Sunday, December 07, 2014

Editorial: Barack's non plan for Iraq leads to further shame

Last week Mu Xuequan (Xinhua) quoted US President Barack Obama insisting his 'plan' to address the Islamic State was showing  "slow but steady progress."

Try no and none.

But then we're grading on a scale of actual movement.

Barack and Secretary of State John Kerry have insisted Barack's 'plan' will take years to see fruition, years after Barack's out of office in 2016.

By that 'pace,' maybe movement has taken place.

In the real world, Barack's so-called 'plan' just isn't cutting it.


Paul D. Shinkman (US News and World Reports) noted some of the growing criticism:


"Aside from setting broad priorities, there’s no plan, no indication of progress, no measures of effectiveness," says Anthony Cordesman, a former State Department and Pentagon official who regularly advises leaders in both departments. The Obama administration tends to take too long to adopt serious military advice, he says.
“Events and reality certainly have to shape strategy,” says Cordesman, now with the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “But if you don’t have a strategy and clear plans, you lack the ability to shape events.” 


Apparently desperate for some action -- any action -- Barack has ordered the CIA to help the Lebanese government kidnap an Iraqi woman.

Saja al-Dulaimi and a child (or up to three children) were kidnapped.

The Lebanese military boasted she was the wife of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

The woman was accused of nothing.

She may, it turns out, be the ex-wife of the man.  Or she may be the sister of an Iraqi male already in prison in Iraq.

She may be none of those things.

But, thanks to Barack, the US government is now known publicly for kidnapping the spouses or sisters of suspects.

That's not a good reputation to have.

And when it leads to blowback, all the little bitches and bastards who call themselves leaders or reporters in the United States will express outrage despite the fact that they've said not one damn word in Saja al-Dualimi or her children's defense.


Barack has brought shame to the United States.

A working press would be demanding answers as to when it became acceptable for the US government to participate in the kidnapping of family members of suspects.