[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 133 (Wednesday, September 17, 2014)]
[House]
[Pages H7623-H7624]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       FIGHTING THE ISLAMIC STATE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Jolly). The Chair recognizes the 
gentleman from California (Mr. McClintock) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, contrary to the President's assertion 
last week, the Islamic State is Islamic and it is a State, or at least 
it has all the attributes of a State. It is precisely this combination 
that makes it so dangerous, a messianic and clearly stated intention to 
wage jihad on American soil and the resources and equipment to do so.
  In response to this danger, the President proposes that the United 
States wage a continuing air war against the Islamic State, but to 
avoid any commitment of ground forces. Instead, he seeks to use vetted 
elements of the Free Syrian Army as the American proxy force and 
proposes to arm and train them for that purpose.
  This raises two major concerns. First, many elements of the Free 
Syrian Army have a long history of collaborating with the Islamic 
State. Its principal mission is to destroy the Syrian Government, which 
though utterly despotic, is currently fighting the Islamic State. We 
court a very real risk that this equipment will either be turned 
against Syria as it fights the IS, or turned over to the IS as elements 
of Iraqi Security Forces recently did.
  Second, committing insufficient force in any conflict is self-
defeating, and air strikes alone cannot win a war. For 13 years, the 
brave young Americans who stepped forward to defend our country after 
9/11 have found themselves hamstrung by political correctness on the 
battlefield, perilously commingled with hostile forces, endangered by 
rules of engagement that undermine their ability to defend themselves, 
and denied the full resources and commitment of our country.
  We are in precarious times, with an administration that either cannot 
or will not learn from the mistakes of the past. Until we are prepared 
to put the full might and resources of our Nation behind a war against 
the Islamic State, we can at least act to contain IS advances, protect 
our people, and restore

[[Page H7624]]

the martial strength and national will that will certainly be needed in 
the years ahead.
  First, I believe the President is correct to order selected air 
strikes in tactical support of resistance forces where they are 
actively engaged against the IS. Where we can turn the tide of battle 
in these engagements, we must. And the immediate destruction of oil 
fields under IS control is vital to reduce the resources that it is 
currently converting to cash.
  Second, it is appropriate to take immediate, significant, and focused 
retaliatory strikes against the Islamic State in response to specific 
acts that it commits against American interests. This is the Reagan 
model in Libya, and it worked.
  Third, the direct threat posed to the United States by the IS is not 
on Syrian or Iraqi soil, but on American soil. The Islamic State has 
been explicit in declaring its intention to insert a Fifth Column 
within our borders and wage jihad on Americans. For far too long we 
have ignored the threat posed by a wide open southern border, lax 
enforcement on the northern border, and nonenforcement of visa 
overstays. And this neglect needs to stop now. We must secure our 
borders, enforce the time limits on visas, and change the law to revoke 
the passports of any American who takes up arms for the Islamic State.
  Fourth, we must recognize that the improving world situation that 
justified reducing military spending in recent years has now reversed, 
and so must our priorities. The world is now becoming more dangerous 
and unstable, and our military budget must be adjusted to meet that 
growing danger. Our Nation's weakened fiscal condition requires a 
comprehensive review of our spending priorities as a matter of vital 
national security.
  Fifth, we must assure that our only reliable ally in the Middle East, 
Israel, has all the equipment and supplies and assistance it may need 
in coming years, and that it will have the unqualified support of the 
United States when it must take action for its own security.
  Mr. Speaker, Islamic fascism is now advancing into a vacuum that many 
past blunders have created, the worst of them being to underestimate 
the terrible demands that war requires. These are mistakes we can no 
longer afford to make. Confronting the rise of European fascism in the 
1930s, Churchill counseled measured resistance where possible, while 
undertaking utmost martial preparation. That advice lights our path 
that we must take today.

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