Mr. Obama’s half-hearted fight against the Islamic State

The Washington Post ^ | 10-25-14 | Editorial

[afraidfortherepublic]

AN UNLIKELY consensus is emerging across the ideological spectrum about the war against the Islamic State: President Obama’s strategy to “degrade and eventually destroy” the terrorist entity is unworkable. It’s not just that, as some administration officials say, more time is needed to accomplish complex tasks such as training Iraqi and Syrian forces. It’s that the military means the president has authorized cannot accomplish his announced aims.

As Islamic State forces continue to advance in Iraq’s Anbar province while besieging the Syrian Kurdish city of Kobani, major weaknesses in the U.S.-led campaign have become apparent. One is a relatively modest tempo of airstrikes that in several cases has not been able to turn back advances by enemy forces. Another is the absence of ground trainers, advisers and special forces who could accompany Iraqi and Syrian forces, call in airstrikes and medical assistance, and help formulate tactics. A third is a de facto stance of neutrality toward the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad, a stance that has allowed the regime to launch new offensives against the same rebel forces the United States is counting on to fight the Islamic State.

The limitations to the U.S. effort, which were mostly imposed by Mr. Obama, are prompting blunt assessments from senior Pentagon officials. “We need a credible, moderate Syrian force, but we have not been willing to commit what it takes to build that force,” one told The Post’s Rajiv Chandrasekaran. Said another officer: “You cannot field an effective force if you’re not on the ground to advise and assist them.”

U.S. allies are also reacting to the holes in the strategy. Turkey has withheld military cooperation because of the absence of a strategy to counter the Assad regime.

[R. Scott]

We were told the Iraqi forces were trained before we pulled out

[afraidfortherepublic]

We were also told that it was too soon and that we weren’t leaving a strong enough force behind.

[Gaffer]

CDC and/or NIH said “we got this.”

[SkyPilot]

There have been several leaded media articles that when senior Pentagon leaders briefed Obama (probably just off the golf course) about the bombing plan against the ISIS murderers, Obama had a childish fit and left the room enraged. His handler Valerie Jarrett had to step in and hold his hand, and then Obama emerged again, enraged even further, and screamed at the Pentagon leaders, basically accusing them of slandering Islam and Muslims!? Valarie Jarrett again had to cover for him and escort him away.

I believe that story.

Obama restricted the air strikes so much that they were almost completely ineffective against ISIS.

He doesn't care about the victims of ISIS, he created ISIS. While he was gutting the military through massive cuts in 2010, 2012, and 2013 through Sequestration, he was secretly funneling Billions to Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood, and "rebels" in Syria which we all now know were ISIS. He released ISIS leaders from our jails, made speeches in Cairo calling for the Caliphate, and lied about Benghazi. That operation was to funnel more arms to ISIS through that "embassy" where Americans were tortured and murdered on Sep 11, 2012. It was an arms depot.

Children are beheaded and murdered, Christian women raped and murdered. Obama doesn't care.

To those "Americans" that actually cast a vote for this demon possessed evil man, I only have contempt.

[SkyPilot]

[high info voter]

He’s a muslim he has his allegiances......

[Zakeet]

[okie01]

From the day this SOB was elected, we’ve all known this was coming...

[InterceptPoint]

New instructions to all political analysts:

1. Plug in the probability that Obama supports the establishment of a Sunni Muslim Caliphate into your prediction models.

2. Run your model backwards and you will see how well it matches events in the Middle East post 2008.

3. Run your model forwards to see the disaster that looms in our future.

[Truth29]

Gee, it’s almost as if the strategy is designed to fail. Obama favors the Islamists and the creation of a Greater Caliphate. He may or may not differ with ISIS on tactics, but the goal of expanding Islam and attacking the infidel West is the same.

[Joe Boucher]

Our magic negro is the smartest man in any room he enters?
More like one dumb mookabooker

[Dr. Ursus]

Those moderate Sunni Muslims have killed Christians and others and I’ve read reports that they sold Western captives to ISIS!

[Joe Boucher]

Obammy
is the garbage America elected twice.

[FES0844]

I wish your post & pictures would go viral.
Barbarians need to be stopped.

[elhombrelibre]

For Obama, it’s especially not good now to have the Washington Post pointing out that he has no effective strategy yet. What’s next the New York Times and the NATION say he’s not pro-free enterprise?

[Valin]

One of the many many many things I don’t understand is, why people are surprised at this?
Most of the Left in general and the Obama Administration in particular have long ago given up on seriously dealing with foreign affairs/policy. At best this administration views it as a nuisance....a bother.

[Paine in the Neck]

Obama is trying to tread a fine line between avoiding being seen as doing nothing while IS consumes the middle east and yet not doong so much as to actually hinder IS’s advances.

[octex]

People seem to forget that Barry was raised as a Muslim and has steadfastedly refused to blame Islamic teachings for anything; much less terriorism.

His apology tour to Muslim countries, ludicrous rules of engagement that resulted in many US/coalition deaths, pulling US troops from Iraq and Afg, failing to support Israel, telling the Muslims what he WONT do, permitting Iran to develop nukes, etc., all indicate he doesn’t have the balls to confront an enemy of the US if the enemy is Islamic.

I’ll stop now, as I feel my b/p is going up and I’m getting mad.

[freeangel]

There is not even a half hearted fight. My guess is that this pos is passing out candies every time ISIS makes another inroad into establishing its porcine, satanic caliphate.