President Obama Addresses USA On Request For Military Authorization Against ISIL

Speaking from the White House, and accompanied by Vice-President Biden, Secretary of State Kerry and Secretary of Defense Hagel, President Obama detailed his request to Congress asking for authorization of military force to address the threat of ISIL in the Middle East:

Obama made clear that the draft authorization sent to the legislators does not signal a new ground war for the United States in the Middle East.

"I do not believe this nation is benefited ... by being on a perpetual war footing," Obama said.

President Obama repeated often his respect for our armed forces and his resolve that ISIL will be defeated:

"Our coalition is on the offensive. ISIL is on the defensive and ISIL is going to lose."

"Our mission will succeed."

"As Commander in Chief, I will only send our troops into harm’s way when it is absolutely necessary for our national security."

VP Biden on Islamic State: "We will follow them to the gates of hell"

Vice President Joe Biden had strong language today for the Islamic State regarding the killing of American journalist Steven Sotloff.

Speaking at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine, Biden repeatedly used the term "barbarians" in describing ISIL, and promised that the United States will retaliate.

Via Buzzfeed:

“The American people are so much stronger, so much more resolved than any enemy can fully understand,” Biden said.

“As a nation we are united and when people harm Americans we don’t retreat, we don’t forget. We take care of those who are grieving and when that’s finished, they should know we will follow them to the gates of hell until they are brought to justice because hell is where they will reside.”

Watch below courtesy of CNN:

Reuters reports another journalist beheaded by ISIL

Reuters is reporting that another American journalist, Steven Sotloff, may have been beheaded by ISIL:

The Islamic State released a video purporting to show the beheading of American hostage Steven Sotloff, a monitoring service said on Tuesday, as the militant group raised the stakes in its confrontation with Washington over U.S. air strikes on its fighters in Iraq.

A masked figure in the video also issued a threat against a British hostage, a man the group named as David Haines, and warned governments to back off "this evil alliance of America against the Islamic State", the SITE monitoring service said.

"I'm back, Obama, and I'm back because of your arrogant foreign policy towards the Islamic State, because of your insistence on continuing your bombings and ... on Mosul Dam, despite our serious warnings," the man said.

"So just as your missiles continue to strike our people, our knife will continue to strike the necks of your people."

Several news outlets report that Sotloff's family is aware of the video and grieving.

On August 19th, the same group posted a similar video showing the gruesome killing of American journalist James Foley.