National Journal political columnist Ron Fournier said that President Obama's poor approval ratings were "leading the Commander-in-Chief" in determining his strategy against ISIL.
Fournier rejected the Obama administration's narrative that American fears were simply due to media hype:
I think they see weakness in the president. I think they've heard the president all summer long play this down, dither, say things like 'it's JV,' 'these are just pharmacists,' and they're worried about the president's commitment to this cause. They know they don't want ground troops, but they don't know what else needs to be done. They want to trust their president, and they don't.
Fournier added that John Kerry's assertion that the U.S. is "not at war" further eroded the public's confidence in the Obama administration.
