us defense secretary chuck hagel testified at the house of representatives thursday morning, facing questions about president obama’s strategy to fight the islamic state in iraq and syria. during the hearing, he admitted that this war against the islamic state could take several years, and at least another 12 hundred american troops in iraq and syria. he outlined several other strategies to carry out president obama’s plan to “degrade and destroy isis,” including his reasoning for why the president felt he had the power to bypass congress and activate the authorized use of military force from 2001. while congress lawmakers have several serious questions about the specifics, there is a growing sense of urgency from the american public. according to several recent polls, most americans want obama to take a tougher stance against isis. today, we are turning to ivan eland to help shed some light on the developing situation in iraq and syria. right now, ivan is the senior fellow and director of the center on peace & liberty at the independent institute. he also worked on national security issues for 15 years in congress. you’ve probably seen some of his work in the usa today, la times, new york times, chicago sun times, or you might’ve seen him on abc, fox, cnn or msnbc.