Yesterday, Secretary of State John Kerry loudly objected to the characterization of the new US war on ISIS as a “war,” insisting it isn’t technically a war. The argument appears to have been totally pointless, as the White House confirmed that, indeed, “we are at war with ISIS.”
White House press secretary Josh Earnest said it was important to draw a distinction between the new war in Iraq and the old Iraq War, even though they both are taking place in Iraq and both involved fighting against the exact same faction, albeit this time after al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) changed its name to ISIS and split with al-Qaeda.
He sought instead to draw a parallel between the new war and “success stories” in Yemen and Somalia, two much smaller air wars the US are involved in, and neither of which seems remotely successful.
The admission that the new war is indeed a proper war comes amid new calls from Congress to expand the conflict into a full-scale ground war, with Rep. Buck McKeon (R – CA), the head of the House Armed Services Committee, saying the US needed to “go all-in now.”
Sens. Lindsey Graham (R – SC) and John McCain (R – AZ) also pushed for ground troops, insisting ISIS is a “full-blown army” that requires a major military response.
The political leadership in both parties seem to be content to back President Obama, with House Speaker John Boehner (R – OH) insisting it is “important we give the president what he’s asking for.”
When the public was still reticent about the war, the administration was insisting there would be no ground troops involved, but with over 1,500 troops already on the ground now, they are stepping away from that and now suggesting it’s only not in the plans right now.
Indications are that these high profile speeches by the president are meant to slowly prepare the public for a much, much bigger war than they were initially promised, and officials seem to think they’ve at least reached the point where they can admit the “humanitarian intervention” is now a war.
Ummm, doesn't there need to be a declaration of war from Congress? You know where el Presidenté goes to a joint session of Congress and lays out the criminal specifics against an "enemy" and Congress responds with a rousing "let's war on (fill in a blank)" and Empire America rallies around the flag and sends their sons and daughters off to be killed and maimed and worse than any of that? Isn't that how "war" is supposed to work?
I fully concede that America operates under those postmodern 9/11/01 global war of terror rules.
If the WH is declaring that we are at war then, by Constitutional law, there must be a Declaration of War from the Congress. After all, the Congress is always bringing up how the Executive is constantly straying into their bailiwick of responsibility. Well, then perform your responsibility. But, that would require a vote and that is something they really don't want on their records. The last thing these cretins want is to provide political opponents fodder for the next re-election cycle – and a vote for a war they know is not going to go well would be really, really bad political strategy.
President Redline and his Neocon cowards in State are always at war with someone or another. It's just harder to gin up a Coalition of the Stupid to go along with it.
Plus: Israel needs to get off it's whore ass and do some of the heavy lifting. Why don't any of the blabbermouth morons on FOX News ever say something about that? We send so much money and materials to them, ISIS is in their general neighborhood, so why don't they do some work for a change? I understand fighting ISIS is not the same as bombing Palestinian hospitals and apartment buildings; how does it feel after 10+ years p!ss!ng money and lives and prestige away on fighting Al-Qaeda that what you have to show for it is a new and improved version, Al-Qaeda 2.0.
Any and all reason and justification for never, ever having Israel outlive it's usefulness. There must always be a reason to continue to throw money and political support at Israel at all cost, even if it means turning the whole region into warring, failed states. The Gravy Train must not be allowed to end. Talk about a really messed up scam.
I'll say it again here. A case of 'stupid is as stupid does' when USA trained commandos go rogue:
“Los Zetas’ [international drug cartel] training as a local version of the Green Berets constitutes their foremost asset. In cooperation with their U.S. counterparts, the Mexican military created the Gafes in mid-1990s. Foreign specialists, including Americans, French, and Israelis, instructed members of this elite unit in rapid deployment, aerial assaults, marksmanship, ambushes, intelligence collection, counter-surveillance techniques, prisoner rescues, sophisticated communications, and the art of intimidation” -George Greyson, Foreign Policy Research Institute (2008)
^ Note "the art of intimidation" … the Zetas drug cartel have sometimes introduced themselves with rolling severed heads into nightclubs frequented by their rivals .. and these same 'stupid is as stupid does' programs just go on:
"Syrian rebels who would later join the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIS, were trained in 2012 by U.S. instructors working at a secret base in Jordan, according to informed Jordanian officials.
"The officials said dozens of future ISIS members were trained at the time as part of covert aid to the insurgents targeting the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Syria. The officials said the training was not meant to be used for any future campaign in Iraq" -WND 17 June 2014, 'Blowback! U.S. trained Islamists who joined ISIS'
Of course the USA allies, particularly Saudis funding these efforts, might be a role model, your head can come off in Saudi Arabia for possession of new age literature and an accusation of witchcraft…
Africa next?
“The secretive program, financed in part with millions of dollars in classified Pentagon spending and carried out by trainers, including members of the Army’s Green Berets and Delta Force, was begun last year to instruct and equip hundreds of handpicked commandos in Libya, Niger, Mauritania and Mali” -Eric Schmitt, NYT 26 May 2014
http://ronaldthomaswest.com/2014/05/26/counterfei…
^ Economics & Counterinsurgency is over 100 years of USA policy
Isn't so that everyone should be involved not only WH. In the other hand, you created it, you deal with it which is why WH is the only one to be at war with ISIS.
Turkish government don't want to get involved for two reasons. 1-ISIS is at their door step and there are more of them inside turkey traveling freely from Syria to turkey and vis versa and Erdogan government knows that, so they stay out. 2- Erdogan government is part of creating ISIS, at the same time Turkey is the buffer zone between Syria and Europe, which is the Turkish government new rol in protecting itself and Europe from ISIS and Syrian revenge.
WH is not at war with ISIS, ISIS is at war with rest of the world, as WH been at war for last 60 years with the world, now that WH have found competition all of the sudden, they are at war with ISIS.
ISIS in Syria could be defeated in one week time, if USG support Syrian government, if Erdogan Sunni Islamic regime would support Syrian government, if EU supported Syrian regime, they are not doing it because of Saudis/Turkish economical and religious relation., and Saudis investment and energy supply to both turkey and EU. At the same time EU wants to seperat its source of energy (Russia) because Saudis/UAE, hand in hand with USG pushing the agenda which is the reason for WH demanding for EU to become a militarism regime where they started Ukrainian turmoil for their demand to become materialized.
All that is about USG/Saudis/UAE/English/Israel falsified democracy agendas that WH been preaching for years, there is no democracy as predicted by WH, however, there is a manipulative politics with falsification of democracy always been the agenda presented as democracy by WH and others to preserve their their dictatorial and fascistic "interests".
Close the Democratic Party, call it the other war party, that's makes it easier for people to understand the concept of a falsified democracy, presented year after year where the outcome of such a politics is ISIS.