President Barack Obama's war powers request to Congress for fighting the Islamic State (ISIS) is facing so much criticism because "the language is circumspect," former Gen. Paul Vallely tells
Newsmax TV.
"That's why it's having so much problem in Congress with many questioning the verbiage in there, like putting a limitation on the duration — three years," Vallely said while appearing Friday on "America's Forum" with hosts J.D. Hayworth and Miranda Khan.
"You don't do that when you're developing a military strategy, national security strategy against a major threat such as ISIS," he said. "Many of the things need to be done covertly."
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
Obama on Wednesday sent his
war powers request to Congress, which would allow the United States to fight the war against ISIS beyond the Iraq and Syrian borders, and allow troops to be deployed except for "enduring offensive ground combat operations." He is asking that Congress approve authorization for use of military force against ISIS for three years.
"We don't need to announce to the world and telegraph to the enemies what we're going to do or not do," Vallely said. "We are at war and we have to treat it that way."
According to Vallely, Obama's plan is "totally inept [and] it puts America at great risk.
"We are at a crossroads here domestically on the infiltration of the United States with [terrorist] cells," he said. "We're also threatened from ISIS and our embassies and assets that we have overseas."
Fort that reason, the retired general says that "we have got to have a strategy to win and win quickly.
"We don't want to stretch this thing out forever, and that's what the thought is in Washington," he said. "They keep saying a long war — let's not make it a long war.
"Let's bring the B-52s in, let's have joint strike force ground operations, let's get the Special Ops on the ground with the targets and working with King Abdullah [of Jordan] and others over there to destroy ISIS completely," he added. "That's what we need to do."
Vallely contends that one of the problems with the way that wars have been fought since President Ronald Reagan is the goal has not been victory.
"We have seen a lack of leadership in the White House and a really stand up position of our Joint Chiefs of Staff in the military to make sure, if we're going to put our assets in jeopardy, our personnel, then we have to go in with a plan and a victory plan and end war as soon as possible," he said.
"We've got to go back to the basics of strategy, victory, and how we win wars when we put our Armed Forces out there.
"If we don't have a sound plan for victory," Vallely said, "I would not shed one more ounce of human blood in the Middle East."