The chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee said Sunday that President Obama can’t seem to “get his head around” the threat the Islamic State poses as it grabs territory in Iraq and Syria and releases gruesome videos of hostage beheadings.
“ISIS does not fit in this president’s narrative,” Rep. Michael McCaul told CBS’s “Face the Nation,” using a common name for the Islamic extremists.
Mr. McCaul, Texas Republican, said the president staked his legacy on winding down the wars in the Middle East — not starting new ones.
But the U.S. needs “to send a clear signal” that it will fight Islamic State militants wherever they are, he said.
He said the prince of Jordan personally told him he would put his own troops into Syria.
Mr. Obama has said the U.S. will use airpower in conjunction with moderate rebels on the ground in Syria, rather than using American troops.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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