President Obama gave a rare address from the Oval Office Sunday night to address the threat of terrorism, but he hardly covered new ground in the midst of public perception that he's handling the problem poorly.
Obama went over American efforts against the Islamic State terrorist organization, which he had declared "contained" in the days before the group attacked Paris and killed 130 people, and he discussed old arguments from his White House about gun control.
"Here's what I want you to know," Obama said. "The threat from terrorism is real, but we will overcome it. We will destroy ISIL and any other organization that tries to harm us. Our success won't depend on tough talk or abandoning our values or giving into fear. That's what groups like ISIL are hoping for."
Instead, Obama said, "we will prevail by being strong and smart."
Obama renewed his push for gun control and also urged Congress to vote on legislation banning people on terrorist watch lists, which the two shooters in San Bernardino, California weren't on, from buying guns.
In addition, Obama maintained that this shouldn't be defined as a "war between American and Islam," apparently continuing his objections to what many Republicans and others have referred to as a fight against "radical Islam."
Obama said the Islamic State, or ISIL as he and other government officials often call it, embraces a "perverted interpretation" of Islam, but he still wouldn't use the term "radical Islam."
"We cannot turn against one another by letting this fight be defined as a war between America and Islam," Obama said. "That, too, is what groups like ISIL want. ISIL does not speak for Islam. They are thugs and killers, part of a cult of death."
There was one surprise: Obama misspoke about one of the San Bernardino killers' visas. According to Politico:
Obama said he'd requested a review of the "visa waiver program" under which one of the San Bernardino attackers arrived in the United States. But that assailant, Tashfeen Malik, came under a fiancé visa; she didn't arrive under the program that waives a visa requirement.