If there’s one thing conservatives have been looking forward to since President Obama’s first State of the Union address, it’s his last. [Tuesday] night, that moment finally arrived — and with it, the overwhelming relief that this administration is writing its last chapter in America’s history. In this seventh and final installment, the president seemed to take us into a parallel universe where his failed policies on health care, foreign policy, climate change, social change, and the economy were hailed as victorious achievements.

For a man who used to thrill audiences with his rhetoric, that old magic was difficult to come by against the bleak backdrop of reality. That didn’t stop Obama from trying, as he glossed over the major missteps over his presidency and declared America stronger than ever. In one of the few moments of clarity, president talked about his inability to heal the nation’s divides — but never owned up to his part in deepening them. From Israel and guns to marriage, abortion, and race, few presidents have been as fiercely polarizing as this one. So when he speaks of “constructive debates,” while simultaneously silencing them, you’ll have to excuse Americans for their incredulity.

Like me, most of them probably watched Tuesday’s speech feeling like no one was more out of touch with the state of our union than the president observing it. He talked about the need to respect people’s beliefs, while two of the greatest failures of his administration to do exactly that sat in the audience: Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis and the Little Sisters of the Poor. Kim spent five days in jail because the president’s party refused to do what they admonished others: “reject any policies that targets people because of religion.” Instead, the Obama administration spent seven years at war with millions of Americans who dare to live and work according to their faith. Yet here was the president declaring that democracy “doesn’t work if we think the people who disagree with us are all motivated by malice.”

That’s certainly what the president has implied with every refusal to exempt nuns from his mandates or clerks from same-sex marriage licenses. In a desperate attempt to keep its power, the Left has tried to label all of its critics as “extremists” or “haters.” They’ve tried to silence opponents, not work with them. But even that should encourage us. President Obama’s party has tried to limit our freedom of speech because they fear its power. They’ve tried to restrain the expression of our convictions because they’re unsure of the truth of theirs. That’s why it’s so important for Christians like Kim to stand — and keep standing. As she sat, gracefully listening to the president talk about the last two terms, attorney Mat Staver wanted her to be a visual reminder that Obama’s policies have “not encompassed all of American citizens — and particularly Kim — with respect to religious freedom and marriage.”

Of course, to hear the president tell it, those are both consensus issues. Through hard work, he argues, “we secured the freedom in every state to marry the person we love. But such progress is not inevitable. It’s the result of choices we make together.” But Americans didn’t make those choices together — they were imposed on us by five black-robed activists! The choices we made together, as evidenced by 30 state constitutions, were to protect marriage. If redefining civilization’s oldest institution were the people’s will, Obama wouldn’t have needed the Court!

But what can we expect from a president whose State of the Union mentions “faith” once, “family” once, and “freedom” (not in the context of same-sex marriage) once? To be fair, it was probably one of the few times when his words accurately matched his actions. No wonder members like Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) skipped the 2016 edition. “I will be in the members’ chapel,” he said, “praying for God to raise up a leader whom he will use to restore the soul of America.” After the past seven years, we should all join him in that prayer!

Originally published here.

Nukes of Hazard…

While the president painted a rosy picture of national security at [Tuesday] night’s speech, the headlines were doing anything but. On the same day that President Obama blamed conservatives for their “over-the-top” claims about America’s terrorist threat, 10 Navy sailors were captured by Iranian forces and their ships searched. Even as the president spoke about the “political hot air” of overseas tension, the Iranian regime was exposing how foolish his assessment is. Not once did the president mention the incident, which Iranian Major General Hassan Firouzabadi vowed should be a “lesson to troublemakers in the U.S. Congress.”

Instead, as our own troops were in the custody of a murderous regime, the president rebuffed the notion that “our enemies [are] getting stronger and America [is] getting weaker.” Fortunately, Iran wisely released the sailors earlier [Wednesday] morning — setting up an even more interesting backdrop to the House debate over sanctions, which the president’s dangerous deal could lift as early as next Monday. Meanwhile, Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) is working on the House’s response to the agreement with quick action on the Iran Terror Finance Transparency Act. Under the measure, which passed out of the chamber 191-106 [yesterday], Congress would have more oversight over the nuclear deal. Essentially, it would keep frozen the U.S. assets of certain people and financial groups until the administration certifies that they aren’t involved in Iran’s missile program or have terrorist ties.

President Obama has bitterly decried the bill, saying it could destroy the unpopular deal with Iran. Congressmen Ed Royce (R-Calif.) certainly hopes so. “We’re all relieved to learn this morning that the sailors have been released,” Royce said. “I’m sure it’s occurred to many of us, that if Iran behaves this way now, in a few days when it gets its hands on this bankroll, what other actions are we going to see?” We all shudder to think — which is why Americans should be contacting their congressional members and encouraging them to support this bill!

Originally published here.