Boehner ‘dismayed’ with Obama’s strategy

Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) called President Obama’s authorization of targeted airstrikes in Iraq “appropriate” but said he was “dismayed” at what he considered a lackluster strategy to combat Islamic extremists.

“The president’s authorization of airstrikes is appropriate, but like many Americans, I am dismayed by the ongoing absence of a strategy for countering the grave threat [the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria] poses to the region,” Boehner said in a statement. 

{mosads}Boehner charged that the White House has been disengaged from the crisis in Iraq, “despite warnings from Iraqi leaders, Congress, and even members of its own administration.”

He also criticized Obama for being more focused on keeping a political promise to end the Iraq War than in coming up with a way to complete the U.S. mission in Iraq.

A Democratic official fired back at Boehner, saying the Speaker had skipped a White House meeting last week with congressional leaders where a range of foreign policy issues were discussed, including Iraq.

On Thursday night, Obama announced his authorization of limited airstrikes in Iraq to combat militants with the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and aid Kurdish fighters. 

Two U.S. fighter jets on Friday dropped laser-guided bombs in northern Iraq to help refugees under siege.

“I’ve said before, the United States cannot and should not intervene every time there’s a crisis in the world,” Obama said. 

This story was updated at 12:04 p.m.