Q:
You know where this is going, though. Even in the period that you’ve
been on vacation in the last couple of weeks, in Iraq, in Syria, of
course, in Africa, al-Qaeda is resurgent.
THE PRESIDENT:
Yes, but, David, I think the analogy we use around here sometimes, and I
think is accurate, is if a JV team puts on Lakers uniforms, that
doesn’t make them Kobe Bryant. I think there is a distinction between
the capacity and reach of a bin Laden and a network that is actively
planning major terrorist plots against the homeland versus jihadists who
are engaged in various local power struggles and disputes, often
sectarian.
Q: But that JV team jus[t] took over Fallujah.
THE PRESIDENT: I understand. But when you say took over Fallujah –
Q: And I don’t know for how long.
THE PRESIDENT: But let’s just keep in mind, Fallujah is a profoundly
conservative Sunni city in a country that, independent of anything we
do, is deeply divided along sectarian lines. And how we think about
terrorism has to be defined and specific enough that it doesn’t lead us
to think that any horrible actions that take place around the world that
are motivated in part by an extremist Islamic ideology is a direct
threat to us or something that we have to wade into.
