Secretary of State John Kerry said today that the United States is not at war with ISIS despite bombing them and pledging to “destroy” the terrorist group, in President Obama’s words.
“If somebody wants to think about it as being a war with ISIL [the administration’s name for ISIS] they can do so, but the fact is that it’s a major counter-terrorism operation,” Kerry told CNN.
Last night, President Obama said the U.S. and allies will “degrade and ultimately destroy” ISIS. That mission includes bombing ISIS positions in Syria and continuing to do so in Iraq, where more U.S. troops are headed to back up Iraqi forces. Nevertheless, Kerry told another reporter, “I don’t think people need to get into war fever on this.”
Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest was asked, “What does victory look like here? What does destroy mean?” He replied: “I didn’t bring my Webster’s dictionary.”
Kerry, on the other hand, offered his own definition: the goal is to have ISIS “degraded and destroyed in the way [Al Qaeda in] Afghanistan has been and Pakistan.” Lastly, Kerry said that ISIS is part of Al Qaeda. “By trying to change its name, it doesn’t change who it is, what it does.” Read more at CNN.
{Andy Heller-Matzav.com Newscenter}
Leave the dufuss alone already. Mrs. Lurch has given her hubby too much ketchup.
Hobbes explained it to me: it’s opposite day!
Does Kerry carry the Keri virus?It attacks the brain if one has one
Relax. He’s being technical. Wars are declared by Congress, not the President. “A major counter-terrorism operation” can be initiated by the White House without congressional approval.
Same brains as Jung I’ll from. North Korea
Mr. Honest doesn’t pretend to be smart. He lets everyone know, he doesn’t know. Unlike Obama, who tries to fool everyone, acting like he knows what’s going on.
War is declared by one nation-state on another. ISIS isn’t a legitimate state, therefore one cannot declare war on it. It’s a terrorist organization trying to take over, and preventing that is called counter-insurgency.