Obama Confronts Evil, But Isn’t Ready to Defeat Evil

On Saturday Barack Obama and John McCain took questions at the Saddleback Civil Forum on the Presidency at Saddleback Church near Los Angeles. This is the third in a series examining the candidates’ responses. Pastor Rick Warren asked…

Does evil exist? And if it does, do we ignore it? Do we negotiate with it? Do we contain it? Do we defeat it?

Pastor Warren’s multiple choice question came with with four answer choices:

1. Ignore evil;
2. Negotiate with evil;
3. Contain evil;
4. Defeat evil.

Without hesitation, John McCain chose, “Defeat it.” He continued with rambling thoughts that look somewhat less coherent in print than on live TV. But there is no ambiguity, no doubt about where he stands. Evil exists, radical Islamic extremism is evil, and it must be defeated.

Barack Obama chose none of the above. His answer was to “confront” evil. In this context, what did Obama mean? “Confront” is an incomplete answer. “Confront” would be a prelude to negotiate, or contain or defeat, but “confront” doesn’t stand on its own. Yet that was Obama’s response, an ambiguous, uncertain, non-committal response.

Astoundingly, Obama’s examples of evil didn’t include the Islamic terrorists who killed thousands of Americans on 9-11 and are responsible for barbaric campaigns of death and destruction all over the world.

Obama went on to caution that America must be “humble” in its efforts to “confront” evil. Obama has spent his life steeped in the Leftist, Academic culture that sees American strength as the source of trouble in the world, and largely excuses what most of us would call evil.  Indeed, the post-modern academic culture isn’t even sure that evil exists at all.  “It’s all relative” is one of their favorite bromides.

Does Barack Obama believe evils like Islamic Terror and the recent Russian invasion of Georgia result from America not being soft and humble enough enough in “confronting” such evil?

To the academics and war protesters who share Obama’s world view this answer makes sense.

To Americans who are distressed by the spread of anti-American evil in the world and want a leader who will defeat as much of it as possible, Obama’s response was disquieting – maybe even alarming.