6 takeaways from Obama's speech

By Paul Singer  |  USA Today  |  September 11, 2014

President Obama addressed the nation Wednesday about his strategy to combat the militant group that calls itself the Islamic State, also known as ISIL or ISIS. Here are six takeaways from the speech:

1) The battle against the Islamic State will require boots on the ground — it just won't be American soldiers wearing the boots. Obama described the American role as "using our air power and our support for partner forces on the ground." It is possible, however, that there will be American footwear on the ground, as part of the initiative involves arming and supplying Iraqi and Syrian fighting forces.

2) Obama wants to reinforce that this is not another Iraq war. Obama ran as the anti-war candidate for president in 2008, and he said Wednesday "this effort will be different from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan" — largely because U.S. troops will not be doing the ground fighting. He is calling on other Muslim nations in the region to support the U.S. effort. And yet, Obama is sending 475 more military personnel to help train and support the Iraqi military, bringing the U.S. military presence there to about 1,500.

3) The president heard the criticism that he has not been asserting enough leadership as the world falls to pieces. His speech closed with several paragraphs recounting how U.S. leadership has helped restore stability: by deterring Russian aggression in Ukraine, by helping containing the Ebola outbreak and by eliminating Syrian chemical weapons. "Our endless blessings bestow an enduring burden," he said. "But as Americans, we welcome our responsibility to lead."

4) The next U.S. military fatality in Iraq is going to be a very big deal. Obama acknowledged that "any time we take military action, there are risks involved." A loss of a significant number of American lives would likely be devastating to his strategy.

5) Obama does need congressional support. While it appears unlikely Congress will vote to authorize airstrikes in Syria — Obama says he does not need them to — he will be asking for more funding for the effort and authority to directly support Syrian rebels.He appears to have broad support for the effort now, but it is not clear how long that support will last.

6) This is going to take a while. This is not going to be the brief 2011 air campaign that toppled Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi. Obama warned the nation Wednesday: "It will take time to eradicate a cancer like ISIL." But time is not on Obama's side. He will be gone in two and a half years. Will ISIL be?