Cruz: After shootings, US must abandon ‘political correctness’

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) called for unity after the mass shootings at an Orlando, Fla., nightclub, but also slammed President Obama and Hillary Clinton for their responses to what is now being called a terrorist attack.

{mosads}”Enough is enough. What we need is for every American — Democrat and Republican — to come together, abandon political correctness, and unite in defeating radical Islamic terrorism,” the former presidential candidate said in a statement Sunday. 

Omar Mateen is suspected of killing 49 people and injuring 53 more at gay nightclub in Orlando.

While the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has said Mateen was an ISIS fighter, law enforcement officials have not announced any official connections. 

ISIS also has not offered any proof it was behind the attacks. 

Cruz criticized Obama and Clinton, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, for refusing to “utter the words ‘radical Islamic terrorism'” and said Democrats will use the shootings to shift the conversation toward gun control. 

“They will try to exploit this terror attack to undermine the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms of law-abiding Americans,” Cruz said.

The U.S. needs a president who will “unleash the full force and fury” of the U.S. military to destroy ISIS, Cruz said.

“We need a president who is serious — who will identify the enemy by name and do everything necessary to defeat it,” Cruz said, though he didn’t mention who that president should be. 

That echoes comments from presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump, who attacked President Obama for refusing to attribute the shooting to radical Islam.

“In his remarks today, President Obama disgracefully refused to even say the words ‘Radical Islam’. For that reason alone, he should step down,” Trump said in a statement Sunday afternoon. 

“If Hillary Clinton, after this attack, still cannot say the two words ‘Radical Islam’ she should get out of this race for the Presidency,” he added. 

Cruz then called on Democrats “who are loud champions of the gay and lesbian community” to speak out against “an ideology that calls for the murder of gays and lesbians.” 

“ISIS and the theocracy in Iran (supported with American taxpayer dollars) regularly murder homosexuals, throwing them from buildings and burying them under rocks,” Cruz said. “This is wrong, it is evil, and we must all stand against it.” 

Both Obama and Clinton called the shootings an act of terror and mentioned gun control.