Retired Lt. Gen. Jerry Boykin claimed there “isn’t any question that the Pentagon is at odds with the administration” over how to deal with ISIS, noting a palpable “rift” between the military and the Obama White House on a strategy for confronting the Islamic terror group.
Boykin spoke Tuesday with Fox News’ Gretchen Carlson about the apparent disconnect between the Pentagon and President Barack Obama’s messaging on ISIS. Contrary to the president’s claim that he doesn’t yet have a strategy, on Tuesday Pentagon spokesman John Kirby insisted the military does have a plan to defeat the Islamic fundamentalists.
“Is the Pentagon at odds with the White House, or how does that work?” Carlson asked.
“Well, don’t think there’s any question that the Pentagon is at odds with the administration at this point,” Boykin claimed. “Look, when the chairman of the Joint Chiefs makes a statement on Thursday and then backtracks on Sunday from what he said, it’s a clear indication that he’s been given some instructions from the White House to modify what he said.”
“There is a rift between the two,” the former general continued. “The military wants to take care of this problem. The military sees it as being a situation in which there is, in fact, some military solution to this.”
Boykin went on to excoriate the president for his “weakness” and “feckless response” to the beheading of American journalists — now including Steven Sotloff, who’s brutal execution was made public in a video released by ISIS on Tuesday. (RELATED: ISIS Beheads American Journalist Steven Sotloff)