NY rep: Obama must ‘put the fear of God in ISIS’

Rep. Pete King (R-N.Y.) said in an interview broadcast early Sunday that President Obama must “put the fear of God” in Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants, but won’t.

{mosads}“You don’t tell the enemy in advance this is not what you’re going to do,” King, who serves as chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee’s subcommittee on counterterrorism and intelligence, told host John Catsimatidis on “The Cats Roundtable” on AM 970 in New York.

“You don’t tell the enemy in advance this is going to expire in three years … The enemy plans accordingly [as they did in Afghanistan],” he added.

“I want ISIS to think that we’re going to use a million troops; we’re going to stay there 100 years; and we’re going to use every weapon,” King said. “Put the fear of God in ISIS.”

President Obama sent Congress draft legislation last week authorizing the use of military force against ISIS.

The White House bill limits the use of military force against ISIS to three years, unless Congress reauthorizes the resolution.

In recent days, congressional resistance to Obama’s request has ballooned.

Conservative hawks are attacking from the right, saying the authority Obama requests would too tightly restrict the Pentagon. Liberal Democrats are attacking from the left, contending the limits are too loose to preclude another prolonged ground war.

King also said in Sunday’s interview that a ceasefire agreement reached last week between Ukraine and Russia will encourage Russian President Vladimir Putin to invade again.

“I see these [agreements] as attempts by Putin to calm the international situation … And when people start looking the other way, he’s back infiltrating into the Ukraine,” King said.

“His goal is to take as much of the Ukraine as possible … With our president so reluctant to provide weapons to Ukraine … that only encourages Putin,” he added.