Military What was done is being undone...Iraq

It's so funny that every time an article with Democrats condemning the president's decisions you blame Republicans. It isn't the Johnny 1 Note tune you're trying to play.

BTW no one suggested support be provided radical jihadists ever. There was and is a moderate secular element of the revolution that we are belatedly sending humanitarian supplies and light arms to. Had they been given adequate support the ISIS group may not have become the cancer it is. This was a bipartisan push including the former Secretary of State HRC, the Vice President and many others....not a R in that list.
Today no one is suggesting Assad be supported either.

The president could have done much better and people from both parties agree.

 

What do people want? Boots on the ground, again? 3rd times a charm.........

Obama is doing what he can IMO. He gave a country ample time to defend itself, but if the people are going to roll over and let thugs rule them, why the hell should we care if they don't?


Now we are sending air strikes. Good move IMO..

Won't end the fighting, but also won't let any side have a upper hand... Smart I think.....

 

1) Red you ignore that what is true today wasn't a year ago or even 6-8 months ago. There was a strong moderate element in the Syrian opposition that many WITHIN the Obama administration argued strongly to support. Likewise Turkey, Jordan were also calling for support of these moderates. Before the chemical weapons fiasco the rebels were winning, the jihadists were a distinct minority and strong support had a chance. Many from all sides made calls on the president to exert such leadership yet he backed away and ISIS today is one of the results.

2) Are you dreaming????ISIS made its mark in Syria and is where its initial growth and continued support is. Much of the area it occupies is a strong base from which to gain strength and gives them a base from which to grow.

The criticism of the lack of action on the president's part was begun well before ISIS became a factor. In fact it was made to deter factions like ISIS a chance to become what it has. Today he and the rest of us are having to suffer from the poor decisions he made then.

 

Again Red you love to ignore timing. This criticism has been coming for over a year. Those arguing for stronger support of those fighting Assad warned of something like ISIS becoming powerful. These warning were pooh poohed as fear mongering or political rhetoric. Well the president has been pulled kicking and screaming to do what he should have do months ago.
The problem is the chance of success has been much reduced by that delay. It isn't so much the what that is important but the WHEN! The president has missed the boat has a share of responsibility in the suffering being felt by the people who live and die there.

 

@red55 Here is a article that pretty much covers what I have been trying to say. It spares no one ...not the president, or HRC, or McCain & the R's.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articl...t-of-this-stupid-sh-t-u-s-foreign-policy.html

This encapsulates my point much better than I could

"Even after almost six years, Mr. Obama just doesn’t seem to get the point that his success as a leader depends directly on the understandability and persuasiveness of his strategies. To get support, he’s got to explain openly and repeatedly what the stakes are in various situations for Americans, what are the achievable objectives (not just desirable ones), and precisely how he proposes to use American power (or that of other countries) to attain those goals. Without such a strategic package, he will never conjure the necessary support to solve or manage tough problems."

Mr. Obama always says a lot of smart things—and mostly without Hillary-like hedges. Much more than most foreign policy blabbermouths, he is attuned to the underlying centrality of politics in most world problems, and to the need to seek diplomatic solutions. But though he is forever highlighting politics and diplomacy, he is never explaining exactly how his policies deal with the politics or how to make diplomacy work. And though he is forever mindful of the traps of military force, he has no real feel for how and when to use force and how to make it fit into an overall policy. Once there is any kind of crisis, he doles out little pieces of policy daily. So, one day it’s emphasizing the importance of preventing genocide against the Yazidis; the next, it’s not promising to prevent the genocide; the next it’s some airstrikes; the next it’s more airstrikes; then quiet about arming the Peshmerga; and then letting news of efforts to seriously arm the Peshmerga leak out. A few months ago it was backing Maliki as the democratically elected Prime Minister of Iraq, only to forsake democracy and Maliki now, in the name of the Iraqi “constitution.” Obama may view this as making sensible decisions in a step-by-step manner. To those trying to understand what he’s doing, they simply can’t follow him, let alone understand how the pieces and the day-to-day changes mesh.