Ken Berwitz
What spurs President Obama to action? We\’ve spent seven years trying to find out…which is not easy given how infrequently he takes action.
Well, now we know. It takes Vladimir Putin doing something that makes President Obama look completely feckless.
Excerpted from article at CBS News:
Two airstrikes, the most recent over the weekend, have destroyed almost 500 tanker trucks ISIS uses to smuggle oil and sell it on the black market.
By one estimate, these attacks have destroyed roughly half the trucks ISIS uses to bring in $1 million a day in revenues.
Until now, the U.S. has not gone after the tankers for fear of killing the civilian drivers.
In these strikes, U.S. planes first dropped leaflets warning the drivers and then conducted staffing runs to scare them away.
Wow. And just days after Putin bombs ISIS trucks. What an amazing coincidence.
But, even here, he\’s feckless. Drop leaflets warning the drivers and then conducting staffing runs to scare them away? Brilliant tactical move.
Here\’s a hint, Mr. President: The drivers of ISIS trucks loaded with black market oil are not civilians. Not even if they started that way. What the hell do you think ISIS does to get drivers? Do you think it calls Uber?
And what if ISIS fighters are riding in those trucks? Has it occurred to you that they run out of harm\’s way too?
I count the seconds until noon, January 20, 2017.
