Iraq Reverts

[Conan71]

Dempsey was less than impressed and Hagel was less than impressive in the hearing today.

As Hagel put it, we are planning in a "modest" and long-term engagement instead of any "shock and awe."

Hagel did admit there would be about 1,600 US troops involved.  Even though both were sitting at the same table and representing the same "strategy" they looked and sounded like they had completely different understandings of what the plan was. Hagel was attempting to be political and not say anything that would upset anyone (but he failed with his "long-term" comment) and Dempsey just looked like he desperately wanted to do his job.


Now we just have to wait for the inevitable back-paddleing on the language, and incoherent post-back-nine commentary from the president.

Dempsey looks like he's trying to pass a bowling ball.

[Gaspar]

Dempsey looks like he's trying to pass a bowling ball.

Woman on CNN at about 6:30 this morning was pissed.  I believe her phrase was "The President needs to get his generals in line."  As if general Dempsey saying he "may" recommend boots on the ground to the president in a case by case manner, was somehow treasonous.  It's his freekin job as advisor to the president to provide advice. 

Even dictators have advisors.

[Gaspar]

Unfortunately the Superfriends don't actually exist, and President Obama's attempt to generate a "coalition of countries" fell flat (as is par for most of his endeavors).  By blowing an uncertain trumpet, he has, again, generated what is now an international atmosphere of uncertainty. Basically, his foreign policy reflects his domestic policy.  At least we have consistency.

So here are our new allies:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/17/world/middleeast/shiite-militias-pose-challenge-for-us-in-iraq.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=LargeMediaHeadlineSum&module=photo-spot-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0

We will recruit kids, teens, and whoever we can find that will pledge to fight for us against ISIS.  We will give them guns and bombs.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/16/us-iraq-crisis-sunnis-insight-idUSKBN0HB0BD20140916

Don't really see anything that could possibly go wrong here?

[guido911]

Bombing ISIS in Syria. Go get some!!!

I support the President.

[Gaspar]

Rather discouraging.  So far we are not producing much Shock or Awe, but I must admit, the Kurds are awesome!
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/kurdish-female-teen-fighters-on-front-line-against-isis-in-syria/

The latest were reported overnight by Syrian activists, who said several strikes hit ISIS targets in the northeast.

But Commander Hussein told us that, so far, the air campaign has had little impact on the ground.

He's still hopeful, though, that the U.S. will come to the rescue -- with more airstrikes, and a desperately-needed infusion of weapons to battle the well-armed extremists.

"Tell America we need weapons," he said. "If we can't defeat ISIS, their next target will be Europe and the U.S."

The Kurds are the Klingons of the Middle East.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2773452/The-REAL-road-warriors-Mad-Max-battle-buses-tanks-built-Kurdish-fighters-repel-ISIS-soldiers-Syria.html

[Gaspar]

It's almost like we are allowing it to unfold this way.  We have enough assets in the theater.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/06/world/meast/isis-airstrikes/index.html


. . .and why can't we keep Biden on a leash?  We've had 6 years to realize how much of a rambling risk he is in public.  Now he's injured an already battered foreign policy.  

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2014/10/05/242222_biden-continues-to-apologize-first.html?rh=1

"I think we're looking at kind of a 30-year war," he says, one that will have to extend beyond Islamic State to include emerging threats in Nigeria, Somalia, Yemen, Libya and elsewhere."  -Panetta
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2014/10/06/leon-panetta-memoir-worthy-fights/16737615/

[heironymouspasparagus]

Sounds like we could be holding back to encourage local participation...?  Turkey is getting ready to jump in on this too.


Panetta -  blah, blah, blah, blah...  exactly how is it he would have kept troops in Iraq??  Since the government there was absolutely adamant about NOT allowing that to happen... So, I guess he is just advocating that we break international law...?  Again....  Better approach would have been to leave the guy there that was keeping a lot of this nonsense in check!  But Obama just couldn't leave Saddam Hussein well enough alone...he had to go in there all "macho-man", tear down the regime, kick some a$$ to save face for his Daddy, and then kill the SOB!!   Oh, wait...

Panetta is very much correct about missed opportunities with Assad using chemical weapons.  Obama is fail on that...big time!!

[Gaspar]

Sounds like we could be holding back to encourage local participation...?  Turkey is getting ready to jump in on this too.


Panetta -  blah, blah, blah, blah...  exactly how is it he would have kept troops in Iraq??  Since the government there was absolutely adamant about NOT allowing that to happen... So, I guess he is just advocating that we break international law...?  Again....  Better approach would have been to leave the guy there that was keeping a lot of this nonsense in check!  But Obama just couldn't leave Saddam Hussein well enough alone...he had to go in there all "macho-man", tear down the regime, kick some a$$ to save face for his Daddy, and then kill the SOB!!   Oh, wait...

Panetta is very much correct about missed opportunities with Assad using chemical weapons.  Obama is fail on that...big time!!

I was pleased when the president chose Panetta because he has always been a smart guy.  I think he probably wishes to have a career after this disaster, and is refusing to go down with the ship. History will certainly remember him as the guy that got Bin Laden, and I doubt he wants to jeopardize that.

[heironymouspasparagus]

I was pleased when the president chose Panetta because he has always been a smart guy.  I think he probably wishes to have a career after this disaster, and is refusing to go down with the ship. History will certainly remember him as the guy that got Bin Laden, and I doubt he wants to jeopardize that.

Panetta seems to be a pretty good guy to me.  I think he is wrong about SOFA in Iraq....there was no way a legitimate agreement was going to be made no matter who was in the White House.  The biggest sticking point seemed to be our insistence (everywhere in a SOFA) that American soldiers are NOT subject to courts in the country of occupation.  Iraq was never gonna budge on that, and neither should we....so, impasse.  Add that to the fact that we never seem to leave an occupied country, they were not gonna let that particular camel get it's nose under the tent.....  so to speak.

I don't think any of the Obama 'stuff' will splash on him - kinda like not much of the Bush 'stuff' splashed on Colin Powell.  Both good guys with losers for 'bosses'....

The chemical weapon thing was just another in a line of really stupid carp from this guy (Obama).  He has shown he doesn't have the co-jones for the messier part of this job over and over again!

[Gaspar]

As anticipated by most, our flaccid efforts are having little effect. Might as well just give up and bring our troops home. We have no business fighting them unless we are going to actually put up a fight.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/isis-within-8-miles-of-baghdad-airport-and-armed-with-manpads/
Instead, and in spite of weeks of U.S.-led airstrikes, ISIS has gradually extended its reach. The extremist group is now either present or in control of a huge swath of countryside, forming a 180-degree arc around the Iraqi capital from due north around to the west, and all the way to the south.  Around this zone there have been skirmishes, and occasionally heavy fighting, with Iraqi security forces and Shiite militias battling ISIS.  American jets have carried out more than two dozen airstrikes in the area, mainly near Fallujah and the city of Ramadi, further to the west.  Inside Baghdad itself, there are ISIS sleeper cells that carry out almost daily bombings and assassinations.

[heironymouspasparagus]

Can't find anything yet online, but heard a little blurb on tv that ISIS has appeared to withdraw from Kobani...  Anyone see anything about that?

[Gaspar]

Looks like Turkey is going to use this opportunity to get rid of some Kurds now.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/14/us-mideast-crisis-idUSKCN0I30ZI20141014?utm_source=twitter
At least 35 people were killed in riots last week when members of Turkey's 15-million-strong Kurdish minority rose up in anger at the government for refusing to help defend the Syrian border town of Kobani from an Islamic State assault.

"For the first time in nearly two years, an air operation was carried out against our forces by the occupying Turkish Republic army," the PKK said. "These attacks against two guerrilla bases at Daglica violated the ceasefire," the PKK said, referring to an area near the border with Iraq.

The unrest in Turkey raised serious concerns that a peace process between Turkey and its Kurds could be in danger of collapse, a new source of turmoil in a region consumed by Iraqi and Syrian civil wars and an international campaign against Islamic State fighters.

What can we do to help?  We can send the Kurds weapons, and give them training, and we can encourage Turkey to join the coalition.  No.  Wait.  What?

[Gaspar]

We have a name.  Obama's war in Syria/Iraq/Turkey. . . is now to be called "Operation Incoherent Inherent Resolve" according to the pentagon.

http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2014/10/15/u-s-names-isis-military-effort-operation-inherent-resolve/?utm_content=buffer93806&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer



That's some stain fighting power!

[Townsend]

We have a name.   now to be called "Operation Incoherent Inherent Resolve" according to the pentagon.

While I generally think you're brain damaged, I'm with you on this.  The names are crap to anyone with half a brain, damaged or not.

It seems wrong to package something up like this to sell to the general public.

[Conan71]

While I generally think you're brain damaged, I'm with you on this.  The names are crap to anyone with half a brain, damaged or not.

It seems wrong to package something up like this to sell to the general public.

Now they will send out crazy Uncle Joe to make it even more incoherent.