More than 24 hours after the first official confirmation that Americans were among those slaughtered by Hamas in Israel over the weekend, President Joe Biden finally addressed the country. In his remarks he updated the American death toll, announcing that 14 Americans were confirmed dead in the strikes. His tone was more pointed, and his verbiage centered on terrorism but made no mention of Iran.

He began by acknowledging the evilness of Hamas' actions and went into heartbreaking specifics. Since some leftists deny that these events are even occurring, hearing Biden acknowledge that they were is a good thing.

You know, there are moments in this life... when the pure, unadulterated evil is unleashed on this world. The people of Israel lived through one such moment this weekend at the bloody hands of the terrorist organization Hamas, a group whose stated purpose for being is to kill Jews.

. . .

Parents butchered, using their bodies to try to protect their children. Stomach-turning reports of babies being killed, entire families slain. Young people massacred while attending a music festival to celebrate peace. Women raped, assaulted, paraded as trophies. Families hid their fear for hours and hours, desperately trying to keep their children quiet to avoid drawing attention.... This is terrorism. But sadly, for the Jewish people it's not new. 

Biden unequivocally stated that the United States stands with Israel: 

"In this moment we must be crystal clear: We stand with Israel. We will make sure Israel has what it needs to take care of its citizens, defend itself, and respond to this attack.

"My administration has consulted closely with Congress throughout this crisis. When Congress returns, I’m going to ask them to take urgent action to fund the national security requirements of our critical partners. This is not about party or politics; it’s about the security of our world, the security of the United States of America.”

With numerous reports detailing Iran's participation in this specific attack, and knowing that Biden's policy (both during his presidency and vice-presidency) gave Iran's rulers access to billions of dollars they've used to fund Hamas and Hezbollah and their own terror operations, that assurance is more than hollow; it's insulting.

Biden acknowledged that Hamas' stated purpose is to murder Jewish people and to wipe Israel off the map. It's in their charter. And, it's true that Hamas' purpose is not to bring self-determination and a dignified life to the residents of Gaza. But there's a larger purpose for Biden's word choices.

There is no justification for terrorism. There is no excuse. Hamas does not stand for the Palestinian people's right to dignity and self-determination. Its stated purpose is the annihilation of the State of Israel and the murder of the Jewish people. They use Palestinian civilians as human shields. Hamas offers nothing but terror and bloodshed with no regard to who pays the price.

And, Biden said, there should not be calls for Israel to simply turn the other cheek.

Like every nation in the world, Israel has the right to respond; indeed, has a duty to respond to these vicious attacks.

By labeling Hamas a terrorist organization and distinguishing between people living in Gaza and Hamas, Biden is laying a foundation for how his administration will message in the coming days and weeks. When Israel enters Gaza and women and children are inevitably killed (since the cowards of Hamas will use them as human shields), there will be calls for Israel to stop. Biden, Jake Sullivan, Antony Blinken, and the rest of them will say that Hamas doesn't represent the people in Gaza and that the people in Gaza want peace and prosperity and don't agree with what Hamas did and continues to do. Undoubtedly, there are people in Gaza who do want peace and prosperity, but Hamas isn't just a terrorist organization. Hamas is the governing authority in Gaza and has been since 2006.

Hamas' evil, while absolutely a terrorist campaign, is an act of war. The Israelis treated it as such, and formally declared war on Hamas on Sunday. That means that international law governs the Israeli response, and also means that Hamas is a legitimate political and military target globally. Biden knows that as far as Benjamin Netanyahu is concerned, Israel's gloves are off and it's time to destroy Hamas totally; Biden's reliance on the "terrorism" language is in preparation for telling Netanyahu that Israel has fulfilled its duty to respond to these vicious terrorist attacks once Biden and the Iranian sympathizers in his administration feel it's been enough.

The Biden administration doesn't want to have to acknowledge what's happening as a legally-declared war. It's too late, and they're complicit in what Hamas did.