海角大神

President聽Barack聽Obama聽will deliver a speech to Americans and consult with lawmakers this week to sell his plan to go on the offensive against Islamic State militants, but is trying to head off public concern about another big military escapade.

Obama聽said that in his remarks on Wednesday he would "describe what our game plan's going to be." He will meet congressional leaders on Tuesday to seek their support for his strategy to halt the militant Islamist group.

Obama聽indicated he did not believe he needed additional authorization from聽Congress聽to carry out the plan, although he intends to consult with lawmakers and might seek approval for additional funds.

"I'm confident that I have the authorization that I need to protect the American people,"Obama聽said. "But I do think it's important for聽Congress聽to understand what the plan is, to have 'buy in,' to debate it."

The president, who campaigned for the聽White House聽in 2008 on getting US troops out of聽Iraq, has struggled to articulate how he wants to address Islamic State, telling reporters last month that "we don't have a strategy yet" to tackle the group.

"I'm preparing the country to make sure that we deal with a threat from ISIL,"聽Obama聽said in an interview aired on Sunday with NBC's "Meet the Press" program, using an acronym for Islamic State. "The next phase is now to start going on some offense," he added, promising to "defeat" the group.

Obama's comments also seemed tailored to head off the fears of some Americans and anti-war members of his own party of another full-scale war. For example, he ruled out sending US ground troops to fight the militants in聽Iraq聽or聽Syria.

"This is not the equivalent of the聽Iraq聽war,"聽Obama聽added. "What this is, is similar to the kinds of counterterrorism campaigns that we've been engaging in consistently over the last five, six, seven years.

The speech underscores the degree to which Islamic State has become an urgent issue for the聽United States. The Sunni militants have seized territory in聽northern Iraq聽and eastern聽Syria, declared a border-blurring Islamic caliphate and released grisly videos of the beheading of two US journalists it had held hostage.

Obama聽authorized American airstrikes in聽Iraq聽against Islamic State last month and US warplanes carried out strikes on Islamic State insurgents menacing聽Iraq's Haditha Dam聽on Sunday.

A video released last week of American freelance journalist聽Steven Sotloff聽being beheaded by the militants led to fresh calls from lawmakers in both parties for a more aggressive approach.

Republicans in聽Congress, which returns from its summer recess on Monday, have blocked聽Obama聽proposals on a wide range of issues, but many back stronger action against Islamic State.聽Obama, however, may face resistance from liberal fellow Democrats if they feel his plan requires too big a military commitment.

In the interview, conducted in Washington on Saturday,聽Obama聽said he wanted Americans to understand the nature of the threat and "have confidence that we'll be able to deal with it."

9/11 ATTACKS ANNIVERSARY

The Wednesday speech will come a day before the 13th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the聽United States聽that killed about 3,000 people.

Obama聽said while there was no immediate聽US intelligence聽about threats to the homeland from Islamic State, the group had attracted foreign fighters from Western nations who could travel to the聽United States聽"unimpeded" and eventually pose a threat.

Obama聽emphasized the聽United States聽was not going it alone. Nine other countries have agreed to be "core" members of a coalition he spent time building last week at a NATO meeting in聽Wales. "We are going to be a part of an international coalition, carrying out airstrikes in support of work on the ground by Iraqi troops, Kurdish troops,"聽Obama聽said.

The heads of both the聽Senate聽and聽House of Representatives聽intelligence committees urged聽Obama聽on Sunday to use US special operations forces as part of his plans.

Republican Mike Rogers, who heads the House Intelligence Committee, also told the CNN program "State of the Union" that聽Obama聽needed to "lay out a very certain case" on confronting Islamic State. Rogers added: "We need to have an end-game."

Democrat聽Dianne Feinstein, head of the聽Senate聽Intelligence Committee, said聽Obama聽must explain what the coalition partners are actually willing to do, what role聽Saudi Arabia聽will play and whether longtime US adversary Iran is going to help.

"Iran has offered to help. I, for one, think that's useful," she said.

Obama聽said the聽United States聽would need Sunni Arab states in the region including聽Saudi Arabia,聽Jordan聽and the United Arab Emirates, as well as聽Turkey聽to "step up" and help.

Republican聽Peter King, a House intelligence panel member, told the ABC program "This Week" that "it's probably better" for聽Obama聽to get congressional approval for this plan, "which I would certainly vote for." But King said he believed the president had the constitutional authority to take action in聽Iraq聽and in聽Syria聽against Islamic State without congressional approval.