Mike Rogers to Obama: Fighting ISIS Is Not 'Whack-a-Mole'

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers challenged President Barack Obama's description of fighting the terror organization ISIS as playing a game of "whack-a-mole."

"Face the Nation" aired a portion of an interview with Obama Sunday with CBS's Norah O'Donnell.

In that interview, Obama said, "What we can't do is think that we're just going to play whack-a-mole and send U.S. troops occupying various countries wherever these organizations pop up."

Rogers, appearing live in studio, challenged that, saying it is easy to diminish the threat.

"It's not whack-a-mole," Rogers said. "This is in our national security interest."

He likened the battle for control between ISIS, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, and core al-Qaida to two organized crime families. Al-Qaida might have disavowed the tactics of ISIS, he said, but at the end of the day, one of them will be in control as they fight for power.

And ISIS has its eyes on Lebanon, Jordan and even Israel, he said.

Rogers also said the release of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi can offer a lesson in not letting captive terrorists go who are intent on returning to battle.

Baghdadi reportedly told American forces upon his release he would see them in New York, a threat to hit strike the American city with terrorism again.

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