
The fact that Obama did it Wednesday night means he wanted Americans to pay attention. It's unusual for the president to make a prime-time speech to the nation. Beyond their symbolic support, however, Obama also needs them to sign off on the funding request to arm and train the Syrian rebels.

"So I welcome congressional support for this effort in order to show the world that Americans are united in confronting this danger," he said. Whether Obama should be seeking some kind of authorization from Congress to drop bombs on Syria and for his ISIS strategy in general is a subject of debate in Washington. The president had to acknowledge this in his speech Wednesday, and he did, saying he has the authority he needs to deal with ISIS, but he'd like to see a show of unity with Congress.
Obama ispeech how to#
ISIS: How to 'degrade and destroy' the militant group.


"wherever they are." Obama did not say when bombs could start dropping on Syria, a country still mired in a civil war - one that Obama has resisted getting involved in since its start. He answered that he "will not hesitate" to do so, because he intends to hunt down terrorists who threaten the U.S. One of the biggest questions Wednesday night was whether Obama would order airstrikes in Syria. Here's a look at whether the president answered those key questions, and what else he said in his address. Perhaps the most important question was: How serious of a threat is ISIS? Obama needed to address some key questions, regarding his plan for Syria, how American troops would be used, whether he would seek approval from Congress and what other countries would help in this effort. President Barack Obama laid out a four-part strategy to "ultimately destroy" ISIS during a prime-time speech Wednesday night amid mounting pressure, particularly after Obama said he didn't "yet" have a strategy to go after the militant group after its followers beheaded two American journalists in Syria.
