Rep. Peter King said Sunday that the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant poses a direct threat to the American homeland and is now more powerful than Al Qaeda was on Sept. 11, 2001. 
 
 Responding to comments by Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) on NBC's "Meet the Press," the New York Republican said the group doesn't just threaten stability in Iraq. "They are more powerful now than Al Qaeda was on 9/11," he said, noting the loss of many of his constituents during the dual attacks on the World Trade Center. 
 
 Durbin said any U.S. military action beyond airstrikes wouldn't be advisable. 
 
 "This is not just Iraq," King added. ISIL is "a direct threat to the United States of America, and what Dick Durbin just said and what President Obama has said, is really a shameful abdication of American leadership." 
 
 The 2011 withdrawal of American troops in Iraq and President Barack Obama's lack of desire to take further action reflects poorly upon the current situation, King said. 
 
 "What a weak leader," the congressman said. "Can you imagine Winston Churchill or Franklin Roosevelt or Harry Truman [doing that]?" 
 
 Read more about: Iraq, Dick Durbin, Peter King ||||| WASHINGTON (AP) — The Defense Department says a new round of airstrikes by U.S. fighter jets and unmanned drones has targeted Islamic militants in Iraq. 
 
 U.S. Central Command says the strikes destroyed armed vehicles, including one that was firing on Kurdish forces in the approaches to the city of Irbil, and a mortar position. 
 
 The military says the airstrikes took place from about 2:15 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time Sunday to about 5:45 a.m. 
 
 It was the fourth round of airstrikes against Islamic State forces by the U.S. military since they were authorized by President Barack Obama. ||||| VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis on Sunday expressed outrage at violence aimed at religious minorities in Iraq, where fleeing children have died of thirst, and called on the world "to stop these crimes." 
 
 Pope Francis delivers his blessing during the Angelus noon prayer he celebrated from the window of his studio overlooking St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2014. Pope Francis has expressed... (Associated Press) 
 
 In a strongly worded message during his traditional Sunday blessing, Francis said the news from Iraq "leaves us in dismay and disbelief." He cited "the thousands of people, including Christians, who have been brutally forced from their homes, children who have died from thirst during the escape and women who have been seized." 
 
 He also spoke of the destruction of "the destruction of religious, historic and cultural treasures." 
 
 The pope urged the international community to find "an efficient political solution that can stop these crimes and re-establish the rule of law." He said his personal emissary, Cardinal Fernando Filoni, would depart Monday for Iraq "in order to better ensure those dear suffering populations of my closeness to them." 
 
 Filoni, the Vatican's ambassador in Baghdad during the Iraqi war, will travel to Iraq to show solidarity with Christians, who have been among those targeted by Islamic State militants for elimination. Filoni has acknowledged in an interview with Vatican Radio the difficulty in reaching the region where thousands of refugees are starving. 
 
 The pope also called attention to the renewed violence in Gaza, after a brief cease-fire, "that kills innocent victims and only worsens the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians." 
 
 The pontiff departs Wednesday for Korea and asked the faithful "please, accompany me with your prayer." ||||| Former National Security Adviser James Jones said on Sunday the U.S. must come to the aid of the Kurds if Iraq will ever have a chance of being put back together. 
 
 The Kurdistan Regional Government is categorized as a Tier III terrorist group under the Immigration and Nationality Act, but that's "ludicrous," the retired general said on CNN's "State of the Union." "The Kurds are our best friends in the region, and we can't let Kurdistan fall" to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. 
 
 The U.S. also has the capacity to deliver more humanitarian aid to help the Yazidi population, Jones said. Providing the aid is low-risk to the U.S., he said, and the U.S. has mastered the art of precision dropping. 
 
 "We have enormous capacity to drop as much as we need to," Jones said. 
 
 Former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad said the U.S. military mission in Iraq has made the country look good and boosted morale for the Kurds, but it's time for President Barack Obama to take his leadership one step further. Iraq can't be helped by the U.S. alone, he said, and Obama has to make the case for internationalizing the effort. 
 
 Read more about: Iraq, National Security, James Jones, Islamic Terrorism, Islamic Extremism, ISIL ||||| Sen. Ben Cardin says airstrikes in Iraq on Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant targets alone won't eliminate the threat posed by the group in that country and Syria. Instead, he said, Iraqis must take the lead. 
 
 "I don't think we can take out ISIS from a military point of view from the use of our airstrikes," he said, using another name for the Islamic State group. "That's not going to solve the problem. The fundamental problem is whether the Iraqis believe they have a representative government so that Sunnis feel comfortable with the government in Baghdad," the Maryland Democrat said on "Fox News Sunday." 
 
 "There is not a U.S. military solution to this issue," he said. "We're not going to use our military to take care of what the Iraqis should be taking care of." 
 
 Read more about: Iraq, Ben Cardin, ISIL ||||| Sen. Lindsey Graham on Sunday implored President Barack Obama to be honest to Americans about the threat facing the United States from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. 
 
 And Graham repeatedly pressed the president during the interview with Chris Wallace on "Fox News Sunday" to take more action to protect American interests. 
 
 "If he does not go on the offensive against ISIS, ISIL, whatever you want guys want to call it, they are coming here. This is just not about Baghdad. This is just not about Syria. And if we do get attacked, then he will have committed a blunder for the ages," the South Carolina Republican said. 
 
 "When I look at the map ... I think of the United States. I think of an American city in flames because of the terrorists' ability to operate in Syria and Iraq," said Graham, who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee. The director of national security, the FBI director, the director of Homeland Security and others have repeatedly told the president of the threat, he said. 
 
 "So, Mr. President, you have never once spoken directly to the American people about the threat we face from Syria, now Iraq. What is your strategy to stop these people from attacking the homeland?" Graham asked. "They have expressed a desire to do so." 
 
 Asked about the president's strategy of limited strikes on ISIL mortars and convoys, the senator said the president needs to do more. 
 
 "He's trying to avoid a bad news story on his watch," Graham said, noting numerous threats from ISIL to the homeland. "We have to have a sustained air campaign. We need to go on offense. There is no force within the U.S. or the Middle East that can neutralize or destroy ISIS without at least American air power." 
 
 Read more about: Iraq, Lindsey Graham, Chris Wallace, ISIL ||||| Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin said on Sunday that the U.S. should not escalate military action beyond airstrikes in Iraq. 
 
 "The bottom line is this: There is so much we can do to help the Iraqis help themselves," the Illinois Democrat told David Gregory on NBC's "Meet the Press." 
 
 "Because only Iraq can save Iraq," Durbin added. "When it comes to Kurds, they have been the grownups in this neighborhood." 
 
 Asked whether it was galling that the U.S. is targeting its own military assets controlled by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, Durbin said it's nothing new. 
 
 "How many times has this happened in history?" Durbin said. "This is not new. It reflects the reality of war today, and it reflects the limitations when it comes to our fight against terrorism." 
 
 If the U.S air campaign does not work, Durbin said, the U.S. should protect American interests on the ground and in the region. 
 
 "I can tell you this: Escalating it is not in the cards," he said. 
 
 Read more about: Iraq, Dick Durbin
– With the United States today dropping a fourth round of airstrikes on Iraq's Islamic State militants, the pope expressing outrage over the humanitarian situation, and Iraq claiming that militants had slaughtered some 500 Yadizis, naturally our elected lawmakers felt compelled to offer up their two cents on the situation there. Highlights, as per Politico: Sen. Dick Durbin: "The bottom line is this: There is so much we can do to help the Iraqis help themselves. Because only Iraq can save Iraq. When it comes to Kurds, they have been the grownups in this neighborhood." And further: "I can tell you this: Escalating it is not in the cards." Rep. Peter King: The Islamic State is "more powerful now than al-Qaeda was on 9/11." It's "a direct threat to the United States of America, and what Dick Durbin just said and what President Obama has said, is really a shameful abdication of American leadership." Sen. Lindsey Graham: "If he does not go on the offensive against ISIS, ISIL, whatever you guys want to call it, they are coming here. This is just not about Baghdad. This is just not about Syria. And if we do get attacked, then (Obama) will have committed a blunder for the ages." Sen. Ben Cardin: "I don't think we can take out ISIS from a military point of view from the use of our airstrikes. That's not going to solve the problem. The fundamental problem is whether the Iraqis believe they have a representative government so that Sunnis feel comfortable with the government in Baghdad. There is not a US military solution to this issue. We're not going to use our military to take care of what the Iraqis should be taking care of." Former National Security Adviser James Jones: "The Kurds are our best friends in the region, and we can't let Kurdistan fall," he said, adding that it's "ludicrous" that the Kurdistan Regional Government is classified as a terrorist group.