- The Washington Times - Monday, September 8, 2014

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said in an op-ed on USA Today’s website that the United States has a duty to lead the world into confronting — and obliterating — Islamic State terrorists.

“The threat ISIS poses cannot be overstated,” Ms. Feinstein said in her op-ed. “This is the most vicious, well-funded and militant terrorist organization we have ever seen, and it is very quickly consolidating its power.”

She focused her statements on the recent release of the videos from the Islamic State that showed the beheadings of two U.S. journalists, James Foley and Steven Sotloff, CBS News reported.

“This is why I strongly believe the United States must lead an aggressive, international effort to confront and eliminate ISIS, including sustained airstrikes in Iraq and Syria,” she went on. “President Obama has now said that he intends to ’degrade and destroy’ ISIS. I look forward to hearing the specifics of the president’s plan when he speaks on Wednesday. We either confront ISIS now or we’ll have to confront it later — when it will be a much stronger enemy.”

Ms. Feinstein also said she gets that America’s “weary” of Middle Eastern conflict.

“But Americans need to understand ISIS’ degree of viciousness as well as what will happen in the absence of U.S. leadership and action,” she said. 

• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.

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