Members of the press weren’t buying President Obama’s attempt to assure reporters Monday that his administration has the Islamic State under control, even after the attacks in Paris last week that left 129 people dead.
“[W]e have a comprehensive strategy using all elements of our power — military, intelligence, economic, development, and the strength of our communities. We have always understood that this would be a long-term campaign,” the president said during an address at the G20 summit in Antalya, Turkey. “There will be setbacks and there will be successes.”
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Obama conceded that the Paris attack is a “terrible and sickening setback” in the international community’s attempt to curb the rise of ISIS, a group that he once referred to as the “JV team” of terrorists. He maintained, however, that the United States and its allies have made significant gains against the terrorist group, and repeated that ISIS is slowly but surely being dismantled.
But reporters weren’t swayed by President Obama’s assurances, and many took the opportunity afterwards to dog him with tough questions about his handling of the insurgent terrorist group.
“ISIL claimed responsibility for the [Paris] massacre, sending the message that they could now target civilians all over the world. The equation has clearly changed. Isn’t it time for your strategy to change?” Jerome Cartillier of AFP asked.
Margaret Brennan of CBS News added, “A year-long bombing campaign in Iraq and in Syria has failed to contain the ambition and the ability of ISIS to launch attacks in the West. Have you underestimated their abilities?”
And the questions didn’t get any easier for president, who answered each one by repeating that he has not underestimated ISIS.
“This is an organization that you once described as a JV team that evolved into a force that has now occupied territory in Iraq and Syria and is now able to use that safe haven to launch attacks in other parts of the world,” said CNN’s Jim Acosta. “How is that not underestimating their capabilities? And how is that contained, quite frankly?”
“And I think a lot of Americans have this frustration that they see that the United States has the greatest military in the world, it has the backing of nearly every other country in the world when it comes to taking on ISIS. I guess the question is – and if you’ll forgive the language – is why can’t we take out these bastards?” he added.
The president answered, “I just spent the last three questions answering that very question, so I don’t know what more you want me to add.”
For each reporter questioning whether the administration really understands the threat posed by ISIS, the president repeated that he and his team haven’t underestimated the group. Obama also emphasized that he wants to avoid using the kind of rhetoric about “winning” and “leadership” that his political opponents use.
“[W]hat I’m not interested in doing is posing or pursuing some notion of American leadership or America winning, or whatever other slogans they come up with that has no relationship to what is actually going to work to protect the American people, and to protect people in the region who are getting killed, and to protect our allies and people like France,” he added. “I’m too busy for that.”
For these and other remarks Monday, reporters were decidedly unimpressed following the press conference, and many of them took to the air to criticize the president’s overall approach to national security and terrorism.
“If you were waiting to hear a US President say, ‘I feel your pain’ or if you were waiting to hear a US President say, ‘It’s them or us,’ that is not what you just heard,” Fox News Bill Hemmer said.
“President Obama has made it quite clear in that Q-and-A that lasted more than 45 minutes that he has accepted there are evils in this world and evils in places like Paris, France and this is something that we all must face today … If you’re at home wondering with your own set of anger and your own set of fears about what can happen next, you are not alone, because that is precisely what you feel here in Paris, France. And if you were awaiting clarification on your feelings through that Q-and-A, you weren’t gonna get it,” he added.
CNN’s Jake Tapper said elsewhere, “One step ahead? We don’t seem to be one step ahead of any terrorists groups these days.”
Political commentator Gloria Borger accused Obama of spending more time talking about his political opposition, “not talking about resolve or American leadership.”
Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin added darkly that the Obama administration is busy fighting a “political PR battle,” not a “national security one.”
