National Security Adviser Susan Rice has changed her tune on the threat of Islamic extremists.
While speaking with NBC’s Matt Lauer, Rice said al Qaeda has "metastasized" from its core to areas including the Arabian Peninsula, Yemen, and northern Africa.
Rice affirmed that al Qaeda "core" in Afghanistan and Pakistan was "substantially degraded." However, smaller "tumors" spread to neighboring areas and now pose a significant threat--most notably, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS).
Rice’s remarks staunchly contradict comments made by the Obama administration during the 2012 election that al Qaeda was "on the run" and "decimated."
President Obama will speak at the United Nations today in hopes of rallying international support for his plan to "degrade and destroy" ISIL.