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Obama to Make Statement on Iraq Obama Says He Will Decide on Military Support for Iraq in ‘Days Ahead’
(35 minutes later)
WASHINGTON — With Iraq in crisis, President Obama plans to make a statement about the situation Friday before leaving on a trip to North Dakota and California, the White House announced. WASHINGTON — President Obama said Friday that he would make a decision “in the days ahead” about whether to use American military power to help the besieged Iraqi government stave off collapse at the hands of Islamist insurgents, but he ruled out using ground forces.
Mr. Obama said on Thursday that Iraq needs more help and that he was considering a range of options. Aides have said airstrikes or drone strikes were possible, but it was not clear whether the president has made a decision on that yet. “This poses a danger to Iraq and its people and, given the nature of these terrorists, it could pose a danger eventually to American interests as well,” Mr. Obama said of the offensive now threatening Baghdad. “We will not be sending U.S. troops back into combat in Iraq, but I have asked my national security team to prepare a range of other options.”
The president cautioned against expecting quick action, saying the planning would take “several days” to make sure any airstrikes are effective.
“People should not anticipate this is something that is going to happen overnight,” he said. “We want to make sure that we have good eyes on the situation there. We want to make sure we’ve gathered all the intelligence that is necessary so that if I do order action” it will be precise and direct.
Mr. Obama, in a televised statement before he departed for a trip to North Dakota and California, emphasized that the problem was not just a short-term threat to the Iraqi government but also a long-term failure by Baghdad leaders to achieve political reconciliation across sectarian lines. He warned Iraqi leaders that if they want American help, they have to come up with a plan to accommodate minority factions in a meaningful way.
“The United States is not simply going to involve itself in a military action in the absence of a political plan by the Iraqis that gives us some assurance that they’re going to work together,” he said. “We’re not going to allow ourselves to be dragged back into a situation where when we’re there we’re keeping a lid on things” while the political leaders fail to address the underlying fissures dividing Iraqi society.
Mr. Obama said he would “consult with Congress” about possible airstrikes in Iraq, but he did not say whether he would seek a vote by lawmakers as he did last fall when he was contemplating airstrikes against Syria in retaliation for the Assad government’s use of chemical weapons against its own citizens.
In this case, the original congressional authorization for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 has never expired, so he would have a different legal basis than he had with Syria.
Although he did not mention it, CNN reported that the Pentagon was moving an aircraft carrier, the USS George H.W. Bush, to the area. Secretary of State John Kerry, speaking in London earlier in the day, said that “given the gravity of the situation, I would anticipate timely decisions from the president regarding the challenge.”