President Barack Obama at the White House, September 18, 2015.
New York Times: Finger-Pointing, but Few Answers, After a Syria Solution Fails
WASHINGTON — By any measure, President Obama’s effort to train a Syrian opposition army to fight the Islamic State on the ground has been an abysmal failure. The military acknowledged this week that just four or five American-trained fighters are actually fighting.
But the White House says it is not to blame. The finger, it says, should be pointed not at Mr. Obama but at those who pressed him to attempt training Syrian rebels in the first place — a group that, in addition to congressional Republicans, happened to include former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.
At briefings this week after the disclosure of the paltry results, Josh Earnest, the White House press secretary, repeatedly noted that Mr. Obama always had been a skeptic of training Syrian rebels. The military was correct in concluding that “this was a more difficult endeavor than we assumed and that we need to make some changes to that program,” Mr. Earnest said. “But I think it’s also time for our critics to ‘fess up in this regard as well. They were wrong.”
Update: 'The devil made me do it': Obama's foreign policy just reached a new low -- Brett LoGiurato and Michael B Kelley, Business Insider
WNU Editor: A friend of mine told me after the first year of President Obama's Presidency that from his point of view President Obama is someone who prefers "doing" the role of the President instead of "being" the President. In the past I would have scoffed at such a suggestion .... but today .... its all about legacy and avoiding tough decisions. Does President Obama understand the concept of his responsibilities as commander in chief .... I would like to think so .... but this finger pointing is so "non-Presidential" . At some point you have to take ownership of your policy .... and if it is not working to then change it. This is a big story because it goes to the heart of how President Obama governs .... but unfortunately the main stream media continues to ignore it.
4 comments:
The best response to intelligent criticism of Obama's leadership of America's military capabilities will come from the people offering such criticism when they think through the likely consequences of what they think he should have alternatively decided.
Our greatest wartime President, Franklin Roosevelt recognized this when Under Secretary of the Navy under Wilson. Its easy to offer an opinion when you see somebody like Obama doing A, to respond he should have done B, for reasons 1, 2, and 3. Its a whole different exercise when one is forced to answer equally cleverly how it makes sense for reason 4. IBM for many years, offered its employees, customers and prospects the good advice "THINK." Does anybody criticizing Obama claim that they have done enough of it?
To be fair, most of us do. At least those of us with experience.
And as far a "number 4," there's always the danger of thinking things through too much or trying to juggle too many things. Which is what I suspect has happened with this administration.
The window of opportunity for organizing and supporting a Syrian rebel force closed three years ago. That likely didn't happen partly due to domestic political considerations, and partly because the administration was in negotiations with Iran, a Syrian backer.
What did come about were mixed messages from both the State Department and the White House. It also appears that the administration botched at least one opportunity to get Assad removed. There had also been an effort at an arms-supply program and possibly an arms-interdiction (i.e., arms going to Islamists) program as well. The last, if true, met its end rather violently.
Hardly the stuff of the "best and brightest.".
The MSM is precisely why he can afford to do stuff like this. I do wonder if he's also trying to use it to undermine Clinton, to the advantage of Biden.
WNU Editor,
The 2010 DIA report on "Aid to the Syrian Opposition", concluded that the end italics result would be the strengthening of Al Quida, ISI and other Jihadi Groups.
The "Presidential" Plan is only a "failure" if one assumes that the stated goal of the program is the actual goal of the program.
On the otherhand, the Neo-con Yonin Plan is proceeding at an enviable pace, and soon only Bantustans and tiny Caliphinates will remain of what was once, Syria, Jordan, Yemen and Iraq.
On to Lebanon, then Jordan.
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