President Obama told a gathering of American soldiers today that he was not going to send US forces into combat in Iraq. I could set out the full text of his statement, but there is no point. Obama says there will be no combat missions in Iraq. It is truly bizarre.
Now I know that Obama has said that America will use its air power to strike ISIS, so to that extent, there will surely be combat missions in Iraq. Nevertheless, even if Obama means only that there will be no ground combat missions, he is wrong. Obviously, the men on the ground who direct the air power will be in combat. We already have 1600 troops back in Iraq and more are to arrive this week. We have boots on the ground. We have troops in combat missions on the ground. In short, we have everything that Obama promised today we would not have.
How can it be that at the very start of a war, Obama decides that the best course of action is to lie about what is going to happen? Who could possibly think that it will help the US position to sow confusion about what is to come. To be clear, the confusion is not among the ISIS personnel; it is America and our forces who will be confused. Shouldn't our leader be setting out a clear mission and clear rules to follow in order to accomplish that mission? That would be the first rule learned in Leadership 101 in college (if there were a leadership course).
Even worse than Obama's lies is the fact that everyone in America who is paying attention understands that Obama is either delusional or telling lies. What a wonderful choice that is! It does not inspire confidence in the mission or the leader.l
Right now, the USA could be striking forces in Syria that have encircled and are laying siege to the Syrian opposition forces with whom we are now supposedly allied. Just imagine the change in the battlefield conditions were American air power deployed against ISIS and the Assad forces around Aleppo. It would send a clear message to the bad guys that things have changed and the USA is on the case. Instead of acting, Obama is doing his usual: talking and talking and talking. He is taking the worlds strongest military and turning it into a joke.
So here we are. We now have non-combat combat. We have a non-war war. It's insanity. There simply is no other word that fits this situation.
Now I know that Obama has said that America will use its air power to strike ISIS, so to that extent, there will surely be combat missions in Iraq. Nevertheless, even if Obama means only that there will be no ground combat missions, he is wrong. Obviously, the men on the ground who direct the air power will be in combat. We already have 1600 troops back in Iraq and more are to arrive this week. We have boots on the ground. We have troops in combat missions on the ground. In short, we have everything that Obama promised today we would not have.
How can it be that at the very start of a war, Obama decides that the best course of action is to lie about what is going to happen? Who could possibly think that it will help the US position to sow confusion about what is to come. To be clear, the confusion is not among the ISIS personnel; it is America and our forces who will be confused. Shouldn't our leader be setting out a clear mission and clear rules to follow in order to accomplish that mission? That would be the first rule learned in Leadership 101 in college (if there were a leadership course).
Even worse than Obama's lies is the fact that everyone in America who is paying attention understands that Obama is either delusional or telling lies. What a wonderful choice that is! It does not inspire confidence in the mission or the leader.l
Right now, the USA could be striking forces in Syria that have encircled and are laying siege to the Syrian opposition forces with whom we are now supposedly allied. Just imagine the change in the battlefield conditions were American air power deployed against ISIS and the Assad forces around Aleppo. It would send a clear message to the bad guys that things have changed and the USA is on the case. Instead of acting, Obama is doing his usual: talking and talking and talking. He is taking the worlds strongest military and turning it into a joke.
So here we are. We now have non-combat combat. We have a non-war war. It's insanity. There simply is no other word that fits this situation.
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