Italy has just announced it is sending machine guns and anti-tank weapons to the Peshmerga Kurds, who are on the ground fighting ISIS.
How many have the United States sent?
U.S. air strikes from a safe distance are fine, and greatly help the ground forces…provided there are ground forces there, with the armaments to be effective. And, since U.S. boots are not on the ground, that means the Peshmerga.
So what possible reason is there not to arm the Peshmerga to the teeth?
In 2011, President Obama made good on President Bush\’s deal to withdraw our troops from Iraq. (That\’s right, President Bush. Obama took 100% credit for a deal Bush cut in 2008).
But, at that time, Mr. Obama was either unwilling to, or incapable – probably both – of negotiating a deal with the Iraqi government to keep enough U.S. forces in the country so that it wouldn\’t fall apart and be overtaken by terrorists (which President Bush specifically warned would happen).
Bush\’s exact words:
“Ifwe leave Iraq before the job is done, it will create a terroriststate in the heart of the Middle East, a terrorist state much moredangerous than Afghanistan was before we removed the Taliban, aterrorist state with the capacity to fund its activities because ofthe oil reserves of Iraq. The stakes are high. it\’s very importantfor the American people to understand that the security of the UnitedStates of America, the capacity of our children to grow up in apeaceful world, in large part depends on our willingness to help thisyoung Iraq democracy succeed.”
Despite that warning, and despite holding all the cards (the USA was the only reason Maliki held power), Obama could not and/or would not make certain a reasonable contingent of USA troops stayed on, to train, maintain and generally back up Iraqi forces.
And the resulting lack of U.S. training/backup is a major reason – most likely the major reason – that Iraqi boots, which should be at the forefront of fighting ISIS, are mainly used for running in the opposite direction instead.
It has been 5 1/2 years of President Obama “leading from behind” – while proclaiming that al qaeda is virtually decimated and ISIS is “the JV (junior varsity).
But neither of those claims was ever true.
The truth? Because of Barack Obama\’s abdication of taking the lead in fighting the war against terrorism, al qaeda is stronger than ever. And ISIS, which no one ever heard of the day he took office – now controls a land area larger than Jordan….with a promise of taking far more land there, and then coming to the USA to kill as many of us as possible and turn what\’s left into part of the worldwide caliphate.
That is not leading from behind. It is losing from behind.
Mr. Obama – before it is too late (assuming it isn\’t already) can we please stop losing and start leading again?
How about starting by arming the Peshmerga, thus giving them a chance against ISIS. Or is that too much of a problem for you?
