In stark contrast to President Barack Obama and his languid approach to combating the Islamic State (ISIS), Jordan’s King Abdullah has shown the leadership and backbone Americans would like to see from their commander-in-chief, former Illinois Rep. Michael Patrick Flanagan said Friday on
Newsmax TV’s "America’s Forum."
"King Abdullah has taken pressure off of the national security advisers and the Obama administration by
showing the kind of gumption we hoped would happen in our government when our guys were beheaded instead of a round of golf," he said.
"The Arabs have said they would gladly join against ISIS, but they need to be led by us."
Story continues below video.
Note: Watch Newsmax TV now on DIRECTV Ch. 349 and DISH Ch. 223
Get Newsmax TV on your cable system – Click Here Now
"If we had sold Iraq the weapons they needed when they crossed the border, we wouldn't be having this discussion. We won't make these sales and I don't understand why. The Ukrainians are asking us for missiles and we won't even sell to the Ukrainians, a NATO ally."
Though the president said in his State of the Union address that he wanted a resolution of force to go after ISIS, he has yet to formally ask Congress for one. Flanagan said that’s because Obama "doesn't want to have his fingerprints on this."
"He doesn't view international terrorism as a threat to the United States, the only threat he sees are Republicans and the threat to the Democrats in the next election," Flanagan said.
"He can't see beyond that, and it's killing us in foreign policy."
First, Obama must formulate a clear national strategy, something he still has not done, according to Flanagan.
"A laundry list of accomplished tasks is not a national strategy," he said.
"A national strategy is contain and defeat communism, promote peace in the Middle East between the Arab states and Israel, and it's to defeat international terrorism. That's a national strategy and Obama doesn't have one and doesn't want one. "