Because U.S. President Barack Obama avoided using the term "radical Islam" during the three-day White House Summit on Islamic Extremism, House Homeland Security Committee Chair Rep. Michael McCaul considers the gathering a "summit without substance."

The Republican congressman representing Texas said that it is clear to Americans that the U.S. is not at war with Islam, however, he believes that terror groups such as the al Qaeda and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) won't be defeated if the White House does not define them as violent Islamist extremists, reports Fox News.

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Rather than use the words "radical Islam," Obama instead said that groups like ISIS "use Islam to justify their violence."

The president acknowledged the "unspeakable cruelty" that the ISIS inflicts and called on nations to be unwavering in battling those terror organizations. But beyond airstrikes and tanks, he emphasized it is also important to work for the improvement of political systems, to boost economies and reduce the susceptibility of poor groups to recruitment by ISIS and al Qaeda via job creation as an effective counterterrorism strategy.

McCaul criticized the president's alleged lack of a credible global strategy to defeat the ISIS, saying "We got empty rhetoric from the president and the announcement of 'new' initiatives that are really a rehash of old programs."

He said the U.S. does not need more meetings and summits to address the problem, but it needs a real strategy now.

Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz joined McCaul in accusing the president of serving as "apologist for radical Islamic terrorists," citing Obama's comparison of the atrocities in the Middle East to Christian violence during the Crusades.

Secretary of State John Kerry backed Obama, underscoring the value of governance. He pointed out in a Wall Street Journal column that citizens of stable and effective nations have lesser propensity to "strap on an AK-47 or a suicide vest" or help those who believe in the jihad.

TagsISIS, Barack Obama