You may have noticed the president, when referring to the former “jayvee” terrorists who are now feared to have infiltrated the U.S. mainland, calls them “ISIL.” So do members of his administration, right down to Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. John Kirby:
US military aircraft conduct strike on ISIL artillery. Artillery was used against Kurdish forces defending Erbil, near US personnel.
— Rear Adm. John Kirby (@PentagonPresSec) August 8, 2014
It has become noticeable primarily because media outlets, including the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Associated Press, seem to refer almost exclusively to the same group as ISIS.
So why is the administration odd man out on this nomenclature? Here is one theory, advanced by retired U.S. Army Captain Terry Michael Hestilow:
