Today\’s quote comes to us from Robert Gates, President Obama\’s first Secretary of Defense – a man he valued so greatly that he held him over from the Bush administration.
Here is what Mr. Gates had to say about whether or not the United States needs ground troops to fight ISIS:
“Therewill be boots on the ground if there\’s to be any hope of success inthe strategy.”
That clear enough? In 18 words, Mr. Gates affirmed what just about anyone who thinks for even one minute about this conflict knows: that bombing from the air may give you great “kill” ratios, and keep your troops safe, but it cannot stop ISIS from growing and advancing.
By all means train the Kurdish peshmerga. By all means retrain the Iraqi Army – the one we left to crumble and disintegrate by leaving in 2011 with no residual troop presence there. But we must – must – be involved on the ground if this is to have any hope of succeeding.
I award Robert Gates Quote Of The Day honors for just, plain telling the truth – even though it is not a pleasant truth to hear. Thank you sir. And my sympathies, in advance, for the hatred which will descend on you for doing so.
