Because of the extraordinary courage of our men and women in uniform, because of our intelligence officers, law enforcement, and diplomats who support our troops, no foreign terrorist organization has successfully planned and executed an attack on our homeland these past eight years; and although Boston and Orlando, San Bernadino and Fort Hood remind us of how dangerous radicalization can be, our law enforcement agencies are more effective and vigilant than ever.
We've taken out tens of thousands of terrorists – including Osama bin Laden.
The global coalition we're leading against ISIL has taken out their leaders, and taken away about half their territory.
ISIL will be destroyed, and no one who threatens America will ever be safe. And all who serve, or have served, it has been the honor of my lifetime to be your Commander-in-Chief. And we all owe you a deep debt of gratitude.
But protecting our way of life, that's not just de job of our military. Democracy can buckle when we give in to fear. So just as we, as citizens, must remain vigilant against external aggression, we must guard against a weakening of the values that make us who we are.
That's why, for the past eight years, I've worked to put the fight against terrorism on a firm legal footing. That's why we've ended torture, worked to close Gitmo, and reform our laws governing surveillance to protect privacy and civil liberties.
That's why I reject discrimination against Muslim Americans, who are just as patriotic as we are.
That's why we cannot withdraw from global fights, to expand democracy, and human rights, women's rights, and LGBT rights, no matter how imperfect our efforts, no matter how expedient ignoring such values may seem. That's part of defending America.
For the fight against extremism and intolerance and sectarianism are of a piece with the fight against authoritarianism and nationalist aggression. If the scope of freedom and respect for the rule of law shrinks around the world, the likelihood of war within and between nations increases, and our own freedoms will eventually be threatened.
So let's be vigilant, but not afraid. ISIL will try to kill innocent people. But they cannot defeat America unless we betray our Constitution and our principles in the fight.
