President Obama: We Don't Have a Strategy For Defeating Islamic State In Syria

by Charlie Spiering

Before leaving for New York for a series of fundraisers, President Obama held a press conference at the White House to discuss his lack of strategy on Syria. Obama told reporters that his strategy was still developing, and that he would continue to consult with congress and the American people about any action in Syria.
“I don't want to put the cart before the horse,” he said. “We don't have a strategy yet.”
Obama criticized the news media for “getting a little further ahead of where we're at than we currently are” on confronting ISIL in Syria.



“I think that's not just my assessment but the assessment of our military, as well,” he said.
Obama said that to solution to the situation in Syria was not simply a military issue but also a political issue.
He suggested that the United States would support a “moderate opposition” inside of Syrian to give the country’s citizens a choice.
“We have to give people inside of Syria a choice other than ISIL or Assad,” he said, “And I don't see any scenario in which Assad somehow is able to bring peace and stability to a region that is majority Sunni.”
Obama also explained that he had no intention of taking military action against Russia, even though it was clear that Vladamir Putin was acting aggressively in Ukraine.
“We are not taking military action to solve the Ukrainian problem,” he explained.