Barack Obama actually said...

"It appears that he joined an affiliate of al Qaeda and that this group, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula trained him, equipped him with those explosives and directed him to attack that plane headed f..."

"I make this decision because I am convinced that our security is at stake in Afghanistan and Pakistan. This is the epicenter of violent extremism practiced by al Qaeda."

"Multiple intelligence estimates have warned that al Qaeda is actively planning attacks on the United States homeland from its safe haven in Pakistan."

"Our nation is at war against the far-reaching network of violence and hatred."