Blog: Who Was That Guy in the White House?

Who was that guy in the White House last night? Did you see him? He was a strong, decisive, on-point fellow with a clear action plan to carry the fight against ISIS into Syria and beyond. He sounded exactly like what's needed during the current round of madness in the Mideast.

Vice President Joe Biden said Sept. 3, "We will follow the jihadists of the Islamic State to the gates of hell until they are brought to justice." He went on to elaborate that the US will travel to those fiery gates "because hell is where they will reside." The point is simple and direct.

Last night's speaker struck an emotional chord. Americans, who until very recently, wanted no part of a long-drawn out engagement in the Mideast cesspool -- after one necessary and one unnecessary war there -- are now gung-ho about bombing ISIS to bits. The newly found national hawkishness comes in the aftermath of the beheading of two American journalists.

Until very recently, our commander-in-chief admitted that he didn't have a plan to deal with the terrorists. Last night's guy surely did.

It will take years to wipe out the ISIS cancer. The effort will result in more American combat deaths.

The current scenario calls for airpower and drones to combat ISIS, a pattern that is playing out in Pakistan and Yemen. ISIS though is a much more powerful group than terrorists operating in the shadows of the low-intensity combat zones of Pakistan and Yemen.

ISIS has advanced weapons—complements of US taxpayers and Iraqi cowardice or collusion—territory, propaganda machine and billions in funds. It's unlikely US air attacks alone are going to do the trick.

The speaker last night said another 475 US advisors are going to Iraq, and again reiterated that American ground troops are not in the cards. That sounds like the wishful thinking of President Obama.

Is Obama now all-in about the need to chase ISIS to Biden's gates of hell?

Or was last night's speech an effort to salvage what's left of his presidency, one that was sapped of strength daily due to his own waffling and indecisiveness about what to do about the collapse of Iraq after we spent billions and lost 4,486 soldiers there?

Was that really Obama, who likes to see the world the way that he wants to, last night?

If not, America welcomes the new guy!