Speech tonight, mark. Well im looking for the president to explain to a nation that is obviously tired of war and a role of the United States in the world. But somehow all of a sudden favoring increased air attacks against the Terrorists Group killing americans to explain why waging war against iraq etcetera is not the same as waging war against iraq and syria. He does not want to be here, the defensive air strikes is going to turn into offenses and this will go on for years. Its a pretty big thing hes announcing tonight. He spent much of his presidency thinking getting out washes tonight talkingsomething. Especially when it comes to the middle east. We see the president approaching the lectern. The president of the United States. My fellow americans. Tonight i want to speak to you about what the United States will do with our friends and allies to degrade and ultimately destroy the terrorist group known as isil. As commander in chief my highest priority is the security of the American People. Over the last several years we have consistently taken the fight to terrorists who threat i our country. We took out Osama Bin Laden and much of alqaedas leader in afghanistan and pakistan. We targeted alqaedas affiliate in yemen and eliminated the top1 commander in somali. Weve done son drawing down our forces in afghanistan where a combat mission will end later this year. Thanks to our military and counterterrorism professionals, american is safer. Still, we continue to face a terrorist threat. We cant erase every trace of evil from the world, and small groups of killers have the capacity to do great harm. The case before 9 11 and that remains true today. Thats why we must remain vigilant as to whats emerged. At this moment, the greatest threats come from the middle east and north africa where radical group exploit grievances for their own gain. One of those groups is isil which calls itself the Islamic State. Now lets make two things clear. Isil is not islamic. No religion condone the killing of innocence, and the vats majority of isils victims have been muslim. And isil is certainly not a state. It was formerly alqaedas affiliate in iraq and has taken advantage of sectarian strife and serious civil war to gain territory on both sides of the iraq syrian board. It is recognized by no government nor by the people of subjugates. Isil is a terrorist organization, true and simple. It has no vision other than the slaughter of all who stand in its way. In the region that has known so much bloodshed, these terrorists are unique in their brutality. They execute captured prisoners. They kill children. Enslave, rape and force women into marriage. They threaten their religious minority with genocide. And in acts of barberrism, they took the lives of two american journalists, jim foley and steven sotloff. So isil poses a threat to the people of iraq and syria and the broader middle east including american citizens, personnel and facilities. A threat left unchecked, these terrorists could pose a growing threat beyond that region including for the United States. We have not yet detected specific plots against our homeland. Isil leaders have threatened america and our allies. Until this community believes that thousands of foreigners including europeans and some americans have joined them in syria and iraq. Trained and battle hardened, these fighters could try to return to their home countries and carry out deadly attacks. Americans are concerned about these threats. Tonight, i want you to know that the United States of america is meeting them with strength and resolve. Last month, i ordered our military to take targeted action against isil to stop its advances. Since then, we conducted more than 150 Successful Air strikes in iraq. These strikes have protected american personnel and facilities, killed isil fighters, destroyedr weapons ad given space for iraqi and Kurdish Forces to reclaim key territory. These strikes have also helped save the lives of thousands of innocent men, women and children. This is not our fight alone. American power can make a decisive difference but we cannot due for iraqis what they must do for them says. Nor can we take the place of arab partners in securing their region. Thats why ive insisted that additional u. S. Action depended upon iraqis forming an inclusive government, which they have now done in recent days. So tonight with a new Iraqi Government in place and confrontations with allies abroad and those at home, we can lead a Broad Coalition to throw back this terrorist threat. Our objective is clear. We will degrade and ultimately destroy isil to a comprehensive and sustained counterterrorism strategy. First, we will conduct a Systematic Campaign of air strikes against these terrorists. Working with the Iraqi Government, we will expand our efforts beyond protecting our own people and humanitarian missions so that were hitting isil targets as iraqi forces go on offense. Moreover, ive made it clear we will hunt do you down terroo threaten our country no matter where they are. I will take action against syria and iraq. If you threaten america, you will find no safe haven. Second, we include our support to forces fighting these terrorists on the ground. In june i deployed several hundred Service Members to iraq to assess how we can best support Iraqi Security forces. Now that those teams have completed their work and iraq has formed a government, we will send an additional 475 Service Members to iraq. As ive said before, these American Forces will not have a combat mission. We will not get dragged into another ground war in iraq but they are needed to support iraqi and Kurdish Forces with training, intelligence and equipment. Well also support iraqs efforts to stand up National Guard units to help sunni communities secure their own freedom from isils control. Across the border in syria, we have ramped military assistance. Tonight i call on congress again to give us additional authorities and resources to train and equip these fighters. The fight against isil, we cannot rely on the assad regime that terrorists its own people, a regime that will never regain legit must see it has lost. We just counterweight against extremists like isil necessary to solve serious crises once and for all. Third, we will continue to draw on our substantial counterterrorism capability to prevent isil attacks. Working with our partners, we will redouble our efforts to ofr intelligence, strengthen our defenses, counter its warped ideology and stem the no. I will chair a meeting at the u. N. Security council to further mobilize the International Community around this effort. Fourth, we will continue to provide humanitarian assistance to innocent civilians displaced by this organization. This includes sunni and shia muslims as well as tens of thousands of christians and other religious minorities. We cannot allow these communities to be driven from the ancient homelands. So this is our strategy. And each of these four parts of our strategy, america will be joined by a Broad Coalition of partners. Already allies are flying planes with us over iraq, sending arms and assistants to Iraqi Security forces and the syrian opposition, sharing intelligence and providing billions of dollars in humanitarian aid. Secretary kerry was in iraq today meeting with the new government and supporting efforts to promote unity. In the coming days he will travel across the middle east and europe to enlist more partnersuc in this fight, especially arab nations who can help noblize sunni communities in iraq and syria to drive these terrorists from their lands. This is American Leadership at its best. We stand with people who fight for their own freedom and other nations on behalf of our commune security and commune humanity. My administration has also secured bipartisan support for this approach here at home. I have the authority to address the threat from isil. But i believe we are strongest as a nation when the president and Congress Work together. So i welcome congressional support for this effort in order to show the world that americans are united in confronting this danger. Now, it will take to eradicate a cancer like isil. Any time we take military action, there are risks involved. Especially to the servicemen and women who carry out these missions. I want the American People to understand how this effort will be different from the worlds in iraq and afghanistan. It will not involve american combat troops fighting on more than soil. This Counterterrorism Campaign will be wage study relentless effort to take out isil wherever they exist using our air power and our support for partners forces on the ground. This strategy of taking out terrorists who threaten us while supporting partners on the front lines is one that we have successfully pursued in yemen and somalia for years and it is consistent with the approach i outlined earlier this year. The force against anyone who threatens americas core interests but to mobilize partners wherever possible. To address breuder order. Its mark the 13 years since or first attack and our set back since the great depression. Despite these through the pain, we will bounce back. America is better positioned today to seize the future than any other nation on earth. Technology companies and universities are unmatched. Auto industry is thriving. Independence is theres than its been in decades. For all the work that remains, our businesses are in the longest uninterrupted stretch of job creation in our history, despite all the divisions and discord in the democracy. I see determination and common goodness in American People every single day. That makes me more confident than ever about our countrys future. A broad american lethe one consn world. It is america that has the capacity and the will to noblize the world against terrorists. It is america that has routed the world against russian aggression and in support of the ukrainian peoples right to determine their own destiny. It is america our scientists our know how to contain the cure of the outbreak of ebola. Its america who helped and destroyed chemical weapons so they cant pose a threat to the Syrian People or the world again. And it is america that is helping muslim communities around the world not just in the fight against terrorism but in the fight for opportunity and tolerance and more hopeful future. America have endless blessings bestowed. As american we well william the responsibility to lead. From europe to asia, from the far reaches of africa, to war torn capitals in the middle east, we stand for freedom for justice, for dignity. These are values that have; guided our nation since its founding. Tonight, i have for your support in carrying that leadership forward. I do so as the commander in chief who could not be prouder of our men and women in uniform. Pilots who bravely fly in the face of danger above the middle east and Service Members who support our partners on the ground. When we helped prevent the mass occurrence of civilians trapped on a distant mountain heres what one of them said. We owe our american friends our lives. Our children will always remember that there was someone who felt our struggle and made a long journey to protect innocent people. That was the difference we make in the world and our own safety, our own security depends upon our willingness to do what it takes to defend this information and uphold the values that we stand for. Timeless ideas that will endure long after those who offer hate and destruction has been vanquished from the earth. May god bless our troops and may god bless the United States of america. President obama speaking live at the whitehouse. Mark shields and david brooks have been listening with gwen and me to the speech. David did the president make out the speech he set out to make. I think the president should be saluted with inclinician. His inclination is not to use military force and not assert American Power and american bombs into another arab country and thats what were going to be doing. I thought they laid out a four point strategy that was reasonably clear and its pretty ambitious. I guess the question i would ask is he said our goals clear to destroil isis. What happens if air strikes dont do it. What happens if the iraqi army cant do it. What if the flee syrian army cant take them from the ground. If that doesnt happen whatsij. I think so far you have to see a pretty clear pretty straightforward strategy. Did you hear all the ifs. It sounds like a big bite big set of promises. Big set of promises. I think the president made the case against isil but he also made the case for his own actions. I do think you kind of glossed over the whole question of congressional action, endorsement substituting appropriation for that endorsement and its very important we have a de bait in the congress can delegate authority but not responsibility. Congress has the responsibility when the president is making the case for war here and theres no solemn serious grave decision that any country makes. Ifill but david hes very confident he has that authority. We heard him say it again. Theres Clear Authority establishing 2003 that you could go after alqaeda in its offshoots and the president has the authority when National Security is threaten on the war go after alqaeda and similar organizations. It is an offshoot of alqaeda. He has that power. It should be said however he does welcome congressional action and its true, an appropriation not a war resolution but he doesnt think he needs it but hes been very forthcoming to say i would like to have this debate. I think he would get all the republican support. Lets go to the American People. Weve been reading the pollstha. Do you think its enough. It is a very recent and very, i dont know if its temporary or permanent. Theres no question that beheading. Theres beheadings of people who are individuals and we came to know families. And that just absolutely capitalized, energized american and raised support and understandably so for retaliation of the people who did this. Theres no question that that is the mood and valuenits a long e and what happens when a pilot is shot down. What is the action. One is reaction will be lets go in and clean these people out. That will be the ultimate irony of this president who prided himself on ending the war in afghanistan. It does sound like hes limiting himself to what the poll says the American People want to do that is support air strikes and not from the ground. You heard him say it no boots on the ground. Do you think he can pull back and not go further. You go to war maybe[with a re you dont want to get carried away but if you go with a reluctant leader when the going gets tough he wants to do half of the measures thats necessary. Going with someone reluctant to go to war is in some ways a very good thing and some ways a danger. Well see how that plays out. We have to go but well be back in just a few moments. Were taking a short break so some pbs stations can return to their programming. For the others, well be right back with more analysis from shields and brooks. And everyone can watch that on our live stream at pbs. Org newshour. Woodruff welcome back to the pbs newshour. Weve just heard from president obama on his plan to degrade the capabilities of the Islamic State group. Still with us are analysts mark shields and david brooks. Regularly]saying that its nott the president , that they laid out a plan but there are risks to that plan. There are risks to it and there are still unanswered questions. Who is in the grand coalition and what did they sign on for, they signed on for the duration. How do we know when were won. This isnt taking berlin, this isnt the battleship missouri in world war ii. And the coalition, the motto i think hes trying to emulate and its a good one is president george h. W. Bush. They went to congress and told the democrats they want support after they had a full honest debate in both bodies went and had the United Nations support. So it was a real, there was in the sense on war. Secretary kerry has his hands full. One of the things i like about the coalition is who is not in it. Theres some talk we should get the assad regime to go after isil which is the enemy. Theres no hope to have them in this coalition against isil. The second doubt the question is whether iran should be involved. And i think theyre talking to iran or to third parties but not coordinating with iran. Let me ask you this david. Dont we are want to risk, does the u. S. Want toiz risk who we wanted to drive out of office by attacking isil. Just a year ago the president was announcing his decision. Theres this thing called the long ago that the idea the fsat was going to be a moderate force was a fantasy. This is the moderate opposition. So you know, but this is being president and this is why its rotten being president now. You got the world you got and he does not like the world he does not like where the middle east is. He really feels he has no choice and thats so clear in the way he speaks. I dont want to do this, i dont want to be here. I want to give west point lectures. I got no choice. You think that came through in his speech the reluctance, hes doing this reluctantly. The president spelled out what he was not, its not t roops, its not combat, its not americans fighting war in iraq. I do come back to his idea of just exactly what the mission is and how we will know. We could say that alqaeda is now there are 30 or 40 guys somewhere in the hill in pakistan. That was a success. We successfully decayed alqaeda down to a harmless not harmless, but if we