Secretary of State John Kerry joined Jane Fonda in her "Make Love, Not War" campaign during the Vietnam War. Now, as Obama says he will not send combat troops on the ground in Iraq, some kind of military effort against the Islamic State is necessary, and the Democrats know it. Can this be done by air strikes alone? Can we trust Muslim allied forces in Iraq and Syria?
As John Kerry squirmed while he addressed the nation from Capitol Hill today making a plea for congressional funding for an effort that could take years, he tried to convince those listening that President Obama acted immediately as the Islamic State emerged, and has been focused on the militant organization since its inception. Kerry declared a broad coalition is essential, and the United States cannot go it alone, as President Obama currently goes it alone with air strikes that have done little damage.
While Kerry spoke, Code Pink held signs behind him. The signs read, "No Military Solution," and "Political Solutions, Not War --- More War = More Extremism." Later a sign emerged that said, "Don't take ISIL war bait." During Senator Corker's questions, a sign reading "Don't fund Obama's War," appeared.
Kerry explained the administration believes an inclusive government needs to be in place in Iraq, and said that they had been pursuing a defensive strategy working with that government. But the government is weak, unstable, and not trusted by the Sunnis. How can a Shia government be inclusive when Sunnis are running to the Islamic State to defeat the Iraqi government, and the Kurds shrug off both groups as they become even more determined to create their own separate State of Kurdistan? Now, according to peace activist Kerry, an offensive strategy needs to go into place, with direct and indirect military support for Iraq through a broad, widespread coalition. As 90% of Americans claim that ISIS may be threat to the United States, Kerry hammered away that this is not the Gulf War, or the War in Iraq. U.S. Troops will not have a combat mission. This mission is not about taking an enemy out on a battlefield, but to take out a militant cult that acts in the guise of a religion. Only a holistic campaign, he said, will give us success.
Secretary of State John Kerry stopped short calling the Islamic State "terrorists," though the word terrorism was used.
Then he went into the idiotic direction of trying to separate the Islamic State from Islam, and the violent teachings of Muhammad. He made the statement that he wants to put an end to the "Gross distortion of Islam ISIL is spreading."
Distortion? The Koran says to strike down the infidels, and Islam teaches that jihad is the highest form of worship to Allah, and these idiots keep saying that the Islamic State has nothing to do with Islam. If Islam is not the fuel behind ISIS, what is? Jihadists spreading terror throughout the world have one glaring thing in common. . . The Koran.
Secretary Kerry said the Obama administration is committed to work with nations around the world, and they are confident that the small coalition will grow. Kerry expects the strategy being planned by the White House, with the help of the Congress, will serve as a model for future interventions to defeat the Islamic State, and other terrorist networks. Theirs is the expert way to do it, unlike that idiot war-monger Bush, he seemed to be saying without directly saying it.
Congress questioned him, and Kerry responded that the end-game is to end the ability for the Islamic State to control territory, or attack any foe.
Yesterday, air strikes commenced again, but so far the United States has been acting alone. The Obama administration says that 40 nations are prepared to assist the United States in this endeavor, but they can't name any of them. Kerry says that the U.S. will not work with Iran on this, and there will not be any American boots on the ground, but they expect this to be an effective military effort.
A part of the plan is to fund and train Syrian rebels, which is idiotic, since it was through the Syrian rebellion that the Islamic State emerged. The groups of rebels fighting in Syria are not united, they are various factions as we are seeing in Libya. They are not a united effort against Islamic war machines because each of them are their own small Islamic war machines as well, and once they see any daylight in defeating Western allies, which is how they see governments willing to work with the West, they will also join the effort called the Islamic State.
Kerry admitted this will be a multi-year effort, but said it will not be a thirteen year war, making reference to the War in Iraq started by George W. Bush.
What a conundrum. The peaceniks are faced with launching a military campaign, but they are not sure what to do with it. They want to follow Code Pink's talking points, but they know that a mere diplomatic mission will not accomplish what they need to accomplish to stop the Islamic State.
Kerry, Obama, and the leftist Democrats know the Islamic State must be defeated, and they talk strong because they know everyone wants them to sound like War Hawks, but they don't want to sound like "war-mongers."
Bob Corker, a republican from Tennessee, called Kerry's bluff. Senator Corker said this was a big mistake, and said the Obama administration is exercising the worst judgment possible. According to Corker, the parsing of legal words by the administration is for political gain. The Senator asked Kerry about the Arab allies the Secretary of State claims to have in place, but Kerry refused to release any information regarding that, saying everyone will find out later. The plan, according to Kerry, was that there will be no ground effort, there will be no boots on the ground, and to release the names of any countries willing to join the effort is not a good idea. Corker offered hearing the information in a secure environment. Kerry refused.
Corker criticized Kerry because the Obama administration is asking for congressional authority for an effort against the Islamic State, yet no details about the strategy or allies is being released - calling Kerry's words "unserious," and saying that the effort is "unrealistic" and does not match the rhetoric the administration has put out. Asking for support of an effort that "makes no sense," and doesn't even seem "serious," while refusing to release details about the effort is something Corker visibly had a big problem with.
Was refusal of releasing information an admittance that they have no details, they have no support from other countries, and they actually have no idea where they are going next? Does the Obama administration just want the money so that they can start trying a few things, without knowing what those little, hardly researched strategies, without any true military combat involved, will accomplish. . . if anything?
"I do want to deal with ISIL an effective way, but you have not laid that out. . . that is not where you are. . . I hope you will lay out a plan that says you are serious," hammered Corker.
Kerry acted taken aback by Corker's questions, and the GOP Senator's doubts that the White House has a handle on this situation. As Kerry exclaimed "they need our support ever there," Corker said, "We've all been screaming that, but you have not provided it."
As Kerry talked about training the opposition to ISIL, I am reminded that incredible numbers of those opposition fighters have left their posts, and have run over to join ISIL, ISIS, the Islamic State, or whatever name the people out there want to give them. The reality of it all is that the training the Secretary of State is offering local Muslims may be training for future members of the enemy.
As for Kerry's call for an inclusive government in Iraq, that hasn't happened, and it won't. Support for the Shia-dominant government is seen by Sunnis as support for the Shiites, and encourages even more Sunnis in Iraq to run to the Islamic State to join the terrorist effort. The Sunnis don't see stability in the Iraqi government. They see their allies as being the Islamic State, and so the Sunnis in Iraq are running to join ISIS, and will continue to join the Islamic State.
Asking the Kurds to assist is also a bad strategy. They don't care about the rest of Iraq. They only care about defending their neck of the woods.
The fact that the Obama administration wants to train and arm so-called moderate Muslims, though, is the most idiotic part of it all. In the end, if they do this, they will discover that they will be arming and training people who will later be terrorists demanding an end to Israel, and death to America. The Obama administration is working to arm and train the fighters that will attack the United States, her allies, and her interests, in the future.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
John Kerry: No ground troops in ISIL fight - Politico
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