Here we go again. Have we learned nothing?
Recently, President Obama delivered a prime-time speech outlining his strategy to defeat ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria).
Ironically it came one year to the minute that he gave another speech about the US response to the upheaval in Syria.
We all know how that September 10, 2013 Syria speech played out. Obama drew a red line warning Syria not to cross it. Syria crossed and Obama went golfing.
Fast forward to this year. I expected Obama’s speech to be a finely crafted rehash of old statements designed to react to polls, and to be devoid of true inspiration. I was not disappointed. Obama offered a four-point strategy to defeat and degrade ISIS: airstrikes, support forces, counterterror activities, and humanitarian assistance.
His victory strategy also included some things Obama would NOT do: No US ground troops, no coordination with Iran or Assad’s Syrian forces.
President Obama again reiterated that “It will not involve American combat troops fighting on foreign soil.” There are currently 1,143 soldiers in the region and Obama has requested an additional 475 troops. If these are not “boots on the ground,” then they are either levitating or wearing crocs.
President Obama stated that the US will take out ISIS “wherever they exist using our air power and our support for partner forces on the ground.”
Our subcontracted ground forces will be the Syrian rebels and the Iraqi army. Are the Syrian rebels going to use our weapons to fight ISIS or Assad? Didn’t the Iraq army already disband and allow ISIS to secure US made munitions, weapons, and vehicles? How can Obama put the possible security of the US in the hands of these undisciplined, unproven armies?
As with all Obama actions this speech was poll driven. The latest NBC polls indicate 61% are in favor of taking on ISIS with airstrikes, while only 34% support ground troops.
Polls are interesting and always make good bird cage flooring. Does the polling population sample have military experience beyond playing Battleship, Halo, or Minecraft? I do not want an uninformed US populace dictating our military tactics, just like I wouldn’t want the American people voting for an unqualified, yet charismatic, community organizer for President.
I would hazard to guess, that fewer than 75% know what ISIS stands for, 60% can’t find Syria on a map, and 47% can’t spell ISIS. Yes, Romney’s 47%.
This isn’t a high school current events class, it’s US FOREIGN POLICY.
My real problem is why we declare and share our military strategy with the enemy?
Many military victories were a result of secretive planning or unorthodox tactics:
Everyone has heard of the Trojan Horse at Troy or the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor.
But did you know that in the Second Punic War in 222 B.C., Hannibal used elephants to cross the Alps to surprise the Romans?
Or that in 1914, the French sent reinforcements to the World War I Battle of Marme via 10,000 Parisian taxi cabs?
These were novel and unique ideas that were integral to the success of the mission.
Imagine if during World War II, General Eisenhower had outlined and shared his 1944 D-Day plans. Imagine again if he decided on where and when to invade based upon polling data. We would all be speaking German and the Oktoberfest would be a year-long celebration.
The US leadership actually went to great lengths to provide misinformation to confuse the enemy prior to our pivotal D-Day invasion which ultimately led to our WWII victory.
Fast forward to the current administration. We announced when we would exit Iraq as if we were American Airlines listing departure times from Chicago O’Hare.
The advancement of ISIS was predicted if we left Iraq too soon. Because of Obama’s scripted actions, the enemy (ISIS) waited and pounced. Now the US must re-engage. Having learned nothing, Obama plans to stick to his pre-determined Afghanistan exit. Scroll the definition of Insanity.
Who knows if Obama can, or will, deliver on his ISIS strategy?
Obama doesn’t exactly have a stellar track record for goal completion: Enforcing Syrian red line, closing Gitmo, keeping doctors, lowering health care costs, and issuing executive action on immigration.
The real question is whether Obama should return his undeserved 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. To be fair, Obama never actually said the word “War” in his address to the nation outlining how we will defeat ISIS. Bombs, bullets, and body bags – but it’s not a war.
The real winner in all of this has got to be Russia’s Vladimir Putin. Because of our inept and very public strategy, he can act unconstrained and unchallenged. He is probably checking Google maps to see where he can invade next.
Semantics, Optics, and Polling are no way to run a country.
Labels: Pet Peeve
