Revisionist or Oblivious?

ALAMOGORDO, N.M. — Here in America's southwestern desert, young Americans are training to fly Reapers, Predators and other remotely piloted aircraft, or RPAs, capable of attacking our enemies half a world away. Our Fox News' "War Stories" team is here at Holloman Air Force Base documenting how these remarkable high-tech weapons are changing the face of battle in the long war against radical Islamists. One thing that hasn't changed is how incredibly wrong liberal Democrats are about this fight.

Since the attempted bombing of a U.S.-bound passenger flight on Christmas Day, the Obama administration has attempted to deflect criticism for its inept handling of counterterrorism. President Barack Obama, the leadoff hitter, tried to convince us that the Nigerian underpants bomber was an "isolated case," that closing Gitmo and sending jihadists to Yemen is proper and that holding show trials in Manhattan for the likes of 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is "the right thing to do."

White House "terror czar" John Brennan was up next. Brennan, apparently convinced that the best defense is a truly offensive offense, accused administration detractors of aiding and abetting the enemy. "Politically motivated criticism and unfounded fear-mongering only serve the goals of al-Qaeda," he wrote.

Now the O-Team has rolled out its ace rhetorical warrior — its big gun — Vice President Joe Biden. The veep has been making the rounds on the "talking head" TV shows — and blasting away in every direction — with considerably less accuracy than we have come to expect from a Hellfire missile launched from a Predator.

During a conversation on NBC's "Meet the Press," Biden was asked about former Vice President Dick Cheney's critique of the Obama administration's handling of terrorism. The veep blustered, "I don't know where Dick Cheney has been. ... What is he talking about?" He accused his predecessor of rewriting history.

In true shoot-from-the-lip fashion, he also made it personal: "I don't think ... Cheney listens. The president of the United States said in the State of the Union, 'We're at war with al-Qaida.' He stated this." Biden went on to catalog the administration's "successes" in pursuing al-Qaida since taking office, claiming, "We're pursuing that war with a vigor like it's never been seen before."

Referring to al-Qaida, Biden continued: "We've eliminated 12 of their top 20 people.

The "their," "them" and "they" Biden speaks of are, of course, al-Qaida — many of whose members have indeed been "eliminated" by RPAs like the ones that I've seen in action in Iraq and Afghanistan and that I'm standing next to here in the New Mexico desert. Biden could have pointed out that these remarkable aerial weapons platforms were purchased by the much-maligned Bush-Cheney administration. But why bother with the facts?

There's another problem with Biden's answer: He wasn't asked about al-Qaida. The question David Gregory posed was, "What about the general proposition that the president, according to former Vice President Cheney, doesn't consider America to be at war and is essentially soft on terrorism?" It's a question Biden apparently doesn't want to answer.

But the veep deserves an answer to his own question. "What is (Cheney) talking about?" Here it is. Cheney is referring to those who have declared war on us: al-Qaida, the Taliban, al-Qaida in Iraq, Abu Sayyaf, Jemaah Islamiyah, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade, Hamas, the Fort Hood shooter, the Muslim Brotherhood, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps, the Quds force and the Christmas Day underpants bomber, to name a few. Include Muslim clerics who promote, defend and encourage terrorist activities. Add in financiers who underwrite terrorism, whom we no longer can find because the EU has shut down the Terrorist Finance Tracking system. And don't forget radical madrassas that foster hatred and foment jihad in Muslim boys around the world.

Twisting the truth is a Biden forte. His shameful claim to CNN's Larry King, "I am very optimistic about Iraq. I mean, this could be one of the great achievements of this administration," would be laughable but for Iranian efforts to undo the sacrifice of so much American blood and treasure. Equally shocking is Biden's confession to Harry Smith on CBS of his newfound concern for "a terrorist attack in the United States along the lines of the Christmas Day bomber. You get a disgruntled student, someone who has some relationship with the United States who is able to be recruited quickly, able to be indoctrinated quickly. And they say, basically, 'Here's a bomb. Go do it."

Lone bombers; dozens of jihadist terror organizations; radical clerics, madrassas and financiers — all are targeting America. Sounds like war to me. Is Biden a revisionist or just oblivious? You decide.

Oliver North is the host of "War Stories" on Fox News Channel, the founder and honorary chairman of Freedom Alliance, and the author of "American Heroes." To find out more about Oliver North and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2010 CREATORS.COM