[Burnett:] Breaking News, new American airstrikes against ISIS, nine today, in Syria three and in Iraq as the President Obama met with his top military advisers at the Pentagon to discuss the U.S. strategy against ISIS.
[Barack Obama, President Of The United States:] Our strikes continue alongside our partners. It remains a difficult mission as I indicated from the start. This is not something that is going to be solved overnight.
[Burnett:] So far, the total, at least 274 airstrikes against ISIS in Iraq, 125 in Syria. The cost of the now 61-day campaign, it has been 61 days everyone 7 million to 10 million bucks a day. And still ISIS is gaining ground. Jim Sciutto is OUTFRONT at the Pentagon.
[Jim Sciutto, Cnn Chief National Security Correspondent:] A U.S. B-1 bomber in the skies over Kobani a rescue that Kurdish fighters battling ISIS there have been desperately hoping for. Military commanders say coalition airstrikes, six in the last 24 hours, have helped push ISIS back. Today, Pentagon spokesperson, Admiral John Kirby, bluntly warned that the U.S.-led air campaign will not save Kobani or for that matter, any other number of Syrian towns under ISIS assault. [on camera]: Hearing the public in effect, for the fact that not just Kobani but other Syrian towns may fall over the long haul of this air campaign until you have those competent forces on the ground.
[Adm. John Kirby, Pentagon Spokesperson:] I think we should all be steeling ourselves for that eventuality. Yes.
[Sciutto:] The training, once it starts, say U.S. officials will likely take months more.
[Kirby:] There is a lot of work still left to do, which is why we were very honest about the length of time, three to five months until we can get through that process. That's before you even start doing any of the training.
[Sciutto:] Until then, the goal for U.S. and coalition airstrikes is not taking back territory, but destroying ISIS command and control, its heavy weapons and oil depots targets that Secretary of State John Kerry said in effect take precedence over protecting a besieged population.
[John Kerry, Secretary Of State:] We are trying to deprive ISIL of the overall ability to wage this, not just in Kobani, but throughout Syria and into Iraq.
[Sciutto:] In Iraq, where the U.S. does have partners on the ground and the Iraqi and Kurdish security forces, U.S. officials say that territory does matter, and they claim victories in retaking the Mosul dam, the Haditha dam, and protecting Irbil and Baghdad from other ISIS advances. Still, the map of ISIS-controlled territory in Iraq looks much the same today, 61 days into the air campaign, as it did before the bombing started. Of the nine strikes in Syria, we've just heard about eight of those were around Kobani. U.S. commanders say they are watching closely, that those Kurdish fighters are holding ground there. But, you know, as the president visited the Pentagon today to speak with his military commanders about ISIS and other, former President Jimmy Carter took aim at the president's strategy. He said that the president, in Carter's words, quote, "took too long to confront ISIS." That, Erin, and, of course, criticism that's come from within his own administration, from members of his own administration, including his former defense secretary and CIA chief, Leon Panetta.
[Burnett:] Yes, absolutely, and now a former president. Thank you very much, Jim Sciutto. And joining me now is Republican Buck McKeon, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. Chairman McKeon, you just heard what Jimmy Carter said, that President Obama, quote, "waited too long to go after ISIS." You know, Bill Clinton two weeks ago told me he supports the president. General Stanley McChrystal told me, this is the time to support the commander- in-chief, and no plan is perfect. But that is what is best of the might and greatness of the United States right now. Who do you agree with?
[Rep. Buck Mckeon , California:] Well, they are both right. The problem is it's not what he should have done. We're past that. Now, we need to talk about what he should be doing now. Two months into this air attack, it's obviously not working. The strategy is not working. ISIL continues to get stronger on a day by day basis. Kobani is about to fall. That's right on the border with Turkey. Turkey is a member of NATO. This could draw into a much, much bigger war. The longer we wait, the harder it's going to get. Our military commanders, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Dempsey, and chairman of the Army, General Odierno, General Austin, the area commander, they have all laid out scenarios where we need more troops. If we don't put boots on the ground, we can't form the coalition, we can't retake ground that needs to be taken and held.
[Burnett:] So, let me ask you, when you say don't wait any longer and you are talking about combat boots on the ground, are you then now saying there should be American combat boots in mass and that's what it should be?
[Mckeon:] No, I'm not saying that we need to have tens of thousands of troops. What I am saying is troops are necessary to call in the targets on the appropriate areas.
[Burnett:] How many I'm sorry to interrupt you, how many? Because they have a couple of thousand in there now. Now at the brigade level of the Iraqi army trying to help them. I mean, how many is enough?
[Mckeon:] If I were the commander-in-chief, I would suggest that he listen to his military leaders. They would give him the numbers that he should follow. I know that they've asked for more than they've been given. It is time that he'd follow their advice. I know he met with them today and then went to New York and is holding three fundraisers. You know, a couple of weeks ago I gave a speech and I said, it was it's good that he does indicate to the American people that this is really important, but his actions aren't showing that he really feels it's that important. I think what he needs to do is follow their advice and be true to the American people, be honest to them and tell them, this is going to take a big effort. It's worth the fight. But if we don't get engaged
[Burnett:] So, let me ask you, because obviously, publicly, the generals so far have said they have not yet asked for more troops. They said they would be honest if they wanted them but haven't asked yet for them. So, you are saying you know they have asked for more than they've gotten?
[Mckeon:] Well, let me just say, they are in a tough position. He is the commander-in-chief. They are not going to disclose what they privately tell him. I just think that we could be pretty confident that they have told him they need more than they've been given.
[Burnett:] OK. All right. That point then made loud and clear. But in terms of what the president should do, in terms of the boots on the ground, even so, what you are saying is not not a mass amount of troops. More troops but not tons, and that somebody, the president has said this, sounds like I know you have also agreed on this one point, that other countries need to be putting in the lion's share of troops. But when it comes to other countries it is a painful sound of silence. So, if it comes to a choice: lots of American troops or ISIS wins, what's the choice?
[Mckeon:] If it were me, and that was the only choice, I would put in the troops. That is what we have a military for. You know, the week after the president gave the speech and told how serious this threat was, he went to Atlanta and committed billions of dollars and 3,000 troops to go fight Ebola. They are not trained to do that. They are trained to meet and conquer an enemy. That's what they are trained to do. We keep cutting their resources. We cut a trillion dollars out of our national defense and ask them to do more and more. It doesn't make sense. The military has a purpose. They have a function, and it is to protect us against these threats. We should use them when we need to.
[Burnett:] All right. Chairman McKeon, thank you so much. I appreciate your time and it's always good to talk to you, sir.
[Mckeon:] Thank you. Thanks, Erin.
[Burnett:] And next OUTFRONT, the FBI aggressively following hundreds of leads, and a global manhunt for the militant seen in this ISIS video. Who is he and where is he from? Plus, CNN's Mike Rowe gave advice, take the reverse commute. He says following your passion isn't the way to go.