‘JV’ terrorists? Obama under fire for having ‘underestimated’ militant threat in Iraq, Syria

President Obama’s decision to launch airstrikes in Iraq, while backed by senior Hill leaders, has only underscored for his critics the consequences of waiting as long as he did to counter the growing threat of militants with the Islamic State – a group he once dismissed as a “JV team.”

Now, the commander-in-chief is being pressed by Republicans and some hawkish Democrats to commit to battling the organization, whose territory stretches from Iraq to Syria, long-term and overhaul what until last week was a wait-and-see approach.

“Three years ago,...