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Obama under fire for admitting he has no ISIL strategy
 [Iran Press TV] President Barack ObamaBecause I won... is facing intense criticism for admitting the United States does not have a strategy to address the ISIL terrorist organization after a week of bluster about eliminating that "cancer." The US president said Thursday that he was not planning to significantly expand the military action against ISIL anytime soon. American military planes have carried out over 100 "I don't want to put the cart before the horse. We don't have a strategy yet," Obama said in a briefing with news hounds at the White House. "My priority at this point is to make sure that the gains that ISIL made in Iraq are rolled back and that Iraq has the opportunity to govern itself effectively and secure itself," he stated. Obama's remarks came after days of heated debate within his national security team about whether to strike ISIL in Syria. Earlier this week, Obama authorized military surveillance flights over Syria, a move that was seen as a prelude to subsequent Republican critics were quick to bounce Thursday, criticizing the president for his self-admitted lack of strategy while ISIL is growing in strength in both Iraq and Syria. Sen.  John MaverickMcCain ... the Senator-for-Life from Arizona, former presidential candidate and even more former foot soldier in the Reagan Revolution... , one of Obama's fiercest foreign policy critics, tweeted Thursday that ISIL was the largest and richest terrorist group in history. At an event in Caliphornia, an impregnable bastion of the Democratic Party, Thursday night, Rep. Paul Ryan ...U.S. Representative for Wisconsin's 1st congressional district, serving since 1999. He is a member of the Republican Party. He proposed an alternative to President Obama's 2011 budget and made himself the target of both Democrat and Republican verbal pies... , (R-Wis.) also responded to Obama's comment, saying the US needed a "strategy to finish them off." "Not to contain them ... but to fundamentally finish them off. And I don't think the president sees this moment for what it is," he added. Rep. Louie Gohmert, (R-Texas) said on Fox News that the B.O. regime's strategy to address the ISIL terror network was inadequate. "He did say we don't have a strategy, but he followed that up by saying the strategy is to nip it in the bud. Well, unfortunately, it's not in a bud, it's full-blossom," Gohmert said. Calls for striking ISIL grew more intense following last week's brutal beheading of American journalist James Foley by the Death Eater group in Syria which was posted in a video online. Obama said Thursday that military leaders were presenting him with a "range of options" for addressing the terrorist group that, according to some intelligence officials, poses the greatest threat to the US homeland since al-Qaeda before the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. Posted by: Fred 2014-08-30 |
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