Hillary Reiterates End of ‘War on Terror’ Phrase While Taliban Pledges White House Attack

Hillary Clinton, yesterday:

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the Obama administration has stopped using “war on terror,” breaking with the Bush administration’s terminology in describing the conflict with al Qaeda and militant Islam.

“The administration has stopped using the phrase, and I think that speaks for itself,” Mrs. Clinton told reporters as she traveled here for a United Nations-led conference on Afghanistan.

Mrs. Clinton made her remarks in response to reporters’ questions. Asked whether there was a specific policy decision on the terminology, she said: “I haven’t gotten any directive about using it or not using it. It’s just not being used.”

Elsewhere in the world, today:

The commander of the Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility Tuesday for a deadly assault on a Pakistani police academy and said the group was planning a terrorist attack on the White House that would “amaze” the world.

“Soon we will launch an attack in Washington that will amaze everyone in the world,” Mehsud told The Associated Press by phone. He provided no details.

Mehsud identified the White House as one of the targets in an interview with local Dewa Radio, a copy of which was obtained by the AP.

Baitullah Mehsud might just be offering the standard-issue empty threats and big talk. But if there is a terror attack in Washington in the not-too-distant future, the recent de-emphasis of the “war on terror” phrase is going to look silly. We may have ended our “war on terror,” but nobody sent that memo to the terrorists.