Obama On ISIS In Syria: "We Don't Have A Strategy Yet"
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN GUEST ANCHOR: OUTFRONT next, breaking news, a stunning admission from the president. The administration has no strategy to defeat the terror group, ISIS, in Syria. Plus what we're learning about Douglas McCain, the American who died fighting for ISIS and his close ties to another American jihadi. And mounting evidence of Russian troops inside Ukraine. One Ukrainian official calling it, quote, "A full scale invasion." Let's go OUTFRONT. Good evening. I'm Jim Sciutto in again tonight for Erin Burnett. OUTFRONT tonight, breaking news, President Obama speaking out on two major world crises. First, the fight against the terror group, ISIS. A group a top official told me last night here on our air that poses, quote, "a very serious threat to the homeland." But while the Pentagon has said repeatedly that it is working on a range of options to deal with ISIS inside Syria, the president said tonight not so fast.</s>BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We don't have a strategy yet.</s>SCIUTTO: That's no strategy to fight this terror group in a country where they've captured multiple cities, an air base and many weapons including 20 Russian tanks. That same group that released this video today. Video they say shows some of the 250 Syrian soldiers they captured and later executed after gaining control of that Syrian air base this week. And I want to warn you, this next video is graphic. This is video from Syrian activists claiming to show the bodies, the dead bodies of those soldiers. The brutality of this terror group again on full display and here at home, a frightening new terror tie uncovered. The American killed fighting for is in Syria this week was a close friend of another American killed fighting alongside a terror group as well. Douglas McArthur McCain and Troy Kastigar, both from Minneapolis. Kastigar killed in 2009 fighting in Somalia even appearing in this terror recruitment video. (</s>BEGIN VIDEO CLIP0 UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you guys only knew how much fun we have over here, this is the real Disneyland.</s>SCIUTTO: A terror Disneyland. And the other major crises for the president tonight, up to 1,000 Russian troops crossed into Ukraine. Will President Obama stand up to Russia's President Vladimir Putin? Our own Diana Magnay is going to be on the frontlines. But we begin tonight with Jim Acosta who is at the White House. Jim, some remarkable words from the president tonight live on television.</s>JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Jim. As we both know the dangers of live television and they played out here in the briefing room at the White House earlier today. But as the president was trying to take on the two major crises facing his administration right now, both ISIS and Russia, let's start with Russia first. Russia's apparent military moves in Ukraine. The president stopped short of calling that an invasion, but made it clear that additional sanctions for Russia are coming very soon, perhaps in the coming weeks. But the president once again ruled out any U.S. military solution to resolve that crisis. But as for the big moment of the day, and it was arguably not the president's best moment that he's had in some time. The president tried to explain to the American people what his strategy was for dealing with the ISIS threat in Syria, and he used the words -- and you just played them there -- we don't have a strategy yet. Jim, I have to tell you that as soon as the president made those remarks, White House officials were crashing the phones. One called me to explain almost immediately doing instant damage control that the president was talking about the ISIS threat in Syria. That he was not talking about his overall strategy for ISIS. The White House maintains he does have an overall strategy for dealing with ISIS that involves not only military solutions and air strikes like you're seeing in Iraq, but also building up regional partners to help combat that terrorist threat. That's why Secretary of State John Kerry is heading to the region after next week's NATO summit, but make no mistake, Jim, this was a press conference the president wanted to have today to sort of tamp down speculation that he was on the verge of launching air strikes. There's been some media speculation about that all week long, but instead the president created another controversy. We saw the White House Press Secretary Josh Ernest go on "THE SITUATION ROOM" with Wolf Blitzer an hour or so after the president made its remarks. It's never a good day for the White House when the press secretary has to do that.</s>SCIUTTO: It still raises hard questions. Jim Acosta at the White House. To help answer some of those questions, joining me now Democratic Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard. She is an Iraq veteran and one of only two female combat veterans ever to serve in Congress. Congresswoman Gabbard, thank you very much for joining us tonight.</s>REPRESENTATIVE TULSI GABBARD (D), HAWAII: Aloha, Jim.</s>SCIUTTO: I'm sure you've heard the president's words now, we do not have a strategy yet in Syria, the White House clarifying saying that's just in Syria, not in Iraq. But just yesterday the president's point man in Iraq told me that ISIS is a very serious threat to the homeland, whether ISIS in Iraq or Syria. Was this a stunning admission from the president?</s>GABBARD: Jim, a couple of weeks ago, I was talking with you on this show. Talking about mission and strategy. We've got to be very clear in what our mission is. Our mission is to take out these Islamic extremists, those who declared war on us, those who killed innocent Americans on 9/11. And those who our leaders said, we will seek them out and take them out wherever they are. So as we talk about strategy, good, first of all, to recognize that President Obama and his administration is now focusing and recognizing and remembering, actually, that ISIS is our enemy. ISIS, al Qaeda, whatever name they go by, they're our enemy and we have to execute a smart strategy to take them out. Give the Pentagon a little bit of room to figure out what the specifics of that strategy needs to be in Syria.</s>SCIUTTO: But let's get at the distinction the White House is making here. They said coming out of the president's comments that, listen, the president has a strategy for ISIS in Iraq. He hasn't worked out the strategy for ISIS in Syria. But the fact is ISIS straddles the borders of Iraq and Syria. In fact, that border is meaningless. They have a presence on both sides. They're killing people on both sides. They're taking over military bases. They are confiscating military equipment on both sides. How can it truly be a strategy to confront ISIS if the president and the administration is only focused on Iraq right now?</s>GABBARD: I agree with you in that there's really no border that needs to be considered when you're talking about this group called ISIS or al Qaeda or whatever they might be when they don't consider there is a border between Iraq and Syria. I think we should look at what has been working very well in Northern Iraq, in Kurdistan where we've got air strikes supporting very capable, courageous ground forces in the Peshmerga. We should be arming them still. They are not receiving the heavy weaponry and the support that they need to be able to take that offensive action and see how we can continue to do that. Tweaking the strategy where necessary based on the situation on the ground.</s>SCIUTTO: Let's look at the military strikes have had some success stopping ISIS' advance in Iraq, but hasn't pushed them back very much to be frank. But even if you do push them back a bit there, they still have a tremendous base of operations, home base in effect in Syria. Can the White House strategy truly damage and degrade ISIS as the president said tonight if it is only taking them on in Iraq and not in Syria?</s>GABBARD: No. We cannot. We can't think that this is about one country. That this is about Iraq or Syria. We've got to recognize that these Islamic extremists present a very direct threat, and we've got to have a comprehensive strategy to take them out wherever we are. Today we're talking about them being in Iraq and Syria. Tomorrow we could talk about them being in a completely different country or we can talk about another group of Islamic extremists that go by a different name, not ISIS, but really are that same threat to the United States that they are those same group of extremists that attacked us on 9/11. So as we look at this, we absolutely have to take this on with a comprehensive counterterrorism strategy. What we should have done after 9/11, but unfortunately our mission at this time that was stated has been -- was lost. You know, I and a lot of other people enlisted in the army or enlisted in the military to join that fight then we were sent on missions of nation building and occupying other countries. That's been a distraction that's allowed these terrorist groups to strengthen themselves and we've got to get back to that. Remember, what ISIS our mission and come up with a smart strategy to execute that mission.</s>SCIUTTO: I know you had a very personal experience, the blood and treasure lost in Iraq serving a medical unit there. So few people know as well as you the danger of going in without a strategy.</s>GABBARD: And that point, Jim -- thank you, we can't highlight that point enough that we cannot afford to make these same mistakes that were made by the Bush administration and carried on by the Obama administration to continue to allow that loss in precious lives and American treasure.</s>SCIUTTO: Great to have you on. Thanks very much for your thoughts on this.</s>GABBARD: Thank you.</s>SCIUTTO: OUTFRONT next, new details tonight about a second American who died fighting for ISIS. Plus the next generation of Jihadis. A look at the young children being recruited and brain washed by the terror group. And President Obama blames Russia for violence in Ukraine, but why is the White House stopping short of calling Russia's advances an invasion?