by Jack
Beltway insiders and military advisers don’t always agree, but on this one they do: Obama is out of his league when it comes to fighting ISIS or Al Qaeda. The previous Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel, said he felt Obama was undermining his position and making it impossible to do his job. Hagel noted that on at least 3 separate occasions Obama had a last minute change of heart and backed out of war plans approved by the Pentagon and his advisers, making it extremely frustrating for Hagel.
President Assad has played Obama, so has Putin, Iran and ISIS. Obama is operating from the position of self-imposed weakness because he has such a disdain for using the military. He prematurely extracted US forces from Iraq and he was prepared to make the same mistake again in Afghanistan, until he was pressured by his ground commanders to delay his pullout or face a crisis.
Prior to Secretary Hagel, two other Defense Secretaries took issue with his policies and they are now on the record openly criticizing his decisions, especially when it concerns the threat posed by ISIS.
In 2014 Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said: “ISIS emerged as a threat because the US pulled out of Iraq too soon and became involved in Syria too late. I really thought that it was important for us to maintain a presence in Iraq,”
Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates followed up by saying, “The reality is, they’re not gonna be able to be successful against ISIS strictly from the air, or strictly depending on the Iraqi forces, or the Peshmerga, or the Sunni tribes acting on their own. . . ” “So there will be boots on the ground if there’s to be any hope of success in the strategy. And I think that by continuing to repeat that [the U.S. won’t put boots on the ground], the president, in effect, traps himself.”
The nomination of Ashton Carter makes Obama’s 4th Secretary of Defense, and that is a new White House record.
Military morale is also dropping because Obama has never once had a cogent military policy for ISIS, Syria, Russia, Iraq, Afghanistan or even Iran. At the present time, he seems more interesting in closing Guantanamo and releasing terrorists than he does defeating them. This has impacted military morale more than the average person could possibly know. Ex-Navy SEAL, Carl Higbie, claims President Barack Obama damaged the U.S. armed forces and earned their lasting contempt by tampering with their traditions and letting the gains they fought for in Iraq and Afghanistan unravel.
By imposing new social policies on a force governed by customs, and by turning his back on Middle Eastern countries that thousands of Americans died trying to secure, Obama “has greatly destabilized the fighting force. He pointed to his own experience: courts-martial on prisoner abuse charges for himself and the other special forces operatives who captured the “Butcher of Fallujah,” Ahmad Hashim Abd Al-Isawi, in 2009. “The generals and the president had the chance to stop this nonsense and they didn’t,” said Higbie. “They let us fry through a court marshal, and even though we were all acquitted, our careers were destroyed.
Obama has created an atmosphere of distrust and incompetence being indecisive and frequently micromanaging military plans. Obama has never been comfortable with the use of military force and he clearly doesn’t trust them anymore than they trust him. That’s about the worst thing you could ever say about a Commander in Chief. That is a failure of leadership and it’s all on Obama. Thank God his days in office are drawing to a close.
As with Panetta and Gates, their similar criticisms would have been much more effective and alarming if they’d made them right after they left the Obumble admin, but they waited until they’d written a book.
Hagel must have a book coming out too, since he now echoing previous Defense heads . . . .
Jack will get no disagreement out of me about Barack Obama’s foreign policy failing: as well as his failure to make Americans feel safer.
Obama’s past foreign policy strategy of de-emphasizing terrorism in the Middle East as a threat is a complete failure, here and abroad. During that time is seems he was more hell bent over his concerns regarding climate change that homeland terrorism.
Obviously, most Americans these days disagree with his set of priorities.
Currently Obama’s bigger problem is that he has failed to convince Americans of our safety here at home, proposing that the threat of terrorism is being overhyped.
His speech days ago about the Paris and San Bernardino attacks completely lacked any reassurance about the growing threat of ISIS. Even to those who might agree with some/any of his policies, it’s difficult to feel much confidence in his security measures, especially on our soil.
Recent comments in the media such as:
The recent terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, Calif., have vaulted terrorism and national security to become the American public’s top concern, and they’ve helped drive President Barack Obama’s job rating to 43 percent
“For most of 2015, the country’s mood, and thus the presidential election, was defined by anger and the unevenness of the economic recovery “Now that has abruptly changed to lack of confidence in homeland security.
The latest national survey by Pew Research Center, conducted Dec. 8-13 among 1,500 adults, finds that since the start of this year, the share of Americans who say the government is doing well in reducing the threat of terrorism has fallen by 26 percentage points – from 72% to 46% – and now stands at its lowest point in the post-9/11 era
Approval of the way Barack Obama is handling the threat of terrorism has declined, Just 37% approve of the way Obama is handling terrorism while 57% disapprove, the lowest rating of his presidency for this issue.
Terrorism has reshaped the public’s agenda, both at home and abroad. Currently, 29% cite terrorism (18%), national security (8%) or ISIS (7%) as the most important problem facing the country today. One year ago, just 4% of the public cited any of these issue
I would say people are taking more personal notice of his failed policies, and how they might effect them here on our soil, and the media is starting to honestly report such.
However it seems Obama has more interest in climate change and gun grabbing.
Failure to understand America’s needs, by putting his agenda ahead of everything else will eventually be his legacy. The operative word being “failure”
I can’t point to much of anything that shows Obama cares about or respects America, white people, our system of government and it’s processes, or our military. He sits in the oval office like a place holder, his presence there giving him the power to divide and destroy, award and punish with no intention to serve as our leader. He is exactly as he promised, a fundamental transformer-in-chief. There are two bodies where this is most apparent, our local police forces and our military. Jack you’ve done a great job articulating the disaster he’s made of the military and its purpose.
Americans have proven themselves to be tolerant, patient, strong, resilient, dedicated, compassionate and charitable. The young men and women of the military even more so given their calling following 911. This man has trashed all of that strength and goodwill to serve his personal attitudes, opinions, and agenda. It’s hard to believe he was rewarded with a second term.
Obama calls attention to single offenders and groups as representative of a “systemic” problem in America, a blatant lie. He irritates and chafes destroying the things that create the possibility for unity. His foreign policy has destroyed trust in America, once a beacon of freedom, civility, justice, strength, prosperity and opportunity. Our allies don’t trust us. Our enemies laugh at us as they grow in strength. Add to all of this the economic condition we’re in and we have an America badly wounded, quite an accomplishment for one man. It’s a shame that he came as destroyer; its troubling that he was supported at all.
I pray there will be enough life left in America to recover and repair the damage that’s been done. I’m concerned because it seems so many Americans live lives of guilty pleasures with no understanding or awareness of the things that have given them that choice or the dangers lurking at the door.
November 2016 can’t come fast enough. Will America choose wisely or give us another transformer-in-chief.
Remember this?
JW Report: “U.S. Government Purges of Law Enforcement Training Material Deemed ‘Offensive’ to Muslims”:
“(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch today released a “Special Report: U.S. Government Purges of Law Enforcement Training Material Deemed ‘Offensive’ to Muslims: Documentation and Analysis of Islamist Active Measures and Influence Operations Targeting Anti-terrorism Training.”
The 26-page Special Report includes a detailed chronology, identifies specific Islamic propaganda organizations, and identifies five top “Islamist influence operators” associated with the Obama administration. More than 12 years of Judicial Watch work on national security issues is featured in the Special Report, highlighting information from government documents exclusively obtained by the organization.
The heavily footnoted Report centers on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) purge of anti-terrorism training material and curricula deemed “offensive” to Muslims. The curricula purge – documented through a Judicial Watch Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit in June 2013 – occurred following a February 8, 2012, meeting between FBI Director Robert Mueller and various Islamic organizations. According to the Report, the purge was part of a “broader Islamist influence operation” designed to “influence the opinions and actions of persons, institutions, governments and the public at-large.” The Report also documents incidents of “Islamic influence operations” at the Departments of Justice and State, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Obama White House.
According to the Report, during the February 8 meeting, FBI Director Mueller assured the Islamic groups in attendance that the agency had ordered the removal of presentations and curricula on Islam from FBI offices around the country that were deemed “offensive.” One group that met with Mueller – the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) – had been named by the government in 2007 as an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation terrorist financing lawsuit, along with the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), and the North American Islamic Trust (NAIT).
The Report lists the reasons given by the FBI for purging “offensive” training documents:”
Continued…
http://www.judicialwatch.org/press-room/press-releases/judicial-watch-releases-new-special-report-u-s-government-purges-of-law-enforcement-training-material-deemed-offensive-to-muslims/
U.S. Covering Up and Revising Islamic Ties to Terrorism:
“The Obama administration is following the direction of the United Nations and suppressing any mention of radical Islam’s association with terrorism. Even the word “terrorism” is being censored because it has become associated with Islam. Remember President George W. Bush’s “War on Terror?” The phrase has disappeared, even though terrorist attacks are increasing. Obama has stopped using the phrase.
The censorship effort began in 1999, when the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) began urging the U.N. to pass a resolution denouncing “religious intolerance” and “condemning the stereotyping, negative profiling and stigmatization of people based on their religion.” The U.N.’s Human Rights Council passed two censorship resolutions in 2010 and 2011, and last September Obama encouraged the full U.N. to pass one. In a speech to the U.N. General Assembly, Obama said, “The future must not belong to those who slander the prophet of Islam.” Since Christians do not believe that Mohammed was a prophet, many people felt that Obama went too far, forcing Islamic views upon Christians.”
http://townhall.com/columnists/rachelalexander/2012/12/27/us-covering-up-and-revising-islamic-ties-to-terrorism-n1474671/page/full
No, these are not failures or mistakes, at least not from Obama’s point of view. He does have a strategy. That is to undermine the USA in every way. He is following his roots and his minister, who said “God damn America.”
Yes, but you never say what you think he should do, or have done?
Chiefly, because all you can come up with is that simple-minded standby: invasion.
And you don’t say “invasion” because everybody will just point out 1) how effective this has been in the past, and 2) how very few people in his country (or anywhere else, for that matter) are interested in getting themselves maimed and/or killed to satisfy your decidedly pointless bloodlust.
And we’re not doing that internment camp thing again, either.
And … you all curb your irrational terrors in public or you’ll get arrested like that pathetic piece if work in Oakland.
And Harold is right. It is disgusting to see Panetta going all moronic in public for the sole purpose of persuading morons to buy his book. If you will recall, 1) this nation had, and has, no stomach for a 20-year subjection and occupation of Iraq, and 2) there was, and still is not, any viable, civilized, reasonably organized opposition to support in Syria.
Libby your analysis is absurd. You DO NOT speak for the nation. You speak for the pathetic weenie class that has created an absolute disaster, is responsible for many deaths and refugees needing to flee from multiple countries, the systematic slaughter of Christians and the destruction and theft of priceless artifacts. If there must be death and chaos, and there must because of the determination of the enemy, then at least let there be victory!
The things Obama could have done have been pointed out again and again. You just refuse to admit that appeasement and disengagement has been a complete and deadly disaster.
The things Obama could have done are many. the following is an incomplete list in no particular order.
Obama could have heeded the words of the previous administration and taken this threat to the world more seriously. Secondly, he could have taken the advice of military advisers rather than running this war “from behind” out of the oval office. Third, he could have negotiated for a stronger military presence in Iraq which would have discouraged and blunted terrorist recruitment and strength. Fourth, he could have supported the uprising in Iran right after his election. His silence was a huge diplomatic and policy error…perhaps the second signal to the world that America could no longer be counted on to fight against the enemies of freedom and common decency…the first was that apology speech in Cairo. Fifth, he could have strengthened ties with allies instead of damaging those relationships to maintain a cooperative and coordinated effort. Sixth, he could have kept his mouth shut or followed through when he drew that red line. Seventh, he could have appointed a more capable and engaged Secretary of State. Eighth, he could have told the American people the truth about ISIS…it was not a JV team. Ninth, he could have been willing to name and target the enemy. Tenth, he could have created safe havens in the ME for refugees.
My God…he could have attended security brief meetings on a more regular basis and taken fewer times out for vacations, golf and basketball with the stars. In short, he could have behaved like a leader whose job is to defend this nation from its enemies.He could have played the role of Commander-in-Chief instead of community organizer.
PS. The United States of America does not subjugate, we liberate and lend support. The President, and you, subjugates…a fancy word for egotistical, ideologically driven, control freak.
Tina has once again hit the nail directly on the head! Well said!
Thanks J.
Jonah Goldberg writes —
One common explanation for the anxious age we are in is that the economy is undergoing a profound transformation that is leaving a lot of people on the sidelines. It seems obvious to me there’s a lot of merit to this explanation.
But I don’t think that economics explains everything. Seventy percent of Americans think the country is on the wrong track. Many of those people are doing just fine economically.
No, I think the missing piece of the puzzle is the fact that Americans — on the left and the right — think that the folks running the country have an agenda different from theirs. The left has a much richer vocabulary for such claims, given its ancient obsessions with greed and economic determinism. They see big corporations and the so-called “1 percent” pulling strings behind the scenes. (Watch literally any Bernie Sanders speech on YouTube to learn more.) Paranoia about the influence of big money in politics has inspired the Democratic front-runner to make revising the First Amendment a top priority.
But while there are a great many people on the right who also complain about crony capitalism and special interests, such concerns don’t get to the heart of the anxiety, at least not for conservatives.
Let’s go back to where we started. Christie says, “We have people across this country who are scared to death.” No doubt that’s true. But for a great many of them, I suspect, the fear is not so much a fear of the Islamic State but a fear that our own government, starting with the president, just doesn’t take terrorism seriously.
…
Terrorism is a big concern, but this sense that the political system is unresponsive, unaccountable and operating on its own self-interested ideological agenda is bigger. It is the ur-complaint that explains everything from enduring outrage over the lies that greased Obamacare’s passage to fury over illegal immigration, disgust over corruption at the IRS and VA, the immortality of the Ex-Im Bank and countless other outrages du jour.
The failure of credible politicians to address this anxiety created an opportunity for Donald Trump. At least he’s willing to say Washington is stupid.
What’s Eating America?
I wonder if this will set a new record as well—
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-12-20/obama-abruptly-waives-1980-foreign-investment-real-property-tax-act
Excerpt:
“The FRA predicts that Americans will face significant increases in US property taxes over the next five years starting in 2016. With the change in FIRPTA Americans should additionally expect property values to increase in 2016-2017.”
Tina, you want to see some real Christian and minority massacres? You remove Assad without installing a viable, strong and non-Islamist alternative. Just now there is no such thing, and we cannot impose one.
And you do need to leave the bubble, because there will be no Christian occupation of the Middle East.
There does seem to be a growing impetus among the parties to sit down and re-configure the region along religious/ethnic lines (rather than the British imperial ones), but that’s their business, not yours.
“You remove Assad without installing a viable, strong and non-Islamist alternative. Just now there is no such thing, and we cannot impose one.”
Your vision is limited to opposing extremes. We can start by developing a strategy and acquiring the assistance of other nations and peoples. I’m certain there are several all mapped out and waiting for someone with leadership to choose one and implement it.
“…there will be no Christian occupation of the Middle East.”
Libby you really are an ignorant, bigoted, opinionated, pushy, broad.
It was the Christian, George Bush, who liberated Iraq and supported the Iraqi people in establishing a parliamentary form of government…their choice.
It was the Black Liberation Theology “Christian” who abandoned that government and who, through seven long years of haughty, self-absorbed, pig-headed ego, refused to admit his policies were complete failures that created the rise of ISIS, chaos in the ME, and free reign for Iran to do whatever diabolical thing they can imagine.
“blah blah blah…to sit down and re-configure the region along religious/ethnic lines…”
This of course is nothing new. But in order for that to even become an option, the radicals who prefer world dominance need to be defeated rather than nourished!
You doing that revisionist history thing again?
Iraq is in pieces thanks to our intervention.
The Kurds have declared themselves autonomous, and good luck to them.
In one piece the Shia persecute the Sunni (after intervention) instead of the other way round (pre-intervention).
And the third piece is now the Islamic Republic of ISIS.
Are you actually suggesting that a full-blown occupation of the country would have prevented this?
There’s some imaginative hindsight … completely ignoring the fact that we had neither the means nor the political will to do any such thing … and still don’t.
Those medieval Christian Crusades, Tina, they were a failure.
The appeal of the Trump becomes more understandable. You’ve simply lost your freaking minds.
“Are you actually suggesting that a full-blown occupation of the country would have prevented this.”
.
always with the extremes.
A “full blown occupation” wouldn’t have been needed…nice try trying to make “occupation” the subject.
A strong military and diplomatic presence over time would have been sufficient and brought stability. The people who want freedom would have time to adjust and new generations of kids would have a chance to taste freedom. Moving into the current century does have its merits!
Do you think that after we won WWII everybody just went home? No, we maintained a strong presence to keep the peace. Same with Japan and South Korea. It’s about freedom and democracy, not occupation…free people don’t make war with each other.
We had the means. The political will was undermined, as it has been since Korea, by the political left whose sympathies lie with tyrannical forms of government and the nations that support them Russia, Iran, China are three examples. there are others…Cuba, Venezuela. The mission to undermine began shortly after your leadership signed on to war in Iraq.
I said before we did it that we should only do it if we had the political will to see it through. GWB announced it would be difficult and could take twenty years. We had the political will until the traitorous left leadership and journalists turned their backs on the mission they agreed to support.
Just keep throwing out that Crusades card Libby, that way you don’t have to look at the success of the free nation coalition against Nazi Germany and the Japanese in WWII. We defeated the enemy by remaining dedicated to the mission and maintaining military and diplomatic strength. It is never a mistake to take a stand for freedom…unless of course you don’t give a damn about human rights.