In a rare national address from the Oval Office, President Barack Obama sought to calm Americans Sunday night that the country is prepared to tackle terrorism and the "growing efforts by terrorists to poison the minds" of homegrown attack orchestrators.
"I know that after so much war, many Americans are asking whether we are confronted by a cancer that has no immediate cure," Obama said and then proceeded to answer: "The threat from terrorism is real, but we will overcome it."
Obama delivered the 14-minute nationally televised speech a mere four days after U.S.-born 28-year-old Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife, 29-year-old Tashfeen Malik, opened fired at a San Bernardino holiday party, killing 14 and getting fatally shot during a police encounter hours later.
He likened the attack to those in Chattanooga in Tennessee, Fort Hood in Texas, and Boston, where he cited how terrorists resorted to less complex violent acts and the Internet effectively removed the distance between nations.
The president did not delve on new information on the San Bernardino mass killing, although saying that they have no proof that the killers were fielded by an international terrorist organization or were part of a bigger conspiracy to shake the country's core.
While cautioning against a "costly ground war" that groups like ISIS desire, Obama said that the U.S. and its allies would continue to disrupt terrorist plots by zeroing in on terrorist financing and infrastructure, as well as pushing for a ceasefire agreement in Syria to proceed with a common goal between U.S. and Russia in fighting ISIS.
Back home, Obama added that they will see if stronger immigration screening is necessary given the visa program that allowed Tashfeen Malik entry into the country.
The speech also included a word about gun control, with Obama wondering about how a terrorist suspect was allowed to purchase a semi-automatic weapon. "This is a matter of national security," he argued.
A senior administration member said that following the string of coordinated Paris attacks, the San Bernardino shooting, and various thwarted ISIS schemes, Obama was prompted to address the public regarding such concerns.
For Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, Pres. Obama's plan as supported by Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton hardly worked.
"The attacks in San Bernardino should serve as a wake-up call for Obama and Clinton that the way to victory is not through the status quo but refocusing our efforts to defeat ISIS," he said in a statement.
In pre-buttals and post-speech reactions, Republican presidential candidates revealed their plans for defeating ISIS.
Ted Cruz called on Obama to use "radical Islamic terrorism" in describing the terrorists, to raise border security, and call for an immediate moratorium on refugees hailing from countries with ISIS stronghold.
Cruz also defended the Second Amendment, urging the president to focus on entities that bring harm and attempt to remove the constitutional liberties of millions of innocent citizens.
