When it comes to assessing the terrorist threat to America, the Obama administration continues to send mixed signals.
Last Wednesday, Secretary of State John Kerry testified on Capitol Hill that “Despite ISIL, despite the visible killings that you see and how horrific they are, we are actually living in a period of less daily threat to Americans and to people in the world than normally.” 
 Last Thursday, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper contradicted Kerry. “When the final accounting is done, 2014 will have been the most lethal year for global terrorism in the 45 years such data has been compiled,” Clapper told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
According to Clapper, “In 2013, about 11,500 worldwide attacks killed about 22,000 people. But in the first nine months alone of 2014, preliminary data … show nearly 13,000 attacks killed 31,000 people. Half of those attacks and fatalities were in Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan. The Islamic State conducted more attacks than any other terror group in those first nine months.”  
Clapper went on to warn Congress and the nation that “about 180 Americans have been involved in various stages of traveling or trying to travel to fight in the region.” He said “more than 3,400 total Western fighters have gone to Syria and Iraq.”
So who’s right and who’s wrong here -- the optimistic John Kerry, or the pessimistic James Clapper? For what it’s worth, I think Kerry is dead wrong. So does retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, former Director of Defense Intelligence  Agency, who said, “Kerry is out of touch with reality. He clearly is not listening to the entire U.S. intelligence community.”
These two starkly different assessments of the terrorist threat to America demonstrate a lack of unity on the part of the Obama administration. I believe President Obama favors Kerry’s optimism over Clapper’s direness. He continues to downplay the terrorist threat, even accusing the media and others  of overplaying the issue. “If it bleeds, it leads, right?” he said.
By the way, Clapper’s serious assessment of the terror threat came a day after the Justice Department announced three New York City residents plotted to travel to Syria to join ISIS militants and “wage jihad.” One of the defendants also allegedly offered to kill the President of the United States if ordered to do so. Meanwhile, FBI Director James Comey revealed his bureau is investigating possible ISIS supporters in all 50 states.
Viewed totally, it seems clear to me the terrorist threat to America -- both foreign and domestic -- is growing, not diminishing. Mixed signals from the Obama administration do not inspire confidence abroad or at home. Instead, they breed cynicism.
To counter the growing terrorist threat, we need a clear, comprehensive national strategy, and strong, unified leadership to execute it, starting with President Obama. For our nation’s sake, we should all hope he rises to the challenge.
Retired Army Col. Thomas B. Vaughn can be reached at tbvbwmi@blomand.net.