Remember all those statements from core Obama that there would be "no American boots on the ground" in Iraq. Well, maybe not anymore.
There are, we learned today, 130 special forces personnel on Mount Sinjar where the many tens of thousands of Yazidi and Christian refugees are stranded. They flew in on helicopters bring aid to the refugees to "assess" the situation and to "organize" the situation somewhat. We are also told today that the Pentagon is planning methods for removing the refugees from the mountain and getting them to relative safety. The current thinking is that a "humanitarian corridor" will be established, through which the refugees would be brought to Kurdish controlled territory. The word from core Obama is that there are not really boots on the ground since the purpose for the troops that would establish the corridor would be humanitarian rather than military.
It would have been easier for president Obama to have just told the American people, "If you like my promise that there will be no American boots on the ground, you can keep that promise, period!"
Don't misunderstand me. I am not opposed to the use of American forces to establish a corridor through which the refugees can be rescued. I just think it is the most amazing bit of hypocrisy for Obama to make a big show of announcing "no boots on the ground" only to completely go back on that promise less than a week later.
There are, we learned today, 130 special forces personnel on Mount Sinjar where the many tens of thousands of Yazidi and Christian refugees are stranded. They flew in on helicopters bring aid to the refugees to "assess" the situation and to "organize" the situation somewhat. We are also told today that the Pentagon is planning methods for removing the refugees from the mountain and getting them to relative safety. The current thinking is that a "humanitarian corridor" will be established, through which the refugees would be brought to Kurdish controlled territory. The word from core Obama is that there are not really boots on the ground since the purpose for the troops that would establish the corridor would be humanitarian rather than military.
It would have been easier for president Obama to have just told the American people, "If you like my promise that there will be no American boots on the ground, you can keep that promise, period!"
Don't misunderstand me. I am not opposed to the use of American forces to establish a corridor through which the refugees can be rescued. I just think it is the most amazing bit of hypocrisy for Obama to make a big show of announcing "no boots on the ground" only to completely go back on that promise less than a week later.
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