Jeff asked, in regards to Charles Krauthammer saying Obama dithers too much
I know it’s fruitless to ask, but what would you have us do with ISIS/ISIL?
I could give the Lefty answer for when Bush was president “I’m not president”. We could talk about this being Obama’s problem, since Islamists are streaming to join ISIS, creating OCTs (Obama Created Terrorists). Remember the BCTs when Bush was president?
But, let’s look at this realistically. He has lots of options. He should drone strike the hell out of them. He’s never been shy about doing this to Islamists, and I wholeheartedly support this. He can use special ops units. He can use bombers. There are many things he can do.
Unfortunately, he has no plan. He reacts within the moment, much like the way social media works. There is no long term focus or agenda.
What do you think he should do?
I just finished a series of lectures by one of the professors from the Army War College. This contains multiple references and is virtually the same message given to people who want to be generals. You can pick it up via The Teaching Company, I believe the title is strategic planning. They cover terrorism and there is really a play book that works. It is just having the political will.
So, what’s the rush with ISIS? They’re murderous douchebags? Plenty of those to go around. They hate America? Stand in line. They’re violent religious fundamentalists? We have some of those here.
“Serious” Washington insiders consider them an immediate threat? Just like Saddam?
Why are you so afraid of these nasty turds?
Didn’t Obama engineer the resignation of the hated al-Maliki in Iraq? According to CNN: “Iraq’s restive Sunni Arab population, furious at former Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, backed ISIS in the Spring, but now Sunni Arab tribal figures in Anbar and Kirkuk, as well as some of the leaders from the urban business-political elite in Mosul and Salah ad-Din, have asked the Iraqi central government in Baghdad for help to fight the organization.”
“American pressure — and tying military assistance to concrete progress toward assembling a broad-based national government — have encouraged the hesitant Iraqis forward.”
So the Sunni’s in Iraq have turned against ISIS.
“The administration provided material support to Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga and Iraqi special operations forces, and with judicious use of airstrikes enabled them to repel ISIS attacks northwest and northeast of Baghdad.”
They’ve armed the independent Kurds and other Iraqi forces.
The CNN analyst supports the US arming and supporting Syrian moderates (not Assad) who will oppose Assad politically and ISIS militarily. The analyst thinks this could result in a new Syrian govt (similar to what happened in Iraq), that the primary Assad supporters, Iran and Russia could get behind. The Syrian people and govt then would work to neuter ISIS.
Is a political plan to stabilize the govts of Syria and Iraq so they can fight violent militants acceptable, or is it not invasive enough? Is the conservative “plan” to invade northern Iraq and Syria and kill ISIS fighters?
Carpet bomb the heck out of them, leave no stone upturned. These pigs make the Nazis look like pikers. The US and other countries hesitated in confronting the pure evil of Hitler, you’re supposed to learn from history.
Jeff,
I don’t know of any “conservative” plan. I know that the nut job McCain and his pansy bud Graham are always for some invasion of someone. But I believe the thinkers and not as inclined and I agree, there is absolutely no reason to get is a big hurry. I am in favor of shutting down Muslim movement and allowing the rest of us to be under less scrutiny. We need our freedom back and we need to treat Islam like we do the KKK.
Kill every last one of them- every goat too
“Kill every last one of them- every goat too”
How? The world (the US?) will need to send 100,000 troops and the associated equipment into Iraq and push ISIS into Syria. Will we then invade Syria? Tens of thousands of brave young men and women will be killed or maimed.
We spent 10 years in Iraq, installed a govt, and it failed. Longer in Afghanistan.
Why are we so interested in ISIS?
Ya have to love Jeffrey: it seems like he is portraying a typical Liberal knee jerk reaction. Conservatives are for bombing ISIS, sending special ops groups, etc (things Obama has seemed to be for, BTW), so Jeff immediately takes an opposite position.
I bet if ISIS was comprised of Christians instead of Muslims Jeff would be for extreme military action, though.
Teach,
Typical teocon knee jerk reaction. I am not opposed to bombing ISIS. I favor it. Napalm every one of those despicable creatures. And we’re doing it. But it’s not enough. Rather than saying Obama is doing too much or too little, would you put a stake in the ground and say what you recommend?
The Iraqis, the Kurds, the Syrians have to oppose ISIS too. We’ve helped and armed the Kurds, driven Maliki out of power and armed the Iraqis. We need to devise a plan to engage the moderate Syrians. Any ideas there?
Or we can invade and reprise the neocon Iraq debacle.
I get it. You’re terrified that some swarthy guy with a knife and black pajamas is coming to get you and you want somebody else to go to Iraq and kill that guy for you. This is exactly the way the neocons, the military lobbyists, the NRA and the media want you to feel. You’ll do anything to make that fear go away, including spending hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars and thousands of American lives. It makes you feel safer for a while, but it actually makes you less safe. But it makes the fear go away for a bit.
You bravely type that other Americans should go die so you can feel safe. And you hunker down with your guns ready to shoot the pizza delivery guy.
The Iraq war required ground troops and was costly to our troops because we didn’t want to kill any friendlies mixed in with the enemy.
ISIS has removed that that problem by beheading any friendlies. They are not hiding in a jungle, or deep underground bunkers, they are out in the open. Strategic bombing would be effective in wiping them off the face of the earth. And good riddance.
The problem is the libcons think killing a couple leaders will make the rest of ISIS become moderate and passive.