Obama’s Proposal
Obama speaking to the press about the threat that ISIS poses.
Earlier today, President Obama opened the door to ground combat operations against ISIS, asking Congress to formally authorize military force against the militants. If left unchecked, he said, ISIS will continue to pose a threat, and not just in the Middle East. Obama’s proposal will include limitations to bar enduring offensive ground combat operations, and then let the authorization lapse after three years. According to the proposal, the authorization wouldn’t allow long-term, large-scale ground combat operations, such as those conducted in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, Obama’s request includes no restrictions on where US forces could pursue ISIS. While the current military campaign is centered around coalition airstrikes in Iraq and Syria, Obama’s proposal clearly allows US ground troops to engage.
Obama’s proposed authorization would provide the flexibility to conduct ground operations in limited circumstances, such as rescue operations or the use of special operations forces, as well as the use of US forces where ground combat operations aren’t expected or intended. According to White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest, this provision would allow special operations missions as well. The request kicks off what will most likely be a drawn-out debate in Congress. Already, certain Senators are concerned about the breadth and vagueness of the message’s language.
The White House insists that it’s already gotten the authority to launch airstrikes against ISIS in Iraq and Syria, although it wants Congress to sign off so that they can demonstrate American unity. In a letter to lawmakers accompanying the request, Obama urged them to show the world that they are “united”. The resolution listed various atrocities committed by ISIS against both locals and American hostages. Obama’s proposal might launch an ideological debate over what authorities and limitations the President should have to fight extremism. The confirmation of the death of 26 year-old American Mueller has added new urgency to the fight against ISIS, although many are hesitant to have a repeat of the costly and long-running wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Obama is offering to limit authorization to three years, extending to the next President the powers and debate over renewal for what he views as a long-range battle. The proposal has no geographic limitations where US forces could pursue elusive militants, and bars “enduring offensive ground combat operations”, which seems to be a very vague term. The resolution by Obama would repeal a 2002 authorization for force in Iraq, but maintain a 2001 authorization against Al Qaeda in Afghanistan, even though Obama said in his letter to lawmakers his goal is to refine and ultimately repeal that authorization.
ISIS Accepts Loyalty Plea
A group of Boko Haram militants.
Last weekend, the Nigerian terror group Boko Haram made a pledge of loyalty to ISIS in Iraq. And yesterday, ISIS spokesman Abu al-Adnani announced that they had accepted the group’s pledge, saying that they had “expanded” to West Africa. Previously, Al Adnani had urged fighters from around the world to migrate and join Boko Haram.
This announcement from ISIS came as both groups have been struggling against increased military pressure. ISIS is currently battling Iraqi forces in Saddam Hussein’s hometown of Tikrit, while also coming under fire from air strikes in Iraq and Syria. And Boko Haram has been weakend by a multinational force that has dislodged them from numerous towns in northeastern Nigeria. However, its new Twitter account, increasingly slick and with more frequent video messages, is strongly reminiscent of ISIS. Then, last Saturday, Boko Haram’s leader, Abubakar Sheka, posted an audio recording online that pledged allegiance to ISIS.
Many experts have pointed out that this allegiance, quickly agreed to by the two powers, highlights increased risk. Militants finding it harder to get to Syria and Iraq could choose instead to go to northeastern Nigeria, and internationalize the conflict. Boko Haram’s pledge comes as militants have been massing in Gwoza for a showdown with the multinational force.
Last year alone, Boko Haram killed some 10,000 people, and were responsible for abducting hundreds of schoolgirls last April. For nearly 6 years now, the group has been waging an insurgency to impose Sharia law in Nigeria. Last year, they began launching attacks across the border into Cameroon, and this year, their fighters struck in Niger and Chad in retaliation to their agreement to form a multinational force to fight the militants. In response to the fighting, thousands of Nigerian refugees have fled to neighboring Chad.
Back in August, Boko Haram followed the lead of ISIS and declared an Islamic caliphate in northeast Nigeria. Much like ISIS, they’ve also been publishing videos of beheadings, many of which borrow elements from ISIS productions, such as the sound of a beating heart and heavy breathing right before the execution. In video messages the previous year, Boko Haram’s leader sent greetings and praise to the leaders of both ISIS and Al Qaeda. Unlike ISIS, however, Boko Haram was never affiliated with Al Qaeda, possibly because the latter considered Boko Haram’s indiscriminate slaughter of Muslims as un-Islamic. Recently, offensives have marked a sharp escalation by African nations against the Boko Haram problem. Since February 8, military operations in Niger’s east have killed at least 500 Boko Haram fighters.
About Nelson Lewis
An exposure to politics at a young age had a profound effect on media maven Nelson Lewis, who worked as a volunteer for numerous Republican politicians in and around his native Savannah. Nelson worked as a reporter and eventually anchor at two Savannah television stations growing up, WJCL ABC-22 and WTGS FOX-28, also recording voice teasers for airing on Fridays on WJCL-FM KIX 96 and previewing his upcoming stories, which aired on the Sunday evening news.
One of Nelson’s favorite experiences at WJCL was reporting live from the St. Patrick’s Day Parade (America’s second largest) from 1998-2000. Continuing in the spirit of his grandfather’s pioneering and trailblazing footsteps (he was the first to bring all-color television and stereo to the Savannah market), Nelson became the first person in Savannah market to bring a kid’s perspective to local news as its first youth reporter. In fact, one of the competing stations, WSAV NBC-3 hired their own youth reporter, Sean Champion, 18 months after Nelson began his reports and WJCL/TGS’s ratings dramatically increased.
Work In Political Media
While a sophomore and junior at Lynn University, Nelson Lewis hosted “Politijam”, a lively political debate show that became well known across the university campus and served as the media editor of the univeristy’s weekly EPulse newspaper. While at Lynn, Nelson was selected to represent the entire undergraduate student population as a member of Lynn University’s Academic Task Force, charged with the duty of streamlining the core curriculum of the universities.
While attending Lynn’s College of International Communication, Nelson developed a friendship with Irving R. Levine, a well-known and nationally recognized correspondent for NBC News who became the network’s first full time economics correspondent, and was the creator of the precursor to CNBC. After a 45-year career in journalism, Levine went on to become Dean of Lynn’s communication program. After finishing college, Nelson Lewis followed Levine’s suggestion and moved to Washington, DC where his first job was as a press intern for a Republican congressman, which then led to a job booking at the Fox News Channel from 2006-2010. Here, he was able to put his love of politics and interest in the Republican Party to good use.
Upon the suggestion of Mr. Levine, Nelson Lewis enrolled in the Masters of Professional Studies in Journalism (International Politics) program at Georgetown University in 2009, where a special emphasis was placed on the dissolution of America’s Fairness Doctrine and on the major player in its demise, Bruce Fein.
Nelson was honored to be invited to speak at a roast honoring Levine’s 2009 death at the National Press Club, where he spoke alongside Levine family members and contemporaries such as former Meet the Press Moderator Marvin Kalb. He subsequently wrote a letter to the editor published in The Hill newspaper eulogizing Levine as a “top-notch raconteur” who many others have tried to emulate.
From his work at Fox News, Nelson Lewis was able to take a firsthand role in the DC journalism scene, and was blessed with the opportunity of meeting entertainment, political, and academic luminaries on a daily basis, including numerous sitting and former representatives, senators, governors and cabinet secretaries. These unique experiences gave Nelson a front row seat to many historic events and gave him a firsthand experience of how the Washington system works, from how laws are created to how news is made.
Through Nelson Lewis’ work creating Her Golf Network, coupled with his extensive booking experiences in segment producing gained at America’s highest rated cable news channel and through his time performing key internships at places such as WPBT’s Nightly Business Report in Miami, where he honed his scriptwriting skills, and at WTOC in Savannah, where he provided copyediting and on-site production assistance at the 2004 Sea Island G-8 summit, have provided him with a solid foundation and understanding of the news business. His time as a reporter/anchor growing up prior to his undergraduate studies helped him get an early start at doing what he loves most, reporting.
