Pundits Are 'Ganging-Up' On President Obama's Iraq Policy

US President Barack Obama pauses as he speaks to the media on the situation in Iraq on the South Lawn of the White House, before his departure for vacation at Martha's Vineyard, in Washington August 9, 2014. — Reuters

Miami Herald: Obama is trapped on Iraq as his term runs out

* Prime Minister Haider al Abadi’s grasp on the country is tenuous
* Navy SEAL killed in combat was among 5,000 U.S. forces back in Iraq
* U.S. goal is to keep country together until Obama is out of office, analysts say

WASHINGTON : When Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al Abadi took office in 2014, the Obama administration hoped he would prove to be a Mr. Fix-It, a relatively moderate Shiite Muslim leader who would manage spoilers in his own sect, make long-overdue overtures to the country’s Sunni minority and work closely with the U.S. to reclaim territory captured by the Islamic State.

Two years later, however, Abadi’s administration is teetering amid political turmoil, and the country is careering toward bankruptcy, all while the Islamic State still controls large swaths of territory. How much Abadi is to be blamed is up for debate, but it’s clear that even the modest U.S. goal of a good-enough government in Baghdad hasn’t been realized. Now, analysts say, the Obama administration is just trying to keep the nation from collapse without dragging the United States deeper into Iraq’s no-win scenarios.

Read more ....

Update #1: The White House’s Iraq delusion (Washington Post editorial)
Update #2: 166,000 troops didn't fix Iraq. 250 won't fix Syria: Column (Armand V. Cucciniello III, USA Today)

WNU Editor: I wholeheartedly agree with this analyst's remark ....

.... U.S. goal is to keep country together until Obama is out of office, analysts say.

But it appears that even this goal is unravelling as the war expands .... Carter says fight against Islamic State 'far from over' (FOX News).