The chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee says President Barack Obama might be taking too long to respond to the growing threat from Islamic militants in Iraq and Syria. 
 
 “I’ve learned one thing about this president, and that is he’s very cautious. Maybe, in this instance, too cautious,” Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said in an interview aired Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” 
 
 Feinstein said she agrees with an op-ed by Republican Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina over the weekend in The New York Times calling for an immediate military plan to confront the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. 
 
 ISIL’s goal, she said, is to take the Iraqi capital of Baghdad and attack the American Embassy there. 
 
 Though Obama was widely criticized last week for saying the White House didn’t have a strategy for dealing with ISIL, Feinstein said the Pentagon and State Department have been planning for some time. And, she said, she hopes those plans will “coalesce” into a strategy that a coalition of allies can use to confront the militant group. 
 
 Feinstein did praise Obama for including the new Iraqi government in the planning. 
 
 “What I understand he is trying to do is give an opportunity for this new Iraqi government … to make a move that offers an alternative to the Sunni people in [the] country,” she said. 
 
 Read more about: Barack Obama, Iraq, Dianne Feinstein, Syria ||||| The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee said on Sunday that President Barack Obama’s "don't-do-stupid-stuff" approach to foreign affairs isn't working and that the White House's response to multiple international crises is causing problems for allies. 
 
 Appearing on “Fox News Sunday," Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) said the president needs a stronger response to provocations from Russia and China and to the terrorist threat from Islamic militants in Syria and Iraq. 
 
 “This is an opportunity for the president … to bring the country together so that we understand this ‘don’t-do-stupid-stuff’ policy isn’t working,” Rogers said. “If the world perceives that the United States does not have a consistent policy of saying what it means and meaning what it says, you’re going to see more of this pressure.” 
 
 Rogers said the president has not taken strong enough action against Russia’s incursions into Ukraine and has taken too long to respond to the growing threat of Islamic militants in Syria and Iraq. And, he said, the perceived weakness of the response has encouraged China to push limits in international waters and forced Britain to increase its security measures in the face of threats from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. 
 
 “The United States seems to be in the malaise of not being that concerned,” Rogers said. “If you have your own European allies saying, ‘Maybe the United States isn’t a leader on this issue,’ that’s a problem for us.” 
 
 Read more about: Barack Obama, Iraq, Russia, Foreign Policy, Mike Rogers, Syria ||||| Sen. John McCain on Sunday called for “additional U.S. troops” to help in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, but he said those troops should continue playing a support role and not be directly involved in combat. 
 
 
 
 Appearing on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” the Arizona Republican blasted President Barack Obama’s handling of the issue, saying “he’s either in denial or overwhelmed.” 
 
 
 
 “This is a direct threat to the United States of America,” McCain said of the extremist group’s grip on parts of Iraq and Syria. “It may be one of the biggest we’ve ever faced.” 
 
 
 
 Specifically, McCain urged the Obama administration to provide more weapons to Kurdish fighters in Iraq and to expand the U.S. military airstrikes in Iraq to Syria. 
 
 Read more about: John McCain, ISIL ||||| Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, on Sunday defended President Barack Obama’s much-criticized Thursday remark that when it comes to taking on the Islamic State extremist group in Syria, “We don’t have a strategy yet.” 
 
 
 
 Appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union,” the Maryland congressman said the Obama administration is working to develop a plan and that “when the time is right, we will do what we have to do.” 
 
 
 
 Ruppersberger said dealing with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL, in Syria was very different than dealing with the group in Iraq, where “the government wants us to come in.” Syria, he said, has sophisticated air defense systems, and the United States has limited intelligence about potential targets in the war-ravaged country. 
 
 
 
 “It’s extremely urgent, but you just don’t rush in because the media’s talking about it,” Ruppersberger said. “We will do what we have to do to protect us from ISIS,” he said, using another acronym for the group. 
 
 
 
 Meanwhile, Rep. Adam Kinzinger, an Iraq War veteran, said the United States should have started working much earlier to stop ISIL and knocked the president for his "strategy" remark. 
 
 
 
 “I think it’s unfortunate that he used the term, we have no strategy in Syria,” the Illinois Republican said. 
 
 Read more about: Barack Obama, Iraq, Syria, Dutch Ruppersberger
– Republicans were today again busily piling on President Obama's strategy—or lack thereof—against Islamic State militants, but this week they were joined by a pretty prominent Democrat: Dianne Feinstein. "I’ve learned one thing about this president, and that is he’s very cautious," said the Senate Intel Committee chair, adding that, "maybe, in this instance, too cautious." Feinstein said she agreed with John McCain and Lindsey Graham's op-ed this weekend calling for military action, reports Politico, adding that she hopes the Pentagon and State Department can "coalesce" their planning into a single strategy to take on ISIS. Elsewhere on your Sunday dial: Mike Rogers: "This is an opportunity for the president to bring the country together so that we understand this ‘don’t-do-stupid-stuff’ policy isn’t working. If you have your own European allies saying, ‘Maybe the United States isn’t a leader on this issue,’ that’s a problem for us." John McCain: The Arizonan wants "additional US troops" to fight ISIS, and says Obama is "either in denial or overwhelmed. This is a direct threat to the United States of America. It may be one of the biggest we’ve ever faced." Dutch Ruppersberger: Referencing the White House's lack of ISIS strategy, the Maryland Democrat said, "It’s extremely urgent, but you just don’t rush in because the media’s talking about it. We will do what we have to do to protect us from ISIS."