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ByDavidEspoand Nedra Pickler The Associated Press WASHINGTON Vowing that Islamic State forces are "going to lose," Presi- dent Barack Obama urged Congress on Wednesday to authorize military action against terrorists who are cutting a swath across the Middle East. Yet he ruled out large-scale U.S. ground combat operations reminis- cent of Iraq and Afghani- stan. "I'm convinced that the United States should not get dragged back into another prolonged ground war," the president said at the White House as he set Congress on a path to its first war-pow- ers vote in 13 years. Despite his words of reas- surance, initial reaction in Congress amounted to bi- partisan skepticism, with much of the dissatisfaction centered on his attempt to find a political middle ground with respect to ground forces. Republicans expressed unhappiness that he had chosen to exclude any long-term commitment of ground forces, while some Democrats voiced dismay that he had opened the door to deployment at all. Sen. John McCain, R- Ariz., also said Obama had ruled out air support for U.S.-trained rebels battling Syrian President Bashar Assad, adding, "That's im- moral." Under Obama's proposal, the use of military force against Islamic State fight- ers would be authorized for three years, unbounded by national borders. The fight could be extended to any "closely related successor entity" to the Islamic State organization that has over- run parts of Iraq and Syria, imposed a stern form of Sharia law and killed sev- eral hostages it has taken, Americans among them. "Make no mistake. This is a difficult mission," Obama said in seeking ac- tion against a group that he said threatens America's own security. He said it will take time to dislodge the terrorists, especially from urban areas. "But our co- alition is on the offensive. ISIL is on the defensive, and ISIL is going to lose." ISIL is one acronym for the Islamic State group. The 2002 congressional authorization that preceded the American-led invasion of Iraq would be repealed under the White House pro- posal, a step some Republi- cans were unhappy to see. But a separate authoriza- tion that was approved by Congress after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks would remain in force, to the con- sternation of some Demo- crats. At the heart of the de- bate, the struggle to de- fine any role for Ameri- can ground forces is likely to determine the outcome of the administration's re- quest for legislation. White House spokesman Josh Ear- nest said the proposal was intentionally ambiguous on that point to give the presi- dent flexibility, although the approach also was an at- tempt to bridge a deep di- vide in Congress. While asking lawmak- ers to bar long-term, large- scale ground combat opera- tions like those in Afghani- stan and Iraq, Obama said he wants the flexibility for ground combat operations "in other more limited cir- cumstances." Those include rescue missions, intelligence collection and the use of spe- cial operations forces in pos- sible military action against Islamic State leaders. While he proposed legis- lation to terminate in three years, Obama said, "It is not a timetable. It is not an- nouncing that the mission is completed at any given period. What it is saying is that Congress should revisit the issue at the beginning of the next president's term." Whatever the outcome, Obama's request puts Con- gress on the path toward a vote that could reverberate unpredictably for years. A post-9/11 request from then-President George W. Bush for authorization to use military force against Iraq was intensely contro- versial, and it played a role in Obama's successful cam- paign for the White House in 2008. His chief rival for the Democratic nomination, then-New York Sen. Hill- ary Rodham Clinton, voted in favor of the Bush pro- posal. Obama, who was not in Congress at the time of the vote, said later he would have opposed it, and he made it an issue in the presidential race. Clinton, who served four years as Obama's secretary of state and is now a likely candidate for president in 2016, had no immediate reaction to the new White House proposal. Lawmakers were not as reticent, although outright supporters of the president's plan were relatively scarce. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, expressed doubt it would "give our military commanders the flexibility and authorities they need to succeed and protect our people." He said changes are likely before the measure comes to a vote, although one House committee set an initial hearing for Thurs- day. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., like Boehner, said the pro- posal would receive serious consideration. Democrats had a differ- ent reason to question the president's proposal. The House Democratic leader, Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California, issued a state- ment that refrained from endorsing Obama's request. It said Congress should act judiciously and promptly to pass legislation "narrowly tailored" to the fight against Islamic State fighters. She has said previously she op- poses deploying U.S. "boots on the ground." Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the Senate's longest-serving Democrat, cautioned that any legislation must be in a form that avoids "repeat- ing the missteps of the past and that does not result in an open-ended authoriza- tion that becomes legal jus- tification for future actions against unknown enemies, in unknown places, at un- known times." In a letter to lawmakers accompanying the three- page draft legislation, Obama referred to four American hostages who have died in Islamic State custody — at least three of them beheaded. He said the militant group, if left un- checked, "will pose a threat beyond the Middle East, in- cluding to the United States homeland." 'DIFFICULT MISSION' Obama asks for war powers, says IS is 'going to lose' By Jamie Stengle The Associated Press STEPHENVILLE, TEXAS Shortly before he was shot to death by a troubled for- mer Marine at a Texas gun range, legendary Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle texted a buddy, "This dude is straight-up nuts," a de- fense attorney told jurors Wednesday. A lawyer for Eddie Ray Routh said in opening statements of the man's murder trial that Routh's insanity was so evident that Kyle and his friend Chad Littlefield exchanged texts expressing alarm as the three rode together in February 2013 to a Texas shooting range. "He's (sitting) right be- hind me, watch my six," Littlefield texted back, us- ing a military reference for watching one's back. But a prosecutor said that even with a history of mental illness, Routh still knew right from wrong. The case has drawn in- tense interest, largely be- causeofKyle'smemoirabout being a sniper who served four tours in Iraq. The Os- car-nominated film based on the book has grossed nearly $300 million. Erath County District At- torney Alan Nash described the 27-year-old Routh as "a troubled young man" who on the morning of the kill- ings numbed himself with marijuana and whiskey. He said a history of mental ill- ness should not absolve Routh of being accountable for the deaths. "The evidence will show that mental illnesses, even the ones that this defendant may or may not have, don't deprive people from being good citizens, to know right from wrong," Nash said. Tim Moore, an attorney for Routh, said Kyle and Littlefield's text exchange shows how Routh was spi- ralingoutofcontrol.Hetold jurors that Routh was suf- fering from severe mental strain that day and thought he needed to kill the two or they would turn on him. "He thought he had to take their lives or he was in danger," Moore said. Kyle's widow, Taya Kyle, testified that Littlefield and her husband were close, and enjoyed spending time with veterans as a way to help them ease back into civilian life. She detailed her husband's own strug- gles after leaving the bat- tlefield, saying he had post- traumatic stress disorder, was irritable and slowed by physical ailments. Shesaidherhusbandhad beenapproachedbyRouth's mother to help her son. The defense asked if her husband could rec- ognize when someone had been drinking before firing weapons, suggest- ing that Chris Kyle and Littlefield should have known as they rode with Routh that he was intox- icated. MURDER TRIAL LMOTERO—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS Eddie Ray Routh walks into court for a pretrial proceeding Tuesday in Stephenville, Texas. The former Marine is accused of killing Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle and Kyle's friend Chad Littlefield at a gun rang. Lawyer: 'American Sniper' said ex-Marine is 'straight-up nuts' By Lisa Cornwell The Associated Press CINCINNATI A retired high school teacher who sued a school district, say- ing administrators dis- criminated against her because of a phobia that makes her fear young children, lost her appeal in the federal case on Wednesday. A three-judge panel of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati upheld a lower-court de- cision that had dismissed DISCRIMINATION CLAIM Court rules against ex-teacher with a phobia of young kids EVAN VUCCI — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE President Barack Obama answers a question in the East Room of the White House. Maria Waltherr-Willard's breach-of-contract claim against Mariemont City Schools. The U.S. District Court in Cincinnati also had ruled in favor of the school district on her other claims, including age and disability discrimination. Attorney Brad Weber, who represented Waltherr- Willard, did not immedi- ately return a call seeking comment. The 63-year-old teacher, who had taught Spanish and French at Mariemont High School in Cincinnati since the 1970s, said she was transferred to a middle school in 2009. Her lawsuit said the seventh- and eighth- graders triggered her pho- bia, causing her blood pres- sure to soar and forcing her to retire in the middle of the 2010-11 school year. Her lawsuit sought unspecified damages. An attorney for the school district had said Waltherr- Willard was transferred be- cause the French program at the high school was be- ing turned into an online one and the middle school needed a Spanish teacher. A message seeking comment was left for the district's at- torney on Wednesday. The appeals court said in its ruling that the lower court was correct in ruling in the school district's fa- vor on the various claims. On the breach-of-contract issue, the court said Wal- therr-Willard contended that her correspondence with several unidentified school officials created a contract that required Mariemont to keep her at the high school. PLUS 10,000 online impressions on www.redbluffdailynews.com with an interactive digital rectangle ad* Only$299 total *ShouldstartbyFRIFEB13toguaranteedelivery of 10,000 online impressions Other special rating for print and online advertising during the survey period! Call your Daily NewsAdvertising Representive TODAY for details! Gayla Eckels: geckels@redbluffdailynews.com (530) 737-5044 Suzy Noble: snoble@redbluffdailynews.com (530) 737-5056 Online Survey Now Underway! Now through Wednesday, February 25 FOUR 2 col x 4" full color Display PrintAds in LOCALBUSINESSES! 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