Sen. Saxby Chambliss praised President Barack Obama for his ability to build an Arab coalition to aid in airstrikes on Islamic State (ISIS) targets in Syria, but he said "boots on the ground" will have to be the next step.
"I think it's pretty amazing that the administration has been able to get the coalition they have of the Arab neighbors to join us, from the standpoint of the airstrikes," the Georgia Republican said Wednesday on
CNN's "The Lead with Jake Tapper. "
"Airstrikes can do a significant amount of damage," Chambliss said, "but airstrikes are not going to win this conflict. Ultimately, there are going to have to be boots on the ground, and if you notice, the president danced around that very carefully today" in his speech to the
U.N. General Assembly.
Chambliss agreed with the administration that the war with terrorists will last years, but with no appetite from the public for another U.S. ground offensive in the Middle East, Obama needs to get Arab partners to "provide boots on the ground to root this thing out," he said.
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