Former U.N. ambassador John Bolton called President Obama's counterterrorism policy speech "a further retreat from the war on terror" Friday on Fox News, criticizing his language with regards to terrorist attacks in Benghazi and Boston and his continued touting of al-Qaeda being on the path to defeat.
'The policy he revealed yesterday indicates he's going to try to wind down the war on terror even further," he said. "I think this makes us more vulnerable ... He said we can solve it through law enforcement matters. We have already seen that the Justice Department and others have identified 18 people associated with the Benghazi attack, but we have not moved against them because we don't have enough evidence to prove them guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in an American courtroom. They're never going to get to an American courtroom and we shouldn't wait for that anyway. This is a fundamental, conceptual choice here."
Part of Obama's address Thursday included references to the weakening of al-Qaeda, calling it a shell of its former self.
"Today, the core of al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan is on a path to defeat," Obama said. "Their remaining operatives spend more time thinking about their own safety than plotting against us. They did not direct the attacks in Benghazi or Boston. They have not carried out a successful attack on our homeland since 9/11. Instead, what we’ve seen is the emergence of various al-Qaeda affiliates."
The remarks drew criticism from Republicans, including Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.), who said Obama's argument came from an incredible degree of unreality. Bolton called Obama's statements symptoms of "myopia."
"This is willful blindness," he said. "You define al-Qaeda to be a small band trapped in Waziristan and then you say the problem's over. Maybe it's good politics for the president, I leave that to others to decide, but it's very bad for national security."