Those people who say that President Obama has no clear vision and no clear strategy for dealing with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria terrorists in the Middle East may be mistaken. It seems to me that he has a very clear and very consistent strategy. And a vision behind that strategy.

First the strategy — which is to get each crisis off the front pages and off television news programs as quickly as he can, in whatever way he can, at the lowest political cost. Calling the Islamic State a junior varsity months ago accomplished that goal.