One of the boldest claims made in Obama’s State of the Union speech tonight was his assertion that, thanks to his foreign policy, the world had stopped the advance of Islamic State terrorists in Iraq and Syria.
“In Iraq and Syria, American leadership — including our military power — is stopping ISIL’s advance,” he boasted. “Instead of getting dragged into another ground war in the Middle East, we are leading a broad coalition, including Arab nations, to degrade and ultimately destroy this terrorist group.”
Obama also asserted that the coalition was “supporting a moderate opposition in Syria” to assist in the effort.
After hailing the end of difficult wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Obama admitted that his war would take time, but vowed that it would succeed.
“This effort will take time. It will require focus. But we will succeed,” he said. “And tonight, I call on this Congress to show the world that we are united in this mission by passing a resolution to authorize the use of force against ISIL.”