Seth Meyers critiques the farcical responses to the San Bernardino terrorist tragedy

Seth Meyers takes a closer look at terrorism in San Diego

(Image credit: Late Night)

published 8 December 2015

Seth Meyers clearly taped Monday's Late Night before Donald Trump threw out his proposal to ban all Muslims from coming to the U.S., but he still found plenty lacking in the media and political reaction to last week's terrorist attack in San Bernardino, California. He started with the Republican presidential field's primary complaint with President Obama's Oval Office speech on the shooting — and the Islamic State, and terrorism in general: that Obama didn't use the phrase "radical Islamic terrorism."

Meyers pointed out that Obama did blame a "perverted" form of Islam for radicalizing terrorists in his speech: "So he used the words 'radical' and 'Islam' and 'terrorism,' he just didn't use them in the right order. Which would be a problem if it was a spell and he was Harry Potter, but he's not, so it isn't." He also shook his head at CNN and MSNBC pointlessly rooting around in the mass shooters' apartment, Fox News hosts and guests for saying a bunch of foolish things about Muslims (and Obama), and Marco Rubio for asking why Democrats aren't talking about "bomb control" after the attack. Meyers apparently thinks this tragedy is descending into farce, and agree or not, you can watch his "closer look" below. Peter Weber

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.