Rep. Peter King of New York says he is aware of no specific threat against the homeland as the anniversary of 9/11 approaches, but as the Islamic State (ISIS) and al-Qaida have been ramping up their rhetoric and actions, "We certainly have to be more vigilant than ever.
"We cannot let our guard down for a second, especially with the anniversary of 9/11 coming up," King said Sunday on ABC's "This Week."
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With ISIS in the headlines lately, it's easy to see al-Qaida "wanting to get back into the game … to show that they are top in the Islamic terrorist world," King said.
ISIS has become a lead story after beheading two American journalists recently, in addition to atrocities against Iraqis. But King warned that other terrorist groups, such as al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and core al-Qaida, should not be ignored.
That said, King wants to see a "sustained national effort" against ISIS, which controls large portions of Iraq and Syria and claims a caliphate from which it plans to rule the world.
President Barack Obama must make it clear this won't be a short-term operation, King said, and should include full air attacks, special operations forces and getting as many allies on board as possible, especially Arab allies on the ground.
He also wants to see the Iraqi army involved, as well as arms supplied to Kurdish forces in northern Iraq.
King thinks Obama has authority to take action without Congress, but should probably try to get it unless there is an imminent threat.
Rep. Adam Smith, a Washington state Democrat, agrees, but told "This Week" that the language might be hard to pin down. Some might fear it would give president too much authority, and some might fear it would hamstring him, Smith said.
"If the U.S. acts without Sunni support in the region it could strengthen ISIS," Smith warned. "We will not be successful against ISIS unless Sunnis in the region are willing to rise up … and we work with them to be an effective partnership."
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