Joe Biden today said America will follow the terrorists who posted videos showing the beheading of two journalists "to the gates of hell." Speaking at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Biden said the Islamic State militant group responsible for beheading James Foley and Steven Sotloff won't intimidate the United States. "The American people are so much stronger, so much more resolved than any enemy can fully understand," Biden said. "As a nation, we're united. And when people harm Americans, we don't retreat, we don't forget."
A videotape showing Sotloff's murder was broadcast yesterday, two weeks after the same group released a video showing Foley's killing. Foley was from New Hampshire and Sotloff attended school there, bringing their killings close to home for many in attendance. Earlier, President Obama promised the US would seek justice. In a news conference, he first said the US would "degrade and destroy" ISIS, but later said the US hoped to get the group to "the point where it is a manageable problem," reports Business Insider. CNN pressed defense chief Chuck Hagel on the issue, reports Mediaite. Is the goal to contain or destroy the group? "It’s not contain," said Hagel. "It’s exactly what the president said: Degrade and destroy." (More Joe Biden stories.)