Congressman Max Miller Said What Millions of Americans Are Thinking

Sometimes a controversy tells us more about the people who are offended than it does about the person who spoke.

That is exactly what happened when Congressman Max Miller took to the House floor and delivered a blunt assessment of Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib and her repeated positions regarding America's enemies. Predictably, Washington's political class immediately shifted the conversation away from terrorism and toward outrage over Miller's words.

But the real question is not what Max Miller said.

The real question is why so many elected officials seem incapable of speaking clearly about terrorist organizations and the governments that support them.

Americans are not confused about who Hezbollah is.

Americans are not confused about who Hamas is.

Americans are not confused about the role Iran has played in financing, training, and supporting terrorist groups throughout the Middle East for decades.

These are not freedom fighters. These are not misunderstood political movements. These are organizations with blood on their hands. They have murdered innocent civilians, kidnapped families, launched attacks against our allies, and openly celebrated violence against those they consider their enemies.

Yet every time Americans demand clarity, they are told to focus on tone instead of substance.

That is backward.

The American people have watched years of statements, protests, and political rhetoric that seem to reserve the harshest criticism for America and Israel while offering endless explanations and rationalizations whenever terrorists are involved. They are tired of it.

They are tired of being told that common sense is somehow controversial.

They are tired of being lectured by political elites who appear more concerned about protecting feelings than protecting national security.

The truth is that support for America's allies should not require an apology. Condemning terrorists should not require a disclaimer. Standing against organizations that openly advocate violence should not be a partisan issue.

For generations, Republicans and Democrats alike understood that some matters transcended politics. Defending the United States. Supporting our allies. Opposing terrorism. These were not controversial positions. They were the minimum expectations for anyone privileged enough to serve in Congress.

Unfortunately, those standards have eroded.

Today, far too many voices in Washington seem willing to blur the lines between democratic allies and terrorist organizations. They demand moral equivalence where none exists. They excuse behavior that previous generations of Americans would have condemned without hesitation.

Americans have seen this pattern before.

Many still remember when Congresswoman Ilhan Omar referred to the September 11 terrorist attacks as a time when "some people did something." Think about that for a moment. Nearly 3,000 innocent Americans were murdered. Firefighters ran into burning towers. Police officers gave their lives trying to save strangers. Families lost mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, husbands, and wives.

Yet one member of Congress reduced that horror to "some people did something."

That statement struck a nerve because it reflected a broader problem. Too often, the political left seems uncomfortable speaking plainly about terrorism. When Americans hear euphemisms, excuses, and moral equivalence instead of clear condemnation, they naturally begin to question where their leaders truly stand.

The American people do not view September 11 as an abstract event. They remember the smoke. They remember the funerals. They remember the courage. They remember watching Americans leap from burning buildings rather than face the flames. They remember the heroes aboard Flight 93 who sacrificed themselves to save countless others. They remember the Pentagon under attack. And they remember exactly who committed those atrocities.

That is why Congressman Max Miller's comments resonated with so many Americans. They are tired of carefully crafted language that seems designed to obscure the truth. They want leaders who are willing to call terrorists exactly what they are.

Whether one agrees with every word Max Miller used is beside the point.

Millions of Americans recognize the frustration behind them. They see a political establishment that often appears more eager to criticize America than to confront those who wish us harm. They see politicians who can find endless reasons to attack our own country while struggling to utter a straightforward condemnation of terrorist groups.

The American people deserve better.

At a time when President Donald Trump is restoring American strength on the world stage and reminding our adversaries that peace comes through strength, Congress should be united in sending a clear message to the world. America stands with freedom. America stands with our allies. America stands against terrorism in all its forms.

That should not be a difficult statement.

It should not be controversial.

And it certainly should not require an act of political courage.

What Congressman Max Miller said on the House floor was not merely a criticism of one member of Congress. It was an expression of the frustration felt by millions of Americans who are tired of watching elected officials twist themselves into knots to avoid saying what should be obvious. Terrorists are the problem. Terrorist sympathizers are the problem. Nations that finance and arm terrorist organizations are the problem.

The American people understand that distinction. They expect their leaders to understand it as well.

History will not remember who was offended by Max Miller's remarks. History will remember whether America's leaders had the courage to stand unapologetically with freedom, with our allies, and against those who seek to destroy both.

The real question is not why Max Miller spoke so forcefully. The real question is why so many people in Washington seem uncomfortable with the message.

America has no obligation to apologize for opposing terrorists. We never have, and we never should.

The American people are tired of politicians who find it easier to criticize America than to condemn America's enemies. They are tired of hearing endless explanations for terrorist organizations while being told that ordinary Americans are the real problem. They are tired of leaders who seem more offended by strong words directed at extremists than by the extremism itself.

Congressman Max Miller did not create that frustration.

He voiced it.

And judging by the reaction across America, he said what millions of Americans were already thinking.

The choice before our leaders is not complicated. Stand with America. Stand with our allies. Stand with the victims of terrorism. Stand with the families who lost loved ones on September 11. Stand with the men and women in uniform who have spent decades fighting those who would do us harm.

Or stand with those who continue to make excuses.

For most Americans, that choice is easy.

Washington should make it easy as well.

Perry O. Hooper Jr. is a former state representative, a current member of the Alabama Republican State Executive Committee, the 2016 Trump Victory Chair, and a widely published columnist who writes on government affairs, politics, and current events.

Opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Alabama Gazette staff or publishers.