--- title: Democratic Debate: Incoherent on ISIS description: The three Democrats who debated in Iowa last night were concerned about the Paris terror attacks and ISIS canonical: https://time.com/4113665/democrats-debate-isis/ author: Joe Klein article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-11-15T15:41:32.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-05T08:39:59.217Z article:section: Politics og:title: The Democratic Debate: Incoherent on ISIS og:description: The Democrats were very concerned about the Paris attacks and ISIS og:url: https://time.com/4113665/democrats-debate-isis/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt989bcdd33e69843d/69887129e20a873ea9a8e38f/debate-democratic.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5184 og:image:height: 2916 og:image:alt: DEM 2016 Debate og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Democratic Debate: Incoherent on ISIS twitter:description: The Democrats were very concerned about the Paris attacks and ISIS twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt989bcdd33e69843d/69887129e20a873ea9a8e38f/debate-democratic.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Democratic Debate: Incoherent on ISIS > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=e119aca2-d061-482c-b390-b951e0cc73eb&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Watch Second Democratic Debate in 4 Minutes [Watch (HLS stream): Watch Second Democratic Debate in 4 Minutes](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/i2uvWN4w.m3u8) (3:31)  _Published 2015-11-15. CBS Democratic Debate in 4 Minutes_ by [Joe Klein](https://time.com/author/joe-klein/) ## Joe Klein Nov 15, 2015 3:41 PM UTC by [Joe Klein](https://time.com/author/joe-klein/) ## Joe Klein Nov 15, 2015 3:41 PM UTC The three Democrats who debated in Iowa last night were very, very concerned about the Paris terror attacks and the growing evidence that ISIS—or Da’esh, as it is called in the region—has metastasized into a true global threat. Very concerned. Bernie Sanders even thought that this barbaric challenge to civilization should be “eliminated”…although it was not as great a threat as global warming, he allowed, which—hold on, here—_causes_ terrorism. You know, droughts and floods set people in motion and…well, never mind. Sanders’ utter lack of proportion on this issue—and yes, climate change is a serious problem, but not the immediate threat to our security that Islamic terror is—is a classic example of how the American left lives in a hermetically sealed bubble, just as the American right does. And the left, and its solipsistic insistence on political correctness, is having an undue influence on the Democrats’ presidential candidates in 2016. Indeed, political correctness makes it impossible for Democrats to face, head on, by name, the essential problem: the rise of Islamic radicalism—or jihadi-ism, as Hillary Clinton tried to call it (and almost succeeded). This is not just a word game. If we are to come to terms with Da’esh and Al Qaeda and other jihadis, we have to acknowledge that they represent a basic conflict within Islam: the rise of Wahhabi-style fundamentalism over the past century. If we recognize the nature of this battle, it becomes easier for us to identify our friends and enemies, especially the latter. Our enemies are those who have funded and promulgated Wahhabi-style Islam through radical Madrasas throughout the Middle East. That would be Saudi Arabia, whose tottering monarchy made a devil’s bargain with the Wahhabis decades ago. In recent weeks, the Saudis and their gulf allies, have turned their attention away from ISIS and focused on the Shi’a rebels in Yemen, who represent a far less potent threat to global stability (even though they are supported by Iran). And yet, Saudi Arabia—and Wahabi-style Islam–was not mentioned by any of the candidates last night. But then, nothing much was—other than a general belief that America should lead the fight against ISIS in consultation with our allies within and outside the region. Which is what we have been doing, to some effect, but not enough. The question now—unasked and unanswered—is whether the recent evidence of global reach by ISIS requires a change in US/NATO strategy. France will probably invoke Article V of the NATO treaty, which calls on the members to join together in a military response to the act of war. What does that mean? Does it mean—as most Republicans have suggested—that we are at turning point: that an allied invasion force is necessary to retake the territory held by ISIS/Da’esh? Not even Hillary Clinton, who has a far better grasp of these problems than her two challengers, was willing to take on that one. But that will be the central question in the weeks to come: Can we build a military coalition—like the supple one built by George H.W. Bush in the first Gulf War—to take on the limited mission of destroying Da’esh’s safe haven. One wonders how Sanders and the rest of the left feel now about the use of drone strikes—one of which killed the alleged leader of ISIS in Libya on the same day as the Paris attacks–and the aggressive collection of terror-related data. Aside from the incoherence on ISIS, the other notable moment of the debate was Hillary Clinton’s phenomenal conflation of “Wall Street”—the term of art for big finance—with Wall Street, the geographic region in lower Manhattan. She was challenged by Sanders on her financial support from “Wall Street” and came up with this:“Where were we attacked? We were attacked in downtown Manhattan, where Wall Street is,” she said. “I did spend a whole lot of time and effort helping them rebuild. That was good for New York.” Well, I suppose it depends on what your definition of the word “is” is. Based on what I saw last night, I’d say that 2016 is not looking like a good year for the Democrats—if it weren’t for the fact that more than half the Republican polity seems intent on giving us an amateur as their nominee at a time when a sober, sophisticated professional is needed. ## Transcript So before we begin tonight's second debate with these candidates for the democratic presidential nomination we ask you to join us in observing a moment of silence. [ APPLAUSE ] I'm not that much of a social Compared to Eisenhower. You'll never hear this from that immigrant bashing carnival barker Donald trump. And for the first time a majority of donors are women, 60 %. In 2008 you were portraying yourself ans Annie Oakley and saying that we don't need those regulations. oh there just can not be an AMerican fight although American leadership is essential. I would argue That the disastrous invasion of Iraq has unravelled the region completely, and led to the rise of Al- Qaeda and to ISIS. I don't think that the United States has the bulk of the responsibility. It's not just about getting rid of this single dictator. It is about understanding the secondary and third consequences that fall next. That was one of the real contributions despite all the other problems, that George W. Bush made after nine eleven when he basically said after going to a Mosque in Washington, we are not at war with Islam or Muslims. We are at war with violent extremists. If you go to 12 it would be the highest historical average we've ever had. Oh come on but yeah look it should always be going up, with all due respect to Secretary Clinton, I think we need to stop taking our advice from economists on Wall Street and start taking advice. [ CROSSTALK ] He's not on Wall Street. Wall Street's the [ INAUDIBLE ] [ APPLAUSE ] I represented New York, and I represented New York on 9 / 11. We were attacked in downtown Manhattan where Wall Street is. I did spend a whole lot of time and effort helping them rebuild. That was good for New York. It was good for the economy. And it was a way to rebuke the terrorists [ APPLAUSE ] [ APPLAUSE ] Who have attacked our country. The business model of Wall Street is fraud. The Affordable Care Act is a step forward, I think we all support it. I believe we gotta go further. I want to end the international embarrassment of the United States of America being the only major country on Earth that doesn't guarantee healthcare to all people as a right, not a privilege. And there's a significant difference that I have with Senator Sanders about how best to provide quality, affordable health care for everyone. I want those kids to know that if they study hard, they do their homework, regardless of the income of their families they will in fact be able to get a college education because we're gonna make public colleges and universities tuition free. I believe that actually affordable college, debt free college is the goal that we need to attain as a nation. I disagree with free college for everybody. I don't think tax payers should be paying to send Donald Trump's kids to college. There is no challenge too great for the United States to confront. Provided we have the ability and the courage to put forward new leadership that can move us to those better, and safer, and more prosperous days. I think the President's job Is to do everything possible, everything that she can do to lift up the people of this country. We need a political revolution, millions of people are gonna have to stand up, turn off the tv, get involved in the political process. 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