Last updated on July 18th, 2023 at 11:20 am
At an event in Portsmouth, New Hampshire on Wednesday, Vice President Joe Biden delivered an emotionally charged message regarding the recent deaths of journalists Steven Sotloff and Jim Foley at the hands of ISIS. Biden told the gathered crowd that America will follow the perpetrators of the murders of Sotloff and Foley “to the gates of hell to bring them to justice.” The Vice President brought up 9/11 and the Boston Marathon bombing as instances where the country’s resolve was strong and that we did not stop until the terrorists that caused these acts were brought to justice.
Below is video of Biden’s speech, courtesy of CNN:
During his speech, Biden said the following:
They somehow think this is going to lessen our resolve, frighten us, intimidate us. But, if they think the American people are going to be intimidated, they don’t know us very well. We came back after 9/11. We dusted ourselves off and we made sure Osama Bin Laden would never, ever again threaten the American people. We came back ‘Boston Strong’ blaming no one but resolved to be certain that this didn’t happen again.
Today, America may be grieving — still grieving from Jim Foley, a native New Hampshire as I said of Rochester — but the American people are so much stronger, so much more resolved than any enemy can fully understand. As a nation, we’re united. And when people harm Americans, we don’t retreat. We don’t forget. We take care of those who are grieving. And when that’s finished, they should know, we will follow them to the gates of hell until they are brought to justice! Because hell is where they will reside! Hell is where they will reside!
These strong words from Biden came on the heels of comments from President Obama earlier in the day during a press conference in Estonia. After verifying the authenticity of the video showing an ISIS militant murdering Sotloff, the President made the following comment:
“We will not be intimidated. Their horrific acts only unite us as a country and stiffen our resolve to take the fight against these terrorists. And those who make the mistake of harming Americans will learn that we will not forget, and that our reach is long and that justice will be served.”
Secretary of State John Kerry also released a statement on Wednesday regarding the killing of Steven Sotloff. The Secretary praised Sotloff’s reporting and the main himself. At the same time, he pointed out that the terrorists responsible for the murders of Sotloff and Foley will be held accountable.
Barbarity, sadly, isn’t new to our world. Neither is evil. We’ve taken the fight to it before, and we’re taking the fight to it today. When terrorists anywhere around the world have murdered our citizens, the United States held them accountable, no matter how long it took. And those who have murdered James Foley and Steven Sotloff in Syria should know that the United States will hold them accountable too, no matter how long it takes.
It is apparent that the current administration is taking the actions of ISIS very seriously. While those who perpetrated these heinous acts will be brought to justice, the White House will still be extremely cautious about getting the nation involved in a long-term military conflict halfway around the globe. They are well aware that ISIS is using these actions to push the United States into an emotionally charged decision and engage in a multi-front war in the Middle East. Hopefully, the majority of lawmakers in Washington, Democrats and Republicans, will offer support to the President surrounding the very tough decisions that lay in front of him over the coming days and weeks.
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