A rare moment of candor. Not only does he not yet have a strategy; he doesn’t yet have the courage to call the threat what it really is, or to acknowledge that the actions of the Islamic State have deep roots in Islamic theology and law. There is no way that we can defeat an enemy we do not understand, and Obama refuses to understand this one.
“Obama: ‘We Don’t Have A Strategy Yet’ On ISIS,” by Brett LoGiurato, Business Insider, August 28, 2014:
U.S. President Barack Obama addressed a pair of worsening world crises Thursday afternoon, blaming Russia for escalating violence in eastern regions of Ukraine and admitting he doesn’t yet have a strategy to confront the extremist group calling itself the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (also ISIS or ISIL).
His statement from the White House came amid a day of significant escalation in the crisis in Ukraine, as Ukraine’s president accused Russia of sending troops across the border to fight with pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine’s southeastern regions. Obama said it was clear the ongoing violence had been “encouraged” by Russia, who he said trained and armed separatists in the violence-stricken regions.
“Russia is responsible for the violence in eastern Ukraine,” Obama said. “This ongoing Russian incursion into Ukraine will only bring more costs and consequences for Russia.”
Obama is scheduled to meet Thursday evening with members of his National Security Council, as well as Vice President Joe Biden, on a strategy to further confront the extremist group ISIS in Iraq and Syria. A White House official said no new decisions are expected on how to proceed Thursday.
“I don’t want to put the cart before the horse,” Obama said, when asked about the next steps in confronting the group.
“We don’t have a strategy yet,” he said….