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> September 12. 2014 12:01AM Obama does what must be done in the Mideast President Obama on Wednesday announced the only reasonably course of action left to the United States in the chaotic mess that Iraq and Syria have become. Members of Congress from both parties who have criticized the president — and continue to criticize him — for taking too long to respond to the advance of the Islamic State terrorists should now give him the support he must have if the new strategy is to succeed. The Sunni extremists known variously as ISIS, ISIL or the Islamic State who seek to control a huge swath of the Middle East are taking advantage of the power vacuum left after the destruction of Iraq as a functional nation and the civil war in Syria. Certainly the U.S. invasion of Iraq played a part in creating the conditions that now allow a group such as this to seize territory. Some of Obama's critics are arguing that the ISIS advance could have been prevented if Obama had left more U.S. troops in Iraq longer. Even if that is true, which is far from certain, it would mean American forces would still be fighting a ground war — something the American public overwhelmingly opposed and still does. Now, Obama plans to use airstrikes to fight the ISIS, and vows not to involve the U.S. in a new ground war. That's a reasonable approach, given the nature of the ISIS forces. The group numbers no more than 10,000, it has no air force and it is spread over a vast area, much of which it occupies but does not really control. Public opinion is on the president's side on this one. Polls indicate more than 60 percent of Americans favor some kind of action against the ISIS forces, but a majority still opposes sending more ground troops. Another point in favor of the president's approach is that it is not unilateral. European allies are on board, and the Arab League on Monday called for concerted action against what its leader has called "cancerous and terrorist" groups. The Arab League resolution does not specifically endorse U.S. military action, but its 22 member nations clearly see the Islamic State as a threat to their own security and the stability of the entire region. Many questions remain about the U.S. plan, and success will not be swift or guaranteed. But the advance of the ISIS extremists, who have murdered, raped and pillaged their way across Iraq, is a threat that must be confronted by the rest of the world combined, not just by the U.S. Congress should refrain from bickering over what might have been and support the president's efforts to deal with what is.      http://www.mailtribune.com/article/20140912/OPINION/140919905 © 2015 Copyright © 1995-2011 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use Privacy Statement -->