Is President Obama's Syrian Strategy The Right One, Or Are The Critics Wrong?

U.S. President Barack Obama. The Official White House Photostream / Wikicommons

Washington Post: Obama thinks his Syria strategy is right — and folks just don’t get it

As President Obama flew home from Asia aboard Air Force One in late November, he scolded his aides about how poorly the administration was communicating the U.S.-led strategy against the Islamic State.

Throughout the nine-day trip, which had begun less than 24 hours after the terrorist attacks in Paris, they had all heard critics at home and abroad charge that he had no coherent game plan, Obama said. There had even been suggestions that France, with tough talk and a series of retaliatory airstrikes, was now leading the anti-terrorism fight.

Aides agreed that the message they had heard on the road was “jarring,” said a senior administration official who was on the flight.

But while many outside the administration found the strategy itself lacking, Obama felt what they really needed was to do a better job of explaining it. He ordered what the official called an “uptick in our communications tempo.”

WNU Editor: What does not help the White House's position is when their own State Department makes remarks like this one .... U.S. State Department Names "Bringing Peace" To Syria As One Of Its 2015 Accomplishments. Not surprising .... their critics are "smelling blood in the water" .... Trump mocks State Department's 2015 boast of peace in Syria (CBS). As to what is my take .... I understand why President Obama does not want to commit ground forces into Syria .... this is a long war and there is no exit strategy .... so the strategy becomes one of appearing to be involved .... while you are not. In short ... containment. Unfortunately .... this is not showing leadership, and everyone in the region knows this and are now pursuing their own agenda .... resulting in the chaos and mayhem that is now occurring.