My heart absolutely and wholeheartedly aches for the people of Paris. I've read countless stories of survival, and of the emotional turmoil taking place in that beautiful, tragic city. As someone who remembers being pulled out of school and wishing my dad would come home from work on September 11, 2001 and who's life terrorism has indirectly touched, I send up prayers and condolences on a frequent basis wishing there was something more I could do. I absolutely want to give Parisians and people around the world a time of private grief, but that does not mean it is too early to start talking about what this attack of radical Islamic terrorism means for, not only the United States, but for the world as well.
Not politicizing this recent major attack on freedom would be a mistake. Our next Commander in Chief must be ready and willing to take action, not someone who will write off ISIS as "the JV squad." Not a self proclaimed socialist who fought against changing his opening statement of the debate to fit with the events unfolding in Paris because he still believed economic issues were the most important to give TV time to. Not someone who refuses to identify the threat for what it is -- radical Islamic terrorism.
Granted, that doesn't mean a Presidential candidate spewing off remarks about how tougher gun laws in Paris may have resulted in less deaths is the best man for the job, either. In less extreme situations, perhaps that could have prevented an attacker. But I doubt legally armed civilians could have faced adversity in the forms of machine guns and grenades and come out victorious and unharmed. This response may have been tactless and too soon, but that doesn't mean all Republican statements are. America needs to start having tough conversations perceived to be "too soon" given that primary elections start in just three months. We need a Presidential candidate who will be able to inherit a faulty economy and do things to enhance it, but someone who can also inherit messy foreign relations and take charge.
French President Francois Hollande has called for a global coalition against terrorism with the aid of the United States and Russia. The need to determine the candidate best suited for getting behind this coalition and indeed making this an American fight (yes -- I'm looking at you, Hillary) is immediate and necessary. The United States is the leading world hegemon, and this is not just a French, European, or even Western fight. It is a global fight for which the United States needs to step up and take a leadership role instead of allowing other states to take the reigns.
We cannot afford to act like this was not an attack on us, as well, as ISIS has since come out with statements addressing that their militants are present in nearly every state in this country. The attack may have physically taken place in Paris, but this is a war waged on all free civilizations and it is the duty of this country to fight back with everything that we've got. ISIS has announced they horrifically attacked, killed, and injured hundreds due to French involvement and support of U.S. air strikes in Syria and Iraq. This is an American fight. We need to start looking for a candidate who will make it one.
