Rep. Duncan Hunter, California Republican, said Thursday that Jordanian King Abdullah’s response to the burning death of a Jordanian pilot at the hands of the Islamic State terrorist group called to mind the post-9/11 attitude of former President George W. Bush.
“King Abdullah sounded like President Bush post-9/11 when the president said we’re going to hunt you down to the ends of the earth and we’re [going to] come after you — that’s what King Abdullah sounded like,” Mr. Hunter said on Fox News. “It was righteous anger and I think it’s totally warranted.”
Mr. Hunter is a member of the House Armed Services Committee, which met earlier this week with King Abdullah, who vowed a relentless fight against Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, in response to the burning execution of Muath al-Kaseasbeh.
“I don’t understand why the president can’t call it what it is,” Mr. Hunter said of President Obama. The White House has refused to use the phrase “radical Islam” when discussing the terrorist threat, saying it does not accurately reflect the motivations of the terrorists.
“This president does not have any red lines, truly,” he said. “There is not a red line that, if crossed, the president says, ’Hey, we’re gonna go after ’em.’”
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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