U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis said adding U.S. ground troops to combat ISIS will encourage Middle East nations to join the fight. (WJBC file photo)
By Eric Stock
WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis said he's come around to the idea of ground forces to fight ISIS.
"I was probably one of the last to say that, but I think we need to do what we did in Afghanistan, special forces work along with our allies and be a part of our ground game to make sure our air superiority is maximized," Davis said.
However, Davis told WJBC's Scott Laughlin he doesn't think it will happen anytime soon.
"That's going to take leadership and I'm not too sure this president through his previous actions and his foreign policy disasters is willing to do that," Davis said.
President Barack Obama is asking Congress for a formal authorization of military force against ISIS. U.S.-led airstrikes have been pounding ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria for several months. Davis said Congress should give the President full authority to destroy ISIS.
Keystone
The Republican-controlled Congress is expected to pass a bill approving the Keystone XL oil pipeline on Wednesday, but President Obama has vowed to veto it. The bill the House is expected to pass is a Senate version, but it also includes a provision saying climate change is not a hoax, which could cause some conservative Republicans to think twice.
Davis said that won't change his vote.
"Climate change is real, we just have to figure out how much of it is man-made and how much of it is caused by natural causes," Davis said. "I don't think that provision is going to cause anyone to drop off of their support for Keystone, because Keystone is going to create 40,000 jobs."
Most of those jobs would be temporary.
The Obama administration is still evaluating the proposed pipeline, which would pump oil from Canada to the Texas Gulf Coast.
Community college
Davis said President Obama's proposal to make community college free to all is filled with holes. The first questions he has – how will community colleges be equipped to handle the increase in students?
"If the President is successful in turning our community colleges into the 13th and 14th grades without even asking community colleges if they have the faculty and the facilities to even handle an increase in students, imagine what impact it would have freshman and sophomore classes at Illinois State and Illinois Wesleyan in the future," Davis said.
President Obama laid out the proposal during his State of the Union address last month.
PODCAST: Listen to Scott's interview with Davis on WJBC.
Eric Stock can be reached at [email protected].
Metro News Service contributed to this report.
