While President Barack Obama has made fixing the sluggish economy his main goal, he has been telling aides and associates that his top job is fighting terrorism and keeping the nation safe from attack. While his is a dual focus, exemplified by his meetings today with his economic and military chiefs, associates said that he has been privately telling them that his most important mission is to continue the war on terrorism.
His plan initially is to shift direction on the wars, moving the military's attention from Iraq to Afghanistan, but he is still most attentive to protecting the nation's shore from attack. It is one of the reasons why he has won supportive comments from conservative commentators and Republican lawmakers who have heard his private assurances on the war on terror. "He is not going to waver on the war on terror and that means a lot to us," said an aide to a key Senate Republican.
In fact, Obama won a standing ovation from some Republicans at the inauguration yesterday when he pledged to keep up the war on terror. Obama said: "We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you."
Republicans have been especially keen to hear Obama's promises on the war on terrorism because of his campaign pledges to end the war in Iraq.
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Jamaal Johnson of MD 9:33AM May 15, 2009