On the 13th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attack on the United States by Islamic terrorists, Americans feel less safe now than at any time since that terrible day. An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll also found that voters have little confidence in President Obama and his handling of foreign affairs.

With the rise of the Islamic State terrorist organization and its televised beheadings of journalists kidnapped in Syria, public demand for forceful action led the peace-loving president to acknowledge that the war on terror must continue.

Dianne Feinstein, the Democrat who heads the Senate Intelligence Committee, accused President Obama of being too cautious in dealing with the ISIS threat. But the plan he outlined in a primetime address to the nation can rightly be described as cautious because he was careful not to include elements (such as U.S. ground troops) that would anger his progressive base eight weeks before the midterm elections.