New York Times: White House Won't Upend ISIS Strategy

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By Julie Hirschfeld Davis

The White House on Tuesday defended President Obama's strategy for countering Islamic State militants in Iraq, arguing that while the group's capture of the provincial capital of Ramadi had been a setback, it should not be taken as a broader sign that the American approach is failing.

As Mr. Obama assembled his national security team to discuss the latest developments in Iraq and how to retake Ramadi, the largest city in Anbar Province, administration officials said that Mr. Obama's strategy of conducting airstrikes against the militants while relying on Iraqi forces to confront them on the ground had yielded gains.

"We have seen a lot of success, but we've also seen significant periods of setback," Josh Earnest, Mr. Obama's press secretary, told reporters at the White House, where questions about the Islamic State dominated the daily briefing.

"That's part of what a military conflict is going to be, particularly one that's going to be a long-term proposition like this one," he said.

Mr. Earnest added that the president was continuing to look at how he might "tweak the strategy" to adjust to events on the ground.

Still, the White House rejected calls to undertake a wholesale re-evaluation of the operation.

"Are we going to light our hair on fire every time that there is a setback in the campaign against ISIL?" Mr. Earnest asked, using an alternative name for the group, which is also known as ISIS.

The suggestions that Mr. Obama should upend his strategy came from several quarters, with the House speaker, John A. Boehner, Republican of Ohio, declaring that "the president's plan isn't working," and Representative Adam B. Schiff, Democrat of California, telling reporters that the White House's claims of progress should set off "alarm bells."

Mr. Obama met privately with Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter at the White House on Tuesday and convened a separate meeting of cabinet secretaries, his National Security Council and military commanders to discuss the strategy for confronting the Islamic State.

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