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Thirteen years ago this week, our nation was devastated when 2,977 innocent lives were prematurely taken during the September 11th terrorist attacks. Our world was shaken and our sense of security was shattered by those who sought to destroy us. The terrible nightmare united us as a country, but it also forced the nation to face the chilling reality that terrorism exists, can reach our own shores and will remain a very real threat in the foreseeable future.
The Wire - Russell Berman
The House will only vote on a formal resolution authorizing the use of military force against the Islamic State if President Obama makes a direct request for congressional action.
That's the message the new majority leader, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), has been delivering privately to lawmakers in recent days, according to aides familiar with his thinking.
Buzzfeed - Jeremy Singer-Vine, Dorsey Shaw
Whose star is rising on the political talk shows?
The Sunday morning TV talk shows are one of the main venues political types go to hawk their views. The five main shows — “Meet the Press” (NBC), “State of the Union” (CNN), “Face the Nation” (CBS), “This Week” (ABC), and “Fox News Sunday” — have hosted more than 9,000 guests since January 2009. Some guests have appeared just once. Others, such as Sen. John McCain, are omnipresent, appearing dozens of times over the past half-decade.
In addition to the growing threat of terrorism due to ISIS influence in Iraq and Syria, there is another volatile situation that must be watched along the Gaza strip. Like ISIS, Hamas is a Sunni Islamist party that has shown its disregard for human life and sole intention to do harm. This has taken form through numerous unprovoked and unwarranted rocket attacks on Israel by Hamas, sometimes despite supposed ceasefire agreements, and use of its own civilians as human shields.
Last week, the world was horrified when we learned that American journalist, James Foley, was brutally murdered in cold blood by ISIS extremists. But this wasn’t the first instance of violence by these terrorists, nor is it likely to be the last if they are not stopped.
Tulsa World - Randy Krehbiel
President Barack Obama should ask Congress for authority to expand U.S. intervention in Iraq, and Congress should give it to him, 4th District Congressman Tom Cole said Friday in Tulsa.
“The president can claim, and a lot of people will want him to do this, that he can act under the 2002 authorization,” said Cole. “There’s a legal argument for that, but I don’t think there’s a good political argument for it.”
The Hill - Rebecca Shabad
Just a few days after its nine-month reauthorization, Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) on Monday defended the Export-Import Bank, saying it benefits small businesses, including those in his district.
“While the existence of Ex-Im is sometimes questioned, I believe the current benefits felt by businesses across the country, in Oklahoma and the Fourth Congressional District argues strongly for its reauthorization,” he wrote in a column released by his office.
All around the world, the United States of America is recognized as a nation where individuals and families can flourish. Because our country has always valued hard work, we seek to achieve, and we often succeed because opportunity lives here. Stories of success overflow from the earliest Americans to our current Americans. And this great American promise of success is a legacy that we expect and desire to pass on to our children and our children's children.