In his speech in Saudi Arabia, President Trump called on his Muslim audience to unite “in pursuing the one goal that transcends every other consideration. That goal is to meet history’s great test — to conquer extremism and vanquish the forces of terrorism.”

That challenge could have been drama enough for the occasion, but Trump didn’t stop there. He went on to frame the great test as a “battle between good and evil.”

As if to concede the point, evil responded quickly with the savage attack in Manchester, England, targeting innocent children and teenagers, most of them girls, with a nail bomb. Evil is as evil does.

The sickening, celebratory claims of responsibility by Islamic State underscore the stakes. While it is important to investigators whether the suicide bomber, Salman Abedi, acted alone or had help or even direction from Islamic State, those are not the most important distinctions in the larger picture.

To continue reading Michael Goodwin's column from the New York Post, click here.