Then he did something he rarely does: instead of anchoring his plan in a pragmatic, measured view of America’s redefined role in a contemporary world, he appealed to an exceptionalist ideal: “American leadership is the one constant in an uncertain world,” he said. “Our endless blessings bestow an enduring burden.”

That section was tacked onto the end of Obama’s short speech, right after he finished laying out the four major plans of his proposal to combat ISIL — making sure to land on, “so this is our strategy.” It was hard not to hear an echo of George W. Bush, and the vision of America as a beacon of freedom around the world that he often spoke of and let shape decisions…

For years, Obama has been trying to shift the country to a new course in the decade-plus war on terror. He’s said repeatedly that he doesn’t want to “play Whac-a-Mole” by using the U.S. military against every anti-American group that rears up in the more chaotic parts of the world.

Wednesday night, he seemed to be saying that the U.S. will need to whack another major mole before his preferred policy approach can kick in.