President Obama made a mistake not enforcing the “red line” he established in Syria against the use of chemical weapons and in not addressing the ISIS threat quicker, former CIA director and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said.
Panetta did not directly say that the current need to engage the Islamic State in Syria in Iraq was the result of Obama not using military force after Syrian president Bashar Assad used chemical weapons against civilians there, but said that the subsequent, late engagement allowed ISIS to gain the foothold they have there today.
“There [is] no question in my mind some mistakes were made here,” Panetta said. “Had we gone in and made very clear that since Assad used chemical weapons … and crossed red line. I think it’s important to understand that .. you cannot stand aside and not confront [ISIS], not provide leadership,” due to the nature of the threat the organization poses, Panetta said.
Panetta, who served as both the CIA and Pentagon chief under Obama, said ISIS represents “truly a new phase on the war on terrorism” and needs to be countered with “everything we’ve got.”
The Islamic State has the financial means and arms to conduct “the kind of offensive operations that have to be met tooth and nail with everything we’ve got,” said Panetta.
Earlier this week Obama submitted a new authorization for the use of military force to Congress, which was met with immediate criticism for vague language on the use of military ground forces. The AUMF does not permit the use of ground forces for “enduring offensive ground combat operations.”
Panetta said in his interpretation, the language means, “We are not going to go to war with 150,000 troops … that’s what I see as the limits.”
