“It was an odd press conference at the very best, but to have a press conference to say we don’t have a strategy was really shocking given the severity of the threat. That’s what’s so concerning to me,” Rogers (R-Mich.) told Wolf Blitzer on CNN.

( Also on POLITICO: Obama’s ‘strategy’ misfire)

“I don’t want to put the cart before the horse. We don’t have a strategy yet,” Obama saidfrom the White House press briefing room Thursday afternoon.

Blizter said White House aides have clarified Obama’s remarks to say the president meant a strategy specifically targeting ISIL in Syria, before asking Rogers if he was “happy with that.”

“Well, I’m not OK with it, and it just confirmed what we’ve been talking about really for almost two years: There has been no real strategy,” the congressman said. “I mean this just tells you how far we have to go and I’m just not sure the severity of the problem has really sunk in to the administration just yet. Clearly, that’s what that told me today.”

( Also on POLITICO: ‘We don’t have a strategy yet')

Rogers said Obama “absolutely” should confer with defense officials about options, but said that should’ve happened earlier.

“We are so far along into this, this is not like this happened last week or a few days ago,” Rogers said. “This is so frustrating that with all of this going on, with certainly all of the intelligence showing us the problems that are there, the president says, ‘I want a strategy how to deal with this by the end of the week.’ It just tells you that, apparently, we’re not taking this seriously for some length of time. This should already be done.”