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U.S. NEWSTuesday 8 December 2015

Republicans assail Obama on ISIS _ despite similarities

Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks during a town hall meeting at from the Oval Office Sun- tably on the Republicans’
day night. support (shared by Demo-
Furman University on Monday, Dec. 7, 2015, in Greenville, S.C. (AP Photo/Rainier Ehrhardt) Bush, in an MSNBC inter- cratic contender Hillary
view, twice acknowledged Clinton) for a no-fly zone in
STEVE PEOPLES “weak” and his approach ic president’s approach that he agreed with the Syria. But on a broader U.S.
Associated Press “business as usual.” And to combating the Islamic president’s approach in approach to taking on ISIS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump declared on State group. The avalanche specific areas. Still, he chid- in the Middle East, leading
Minutes after a solemn Twitter, “We need a new of Republican criticism that ed Obama’s planning for Republicans have more in
President Barack Obama President - FAST!” continued Monday fo- lacking “the intensity that’s common than not with the
spelled out his plans to Yet beneath their harsh cused on the president’s necessary.” “He needed president they hope to re-
protect Americans from rhetoric lies a fundamental tone, his word choice and to persuade people that place.
terrorism, Marco Rubio de- political reality: Few in the the fine points of his plans our fears will subside when Rubio, when asked how
clared that he “may have Republican Party’s 2016 — not in most cases the we’re engaged actively in he’d differ from Obama,
made things worse.” Jeb class would break signifi- specific policy prescriptions the destruction of ISIS, and focused on style rather
Bush called the president cantly with the Democrat- he presented in his address from there you would have than substance: “First, we
a strategy that would be would be straight forward
much more comprehen- and honest with the Ameri-
sive,” said Bush. He then can people,” the first-term
outlined a plan to strength- Florida senator said on Fox
en the existing U.S. effort to News. “ISIS is a growing,
train local forces and en- significant and very serious
gage Sunni tribal leaders. threat. They’re not con-
Like Obama, most of the tained.” Rubio opposes a
Republicans’ White House significant increase in U.S.
hopefuls oppose the use of ground troops, instead
many U.S. ground troops, calling for “a substantial
preferring instead to send ground army that needs
a limited number of special to be made up primarily
forces to train and support of Sunni Arabs from the re-
anti-Islamic State forces in gion.” He says that force
the region. Like Obama, would “need American
they support an aggressive special operators, a signifi-
air campaign to bomb the cant increase in air support,
Islamic State group — and and we will have to beef up
its reliance on oil revenue — our intelligence programs.”
across Iraq and Syria. Bush called last month for
There are specific differenc- sending U.S. troops to the
es in some cases — most no- Middle East but was not spe-
cific on numbers and said,
Fox suspends 2 analysts for language against Obama “The bulk of these ground
troops will need to come
DAVID BAUDER Army Lt. Col. Ralph Peters ters said. After he spoke speech was an epic fail from local forces that we
Associated Press and actress Stacey Dash, some more, Varney said and followed up with an have built workable rela-
NEW YORK (AP) — Two Fox were each ordered off the that while he could tell obscenity. “I felt like he tionships with.” The Obama
News contributors were air for two weeks. Peters was “super angry,” could give a s---, excuse administration last week an-
suspended Monday for Peters was appearing on a he shouldn’t use such lan- me, like he could care nounced plans to expand
using inappropriate lan- Fox Business Network pro- guage. Dash, who ap- less.” Bill Shine, senior exec- the U.S. special operations
guage about President gram hosted by Stuart Var- peared in the movie “Clue- utive vice president of pro- force in Iraq and Syria to
Barack Obama while dis- ney when he was asked his less” and has been a Fox gramming at Fox, said in help fight Islamic State mili-
cussing his speech on ter- reaction to the president’s contributor since 2014, said both cases the language tants. Defense Secretary
rorism the night before in speech. He didn’t like it. on Fox News Channel’s “was completely inappro- Ash Carter said the expe-
two separate episodes. “This guy is such a total noontime program “Out- priate and unacceptable ditionary force would be
The analysts, former U.S. pussy, it’s stunning,” Pe- numbered” that Obama’s for our air.”q more than 50 but would not
be more specific.q