Obama chides Republicans for lack of alternatives on Islamic State
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HONOLULU - US President Barack Obama said his administration is open to some "legitimate criticism" for failing to adequately explain its strategy to counter Islamic State, though he chided Republican presidential candidates for criticizing his policy without offering an alternative.
In a Dec. 17 interview set to air on NPR public radio at 5am ET (10am GMT) on Monday, Obama attributed his low approval ratings for how he has handled terrorism to the saturation of Islamic State attacks in the media after the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris that killed 130 people.
Obama noted that the United States has carried out 9,000 strikes against the Islamic State and taken back towns including Sinjar, Iraq from the militant group.
"When you ask them, 'well, what would you do instead?' they don't have an answer," Obama said of Republican candidates he has observed in televised debates.
