“I don’t think they [Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL)] are gaining strength”, Obama told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos in an exclusive interview on Thursday. “We must make it crystal clear that affiliation with ISIS and related terrorist groups brings with it the undying enmity of America-that it is, in effect, signing your own death warrant”.
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The terrorist assault in Paris brings to the fore of the 2016 presidential contest an argument over how to wield American military power against the fast-growing Islamic State network and whether the United States bears blame for not intervening earlier. “The only thing we are going to ever do to stop them is to take aggressive actions”, Huckabee said on CNN on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Ash Carter spoke by phone this Saturday morning with French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian to convey his condolences for those killed during Friday night’s terrorist attacks in Paris, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said.
The GOP presidential candidate later detailed his plan for dealing with the terrorist organization.
Security is expected be extremely tight in Turkey as leaders gather for two days of talks in Antalya, where several suspected Islamic State militants were recently detained. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) have a few national-security expertise and both have put forward fairly detailed policy proposals.
GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump didn’t bash Obama, but did take a swipe at the Democratic Party’s stance on firearms in the hands of civilians.
Romney’s op-ed Sunday also mirrored the tone many Republicans have adopted since the Paris attacks, setting an ominous mood and using foreboding language that envisions America as a vulnerable fortress against evil, the NY Times reported Saturday. The al-Qaeda offshoot has seized large parts of Iraqi and Syrian territory, beheaded Americans and others, and vowed a wider war against Western thought.
“What we have not yet been able to do, is to completely decapitate their command and control structures”, Obama added, saying that as a result of United States efforts in the region, the militants “have not gained ground in Iraq, and in Syria… you don’t see the systematic march by ISIL”.
An effort to lay out the more robust strategy against ISIS that the next president may eventually have to adopt would also put Clinton in the hard position of criticizing Obama’s current efforts at the same time that she is trying to reassemble the coalition of voters that helped the President win two terms.
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French President Francois Hollande announces his decision to agree to a request from Iraq for air support against the IS. “Clearly they want to energize their efforts”, Rhodes said.
