Boehner: Obama is an ‘anti-war president’

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) on Thursday blasted President Obama as an “anti-war president,” saying the commander-in-chief is not doing enough to battle terrorist groups like the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

“The world is starving for American leadership. But America has an anti-war president,” Boehner said during a Capitol Hill press conference. “We have no strategy, overarching strategy to deal with the growing terrorist threat.”

“It’s not just ISIS or al Qaeda and all of their affiliates,” the speaker added. “We’ve got a serious problem facing the world, and America by and large is sitting on the sidelines.”

{mosads}Boehner’s comments come as the situation in Yemen, once hailed by the administration as a success in counterterrorism, worsened.

A Saudi Arabian-led coalition on Wednesday began airstrikes in the country against rebels from the Houthi sect who drove President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi from the capital and his hometown of Aden. The U.S. is backing those strikes.

“I applaud the Saudis for taking this action to protect their homeland and to protect their own neighborhood,” Boehner told reporters.

“If America leads, our allies in the region would be tickled to death and would be happy to join a coalition. But America has to lead,” he added.

Boehner also said lawmakers would “review closely the specifics” of Obama’s plan to freeze the level of U.S. troops in Afghanistan at 9,800 through the end of 2015, instead of drawing down to the previously planned 5,500 level.

“But make no mistake; more tough decisions will be here soon,” he said.