The U.S. is preparing to bomb Islamic State (ISIS) strongholds and arm Syrian anti-government rebels because of President Barack Obama's years of "failed counterterrorism efforts," House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy says.
Following House and Senate votes to approve arming of the Syrian rebels, the California Republican blasted the past performance of the Obama administration which, he told
USA Today, has led to the current confrontation with the ISIS terrorists.
"ISIS dominates headlines today, but it is merely a symptom of this administration's failed counterterrorism efforts and of a broader jihadist threat," McCarthy told USA Today.
"Since 2009, the president has played to war-weariness, falsely telling us that the tide of war was receding and the back of a-Qaeda had been broken, rather than being honest with the American people about the continuing threat."
While the House approved the resolution giving Obama the go-ahead to arm the Syrian rebels, many lawmakers, including McCarthy, have expressed doubts that Obama's air war strategy was sufficient for victory.
Rep. John Fleming, R-La., said the House's authorization was "little more than an incremental strategy, not unlike the one used in Vietnam. History warns of the dangers of such approaches. By moving hesitantly in piecemeal fashion, the enemy has more time to learn, adapt and get stronger. This is a recipe for a stalemate and failure,"
Roll Call reported.
It's not the first time McCarthy has criticized Obama's approach to defeating ISIS. Earlier this month he told Fox News'
Greta Van Susteren, "I think you'll find on both sides people would like to see a complete strategy, not a partial strategy. But that doesn't mean you can't go forward with this. But it doesn't solve the whole problem.
"The difficulty I have with it, I never make a strategy and then let my enemies know what I will or will not do."
"Our partners in the region have begged the U.S. for years to quarterback an effort to confront both terrorists like ISIL and the Iranian-backed Bashar Assad regime in Syria," McCarthy told USA Today.
"The Iraqi government unsuccessfully pressed the Obama White House more than a year ago to provide it better capabilities so that it could go after ISIL."
Saying he is "wary of the president's commitment to see this fight through," McCarthy added, "The reality is that airstrikes alone may not get the job done and we should acknowledge this reality.
"The president who has made ending the war on terrorism the central focus of his foreign policy must now make winning it a priority."