that has been building over the last four years has finally burst to the surface over the past month. Many predicted 2024 was going to be one of the most important and tumultuous elections in our lifetimes, but the last two weeks will go down in the history books. And it's not over yet.

The Democratic National Convention is in August, and while Kamala seems to be the likely candidate to replace Biden, anything could happen in Chicago. And if Biden is too old to campaign, isn't he too old to be president? Glenn doesn't think he'll make it as President through January, but who knows?

There is a lot of uncertainty that surrounds the current political landscape. Trump came out of the attempted assassination, and the RNC is looking stronger than ever, but who knows what tricks the Democrats have up their sleeves? Let us know your predictions in the poll below:

Is Trump going to win the election?

Did the assassination attempt increase Trump's chances at winning in November?

Did Trump's pick of J.D. Vance help his odds?

Did the Trump-Biden debate in June help Trump's chances?

Did Biden's resignation from the election hand Trump a victory in November?

Do the Democrats have any chance of winning this election?

What is the Secret Service trying to hide about Trump's assassination attempt?

KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI / Contributor, Anadolu / Contributor | Getty Images

This past weekend we were mere inches away from a radically different America than the one we have today. This was the first time a president had been wounded by a would-be assassin since 1981, and the horrific event has many people questioning the competency and motives of the supposedly elite agents trusted with the president's life.

The director of the Secret Service apparently knew about the assassin's rooftop before the shooting—and did nothing.

Kimberly Cheatle has come under intense scrutiny these last couple of weeks, as Secret Service director she is responsible for the president's well-being, along with all security operations onsite. In a recent interview with ABC, Cheatle admitted that she was aware of the building where the assassin made his mark on American history. She even said that she was mindful of the potential risk but decided against securing the site due to "safety concerns" with the slope of the roof. This statement has called her competence into question. Clearly, the rooftop wasn't that unsafe if the 20-year-old shooter managed to access it.

Glenn pointed out recently that Cheatle seems to be unqualified for the job. Her previous position was senior director in global security at America's second-favorite soda tycoon, PepsiCo. While guarding soda pop and potato chips sounds like an important job to some, it doesn't seem like a position that would qualify you to protect the life of America's most important and controversial people. Even considering her lack of appropriate experience, this seems like a major oversight that even a layperson would have seen. Can we really chalk this up to incompetence?

Former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI / Contributor | Getty Images

The Secret Service and DHS said they'd be transparent with the investigation...

Shortly after the attempted assassination, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees the Secret Service, launched an investigation into the shooting and the security protocols in place at the rally. The DHS promised full transparency during the investigation, but House Republicans don't feel that they've been living up to that promise. Republican members of the House Oversight Committee are frustrated with Director Cheatle after she seemingly dodged a meeting scheduled for Tuesday. This has resulted in calls for Cheatle to step down from her position.

Two FBI agents investigate the assassin's rooftop Jeff Swensen / Stringer | Getty Images

Why is the Secret Service being so elusive? Are they just trying to cover their blunder? We seem to be left with two unsettling options: either the government is even more incompetent than we'd ever believed, or there is more going on here than they want us to know.

Cheatle steps down

Following a horrendous testimony to the House Oversight Committee Director Cheatle finally stepped down from her position ten days after the assassination attempt. Cheatle failed to give any meaningful answer to the barrage of questions she faced from the committee. These questions, coming from both Republicans and Democrats, were often regarding basic information that Cheatle should have had hours after the shooting, yet Cheatle struggled with each and every one. Glenn pointed out that Director Cheatle's resignation should not signal the end of the investigation, the American people deserve to know what happened.

What we DO and DON'T know about Thomas Matthew Crooks

Jim Vondruska / Stringer | Getty Images

It has been over a week since 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks narrowly failed to assassinate President Trump while the president gave a speech at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennslyvania. Despite the ongoing investigations, we still know very little about the would-be assassin, which has left many wondering if the agencies involved are limiting the information that Congress and the public are receiving.

As Glenn has pointed out, there are still major questions about the shooter that are unanswered, and the American people are left at the whim of unreliable federal agencies. Here is everything we know—and everything we don't know—about Thomas Matthew Crooks:

Who was he?

What we know:Thomas Crooks lived in Bethel Parks, Pennsylvania, approximately an hour south of Butler. Crooks went to high school in Bethel Parks, where he would graduate in 2022. Teachers and classmates described him as a loner and as nerdy, but generally nice, friendly, and intelligent. Crooks tried out for the school rifle team but was rejected due to his poor aim, and reports indicate that Crooks was often bullied for his nerdy demeanor and for wearing camo hunting gear to school.

After high school, Crooks began work at Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center as a dietary aide. In fact, he was scheduled to work on the day of the rally but requested the day off. He passed a background check to work at the facility and was reportedly an unproblematic employee. Crooks was also a member of a local gun club where he practiced shooting the day before the rally.

It was recently revealed that sometime before his attempted assassination, Crooks posted the following message on Steam, a popular computer application used for playing video games: "July 13 will be my premiere, watch as it unfolds." Aside from this, Crooks posted no warning or manifesto regarding his attack, and little other relevant information is known about him.

What we don't know:It is unclear what Crook's political affiliations or views were, or if he was aligned with any extremist organizations. Crooks was a registered Republican, and his classmates recall him defending conservative ideas and viewpoints in class. On the other hand, the Federal Election Commission has revealed he donated to a progressive PAC on the day Biden was inaugurated. He also reportedly wore a COVID mask to school much longer than was required.

Clearly, we are missing the full picture. Why would a Republican attempt to assassinate the Republican presidential nominee? What is to gain? And why would he donate to a progressive organization as a conservative? This doesn't add up, and so far the federal agencies investigating the attack have yet to reveal anything more.

What were his goals?

What we know: Obviously we know he was trying to assassinate President Trump—and came very close to succeeding, but beyond that, Crooks' goals are unknown. He left no manifesto or any sort of written motive behind, or if he did, the authorities haven't published it yet. We have frustratingly little to go off of.

What we don't know: As stated before, we don't know anything about the movies behind Crooks' heinous actions. We are left with disjointed pieces that make it difficult to paint a cohesive picture of this man. There is also the matter that he left explosives, ammo, and a bulletproof vest in his car. Why? Did he assume he was going to make it back to his car? Or were those supplies meant for an accomplice that never showed up?

The shocking lack of information on Crooks' motives makes it seem likely that we are not being let on to the whole truth.

Did he work alone?

What we know: Reportedly, Crooks was the only gunman on the site, and as of now, no other suspects have been identified. The rifle used during the assassination attempt was purchased and registered by Crooks' father. However, it is unlikely that the father was involved as he reported both his son and rifle missing the night of the assassination attempt. Crooks' former classmates described him as a "loner," which seems to corroborate the narrative that he worked alone.

What we don't know: We know how Crooks acquired his rifle, but what about the rest of his equipment? He reportedly had nearly a hundred extra rounds of ammunition, a bulletproof vest, and several homemade bombs in his car. Could these have been meant for a co-conspirator who didn't show? Did Crooks acquire all of this equipment himself, or did he have help?

There's also the matter of the message Crooks left on the video game platform Steam that served as his only warning of the attack. Who was the message for? Are there people out there who were aware of the attack before it occurred? Why didn't they alert authorities?

We know authorities have access to Crooks' laptop and cellphone that probably contain the answers to these pertinent questions. Why haven't we heard any clarity from the authorities? It seems we are again at the mercy of the federal bureaucracy, which begs one more question: Will we ever know the whole truth?

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