Rep. Allen West: US Security Policy Must Recognize Role of Islamic Ideology in Terrorism

He's served on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, but now, freshman Rep. Allen West, R-Fla., is bringing his experiences to the halls of Congress to fight a different kind of battle.

"One of the things that I've noticed is that when you cross the Potomac, truth becomes subjective," West recently told CBN News. "And I will not subscribe to that."

The latest controversial "truth" West is warning of is the danger of separating Islamic ideology and radical Islamic terrorism.

"Can we really defeat this enemy if we don't acknowledge the role that Islamic ideology plays in terrorism?" CBN News asked the tea party favorite.

"When you look at the national security strategy, it does not talk about jihadism, does not talk about Islamic terrorism, does not talk about Muslim extremism--as a matter of fact, it talks more about global warming and climate change," West answered.

"We have to be able to stand up and forthrightly declare there is an ideology out there that's fueling this thing," he said "You can't say this is a 'war on terrorism.' Terrorism is a tactic, and a nation can't fight a tactic."

"And we have to have that dialogue up here in the halls of Congress and among our leadership, or else, we're just going to head down the road to perdition."

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