How do Americans feel about ISIS?
The threat from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) grows as the House Armed Services Committee examines President Obama's request to formally authorize force against the terror group. Most recently, a U.S. Air Force veteran was formally charged for allegedly trying to join the militants.
CBS News contributor and Republican strategist Frank Luntz gathered a focus group to discuss the ISIS threat and how the U.S. government should respond.
"This is the most nervous people have been in 10 years," Luntz said Wednesday on "CBS This Morning."
In a CBS News poll, 65 percent of participants said ISIS is a major threat to the U.S. But not everyone in the focus group agreed.
"I feel like so many of these boogie monsters, they're manufactured, and there's just one after another. If it's beheadings or shootings, it's just ... never-ending at this point. This is just the flavor of the year," one woman said.
"Tell the families of the beheaded that this is all manufactured," a man responded. "It's not manufactured."
Regarding who bears responsibility for ISIS' rise, one participant hearkened back to the administration of President George W. Bush.
"When Saddam Hussein was in power, he kept all those maniacs under control," he said. "And you know what, if he were back, if somehow you could bring him back from the dead, and put him back, you know, I think he could handle all these guys. America has no history of successful nation building and has no business in that business."
When Luntz asked if the participants believed there is a problem with the Muslim religion, the response varied.
One man said in America, "kids are being brainwashed in the mosques."
"Most of the mosques, I mean the imams, I think they're brainwashing the kids," he said.
Another participant said only radical Islamic teachings are an issue, and Muslims who live peacefully in America are not.
"We're smart enough. We know the difference," she said.
According to the poll though, 67 percent of Americans believe the fight against ISIS is going at least somewhat poorly.
"ISIS is winning the PR war, and they're definitely capturing market share, because they're willing to do whatever it takes, beheading people, attract attention to themselves," one man said. "So I don't know if they're actually winning the real war, but they're definitely winning the war as given by the fact we're all talking about them right now."
Fifty-seven percent of participants in the CBS News poll, released last month, supported the use of U.S. ground troops against ISIS.
"I don't know why our administration is waiting around. Waiting for what? Another major catastrophe here in the U.S," one man in the focus group said. "I would say go in with our SEALs, and wipe'em out. There's only 50- 60,000 of them."
One woman said "America needs a new strategy."
"I think what we've learned from Afghanistan and in previous wars, is that, you know, we can send a lot of troops over there, and we can end up with a lotta body bags coming back."