How Biden & Obama Work Together To Fight Terrorism

In the wake of the recent wave of domestic and international terrorist attacks, President Obama addressed the nation Sunday night from the Oval Office for the first time since 2010. Although it seems a small change from his usual spot in front of the doorway to the East Room, the image of Obama behind the Resolute Desk will soon become a powerful symbol of the commitment to ending terrorism. Together with his right hand man, Vice President Joe Biden, President Obama is approaching new strategies for combatting terrorism.

Obama and Biden have been an unusually productive and symbiotic POTUS/VPOTUS team in their nearly seven years in office. Biden has been heralded as the "most influential vice president of all time," and Obama has had a particularly close relationship with Biden as an advisor. As their last year together draws nearer and the threat of domestic and international terrorism is dominating the national conversation, the Executive Duo will be working as a team to fight terrorism at home and abroad.

Obama and Biden have been working to combat this issue for years now. Back in 2013, President Obama appointed Biden the head of a gun control task force in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting. Biden held 22 meetings in less than two weeks, collected information from more than 200 independent agencies, and placed personal phone calls to the victims' families. Since then, the Obama administration has championed universal background checks for anyone trying to purchase a gun. The San Bernardino attack Wednesday marked the deadliest domestic terrorist attack since 9/11, and the revelation that the attackers used legally purchased guns will undoubtedly renew the Obama administration's push for stronger gun control laws.

As President Obama addresses domestic concerns about terrorism, Biden is abroad, tackling relations with Ukraine to keep the focus on curbing international threats and retaining foreign allies.The vice president is in Kiev until Tuesday working with Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko and prime minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk to ease tensions in Eastern Europe. A smoother political atmosphere in the region and a peaceable, permanent solution between Russia and Ukraine could help in the fight against ISIS.

The common factor between Biden and Obama is rhetoric — they have clearly coordinated their message to the American people and created a plan for addressing the issue of terrorism. At a rally in Dallas last month, Biden responded to a question about Syrian refugees by saying "One way to make sure that the terrorists win is for us to begin to change our value system." Similarly, the press release ahead of Obama's national address urges that "the United States must draw the nation's values - its commitment to justice, equality and freedom - to prevail over terrorist groups." The synchronized focus on American values shows the teamwork between Obama and Biden and will hopefully keep the country moving forward toward a solution to defeat terrorism.