"We Stand With 14 Families Whose Hearts Are Broken"

"Today in San Bernardino, investigators are searching for answers. Across our country, our law enforcement professionals are tireless. They're working around the clock—as always—to protect our communities. As President, my highest priority is the security and safety of the American people. This is work that should unite us all—as Americans—so that we’re doing everything in our power to defend our country. That's how we can honor the lives we lost in San Bernardino. That's how we can send a message to all those who would try to hurt us. We are Americans. We will uphold our values—a free and open society. We are strong. And we are resilient. And we will not be terrorized."

Eurasia Review presents a transcript of President Obama's speech about the San Bernardino massacre.

"Now More Than Ever, This Is What the Republican Party Needs to Hear"

"'America counts millions of Muslims amongst our citizens, and Muslims make an incredibly valuable contribution to our country,' said Bush in his remarks at the Islamic Center in September 2001. 'Muslims are doctors, lawyers, law professors, members of the military, entrepreneurs, shopkeepers, moms and dads. And they need to be treated with respect. In our anger and emotion, our fellow Americans must treat each other with respect.'"

Jamelle Bouie in Slate argues that only George W. Bush can stop Republican "anti-Muslim sentiment."

"Refuse to Give in to Fear"

"Take, for example, Jeb Bush's declaration that 'this is an organized attempt to destroy Western civilization.' No, it isn't. It's an organized attempt to sow panic, which isn't at all the same thing. And remarks like that, which blur that distinction and make terrorists seem more powerful than they are, just help the jihadists' cause."

Paul Krugman in The New York Times warns that "the biggest danger terrorism poses to our society comes not from the direct harm inflicted, but from the wrong-headed responses it can inspire."

"There Will Be No Illusion About the Kind of Foreign Policy He Would Conduct If He Were Elected President"

"Bush’s story about the 'surge' isn’t surprising, but it is false and dangerously misleading. He celebrates the 'surge' without qualification as a 'success' and declares it a turning point, but both claims are untrue. As I said earlier, the 'surge' failed on its own terms, but more than that it means that the U.S. recommitted to a disastrous war at a time when the public had already expressed their overwhelming opposition to continuing the war. George W. Bush's admirers cheer his decision to escalate the war as a 'courageous' act because of the unpopularity of the war at that point, but it was really the most predictable and self-serving attempt to make the best out of an utter debacle. It isn't just that the 'surge' turned out to be unsuccessful according to the Bush administration’s own standards, but that it represented the worst instincts of our political class to escalate a lost war instead of cutting our losses much earlier. The fact that Jeb Bush sees this as an exemplary moment in recent history tells us all we need to know about his foreign policy judgment."


Daniel Larison at The American Conservative reacts to Jeb Bush's speech at the Ronald Reagan Library.

"I Believe We Should Act"

"However, over the last few days we’ve seen some encouraging signs in part because of the credible threat of U.S. military action as well as constructive talks that I had with President Putin. The Russian government has indicated a willingness to join with the international community in pushing Assad to give up his chemical weapons. The Assad regime has now admitted that it has these weapons and even said they’d join the chemical weapons convention, which prohibits their use.

"It’s too early to tell whether this offer will succeed, and any agreement must verify that the Assad regime keeps its commitments. But this initiative has the potential to remove the threat of chemical weapons without the use of force, particularly because Russia is one of Assad’s strongest allies.

"I have therefore asked the leaders of Congress to postpone a vote to authorize the use of force while we pursue this diplomatic path."

The New York Times provides a transcript of President Obama's speech about Syria.

"So, What’s It Going To Be?"

"By Bashar al-Assad"

"I’ve looked at your options, and I’m going to be honest here, I feel for you. Not exactly an embarrassment of riches you’ve got to choose from, strategy-wise. I mean, my God, there are just so many variables to consider, so many possible paths to choose, each fraught with incredible peril, and each leading back to the very real, very likely possibility that no matter what you do it’s going to backfire in a big, big way. It’s a good old-fashioned mess, is what this is! And now, you have to make some sort of decision that you can live with."

From The Onion.