The Obama Administration has never been one to let a sad piece of news slip by unexploited, and when news emerged last night of the beheading of journalist James Foley by ISIS, they were quick to transition their narrative to fit the new story.
The US was already escalating the Iraq War at an alarming pace under the guise of a “humanitarian intervention,” but now are using Foley’s killing as the official justification to continue that escalation in the name of revenge.
President Obama presented ISIS as a “cancer” that had to be “extracted” from the Middle East, going on to accuse them of plotting genocide and offering “nothing but an endless slavery.”
Obama went on to declare that “no just God would stand for what they did yesterday and what they do every single day,” vowing his own relentless pursuit of them.
Secretary of State John Kerry was more direct, vowing to crush ISIS militarily, and declaring the group the “face of a new evil” whose very existence is an insult to Islam.
Kerry went heavy on the thesaurus today, dubbing ISIS “ugly, savage, inexplicable, nihilistic, and valueless evil,” and saying the US will track them down anywhere in the world to destroy them.
The State Department also seems to be driving a lot of the escalation push right now, asking for another 300 US ground troops to be deployed to sites in Baghdad, including the US Embassy and the Baghdad airport. The Pentagon is “considering” the request, but its acceptance is all but certain.
The humanitarian excuse for the US war was basically up when they got to Mount Sinjar and realized there weren’t 40,000 Yazidis there. Officials seem to feel Foley’s death is a good excuse to shed the last remnants of that talking point in favor of a return to the 2003-style bellicosity. America’s goal in the war is now wiping out its self-proclaimed enemies, and any suggestion of a closed-ended operation has long sense flown out the window.
ISIS is a direct consequence of the war in Iraq and the arming of the the rebels by the U.S. and the Saudis. The said irony is that Antiwar.com warn about this outcome if the U.S. armed the rebels in Syria to try to destabilized Syrian regime. I remember back in August 2012 that if you were against airstrikes, arming the rebels, or simply said that Syrian rebels weren't "sweetness and light: due to the atrocities they committing you were called an Assad supporter. The neocons don't have the decency to admit they were wrong, instead more war. The hubris of the powers that be is appalling.
If my memory serve me right, but wasn't it Kerry and McCain who flew to Turkey to meet ISIS masquerading as "moderate rebels" in an attempt to overthrow Assad, I cringe to think what Syria would look like today under ISIS…..just a thought, the moderate rebels were in fact ISIS because Foley was kidnapped in 2012 when ISIS was not known to be in Syria. Obama, Kerry, and McCain have some explaining to do…..nah, probably will blame Assad.
ISIS, weapons manufacturers, various monarchs etc rub their hands together with glee.
This is more stupid and dishonest than GW Bush's crusade to defeat the evildoers. And when was the last time the US military "crushed" an enemy with a clean, decisive victory?
Anything by anyone which able to crush these Saudis/UAE savages and by all means is a welcome sign and needs to be supported, even if the idea comes from USG. Here, the idea in nationalism, or disregarding the Iraqi people and Syrian people's situation is betraying the "part" of the humanity that USG is offering to do, even if the idea comes from Barack Hussein Obama.
So Kerry- and by extension, the US government- has determined that each and every member of ISIS is personally responsible for the death of Foley and is deserving of death?
While I am not a supporter of ISIS or its methods, I also know that within the ISIS organization are cooks, bookkeepers, doctors, nurses, teachers, librarians and pretty much everything one would expect from a rudimentary state being put together. If one is a librarian at an ISIS-sponsored school, does that translate into that person being guilty of a crime- or are we simply charging people with the catch-all 'guilt by association'?
If this were the case, we wouldn't have people at Gitmo for years awaiting trial- if they were prejudged as guilty, they would likely have been executed or disappeared for all time years ago.
Again I am neither a fan nor supporter of ISIS- and I do take the view that they are not portraying Islam in a very good light at all- but I am not prepared to prejudge anyone based simply on their membership or association with this or that group. What would we in the US do if, say, Russia were to declare the Republican or Democrat parties as 'terrorist' organizations across the board and started rounding up Americans abroad on suspicion of being in one of those parties? "But all I did was keep the books and cook!" "But I just paid dues, I never DID anything!" – 'Sorry, that doesn't matter, you're still a party member so you're guilty just like all the others'.
Do we really want other nations holding us to the same standards- and double standards- we subject them to?
Follow the money…
ISIS is starting its own 1948, while Obama helps Israel finish 1948.
I got a kick out of the part of the speech in which Obama offered assurances that America would stand behind any American threatened with danger at any time, anywhere. And then I recalled the young American killed by Israeli thugs on the Turkish rescue ship sent to Gaza with humanitarian relief a couple of years ago. What was done about that episode? Every time Barack Obama makes an assertion about American moral rectitude, ask yourself about the truth of recent history. All you'll see is Lobby ass-kissing.
The radicals were made in America, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Before we went to Iraq Husain kept a lid on things. Now the same people that gave us Iraq war 1 and 2 are giving us Iraq 3. Somebody should be held responsible. I am not holding my breath.
So the USG is going to do what ISIS does? But from the sky and with joysticks?
“ugly, savage, inexplicable, nihilistic, and valueless evil,” isn't a bad way to describe the USG's actions of late.
"Actions of late"? How about actions of the last 100 years?
AMEN!
"America's self-proclaimed enemies" ISIS, were a U.S. ally less than one year ago. Kerry and Obama were frantic in their appeal for a massive bombing campaign that surely would have landed ISIS in complete control of Syria. And every main stream media outlet in the U.S. was editorializing the dire need to bomb Syria in support of Obama and Kerry. And the false flag sarin gas operation by the CIA that was designed to trigger the bombing campaign was a major media story right up to the day it was uncovered as false.
Perhaps ISIS ALSO "IS" preparing more troops TO teach Amerika a lesson..
This is a drone and air war where the enemy is going to strike back and hard. Obama appears unprepared for the catastrophe he has launched. Just one year ago ISIS was an important ally in another reckless war in Syria. Now the insanity of propping up the Syrian civil war is becoming clear.
ISIS is but a creation of the CIA and Mossad-to create political theater and get the US taxpayers to open their wallets and bank accounts up to The Department of Eternal War
Anything by anyone which able to crush these Saudis/UAE savages and by all means is a welcome sign and needs to be supported.
How convenient that the US/israeli/Saudi franchises ISIS, Al-Qaeda and Boko haram never mentions a jihad against israel and always works as a distraction whenever a yet another genocide against the native Palestinians is being perpetrated. How is that?
And how convenient that , the fake war-porn beheading of Foley in close symbiosis with western corporate MSM aside, their plan to split Iraq coincides with the almost identical US/iraeli/Saudi plan for the region, not to mention their goals for Syria.
I hope most of us dont buy this "shock & awe" thing any more and will see this for what it is and turn our anger against the real perps, like the people of Ferguson. The "Brittish accent" guy is most probably British but with a kosher twist, sitting in a seaside Tel Aviv location sipping drinks like "Bin Laden" before him…
The pretense of being able to act within a framework of predictable consequences.
One would think this were the Galactic Empire wanting to intervene on the Planet of the Rubes.
Oboomer is one of the biggest hypocrites in World History. He says
ISIS is a (cancer) in this shattered region. However, he continues
to support this (cancer) by dumping weapons to its factions battling
the Assad government in Syria.
Oboomer also speaks about ISIS (slavery); but, says nothing about
(slavery) the Zionists are imposing on the Palestinian people.
Oboomer is the (real) cancer.
It's unfortunate that Foley was executed and the method used and the broadcast of the act was subhuman but the death of one person is insufficient reason to take the country to war, again. My hope is that the American people are not swayed by the morbid use of Foley's death to gin up support in order to send more Americans to their deaths.
Last night on NBC evening news they actually attempted to use the FEAR that ISIS might directly affect each and every American. Actually, it is the USG who will directly affect each and every American in their desire for more war.
When does it stop? What do the American people have to do to put an end to perpetual war?
Meanwhile, over in Saudi Arabia: http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/world/42438/sau…
and… crickets.
If the US wants to crush ISIS they could simply crush the CIA and Mossad. No more ISIS.
Where do sane folks think those people get their weapons, money and most important of all logistical support? And why ISIS has never attacked any western Arab ally or in other words traitor? Why they have never even threatened Israel?
I'm actually surprised I've seen no one even suggest that this recent "beheading" is most probably a complete fabrication. There are SO many red flags about this video it actually reeks of 'phony.'
First of all, the supposed 'Militant' making the statements is almost laughable as he hits on every, cartoonish, stereotypical phrase you would expect to come right out of the US State Department propaganda hand-book. It was literally like watching a bad 'B-Movie' villain.
Secondly, Foley's matter-of-fact, emotionless recital of scripted comments given to him doesn't exemplify what a human being would be acting like KNOWING they're going to be whacked the second their comments are over. With a show of hands, who on this blog would not tell their captors to take their scripted comments and "Go 'F' Yourself"! if the pay-back for doing so wasn't going to change the outcome of your fate one bit?
Thirdly, regardless of how hard the US Government wants Americans to think these people (ISIS, 'Islamists' in general, et al) are just mindless, sociopathic murderers, the fact is they are NOT STUPID!? They understand 'propaganda' as well as anyone, and they fully understand both the benefits and drawbacks of ACTIONS. These people DO NOT want to unify the world against them, and such 'beheadings' does JUST THAT. They know that. So does the US Government. It is more likely (and beneficial) that the US Government concocted this video in order to glean the very effect we're seeing now…,a massive ramp-up of the already disastrous FIRST 'Iraq War' into a NEW 'Iraq War-2.' Anyone who has read the 'Wolfowitz Doctrine' (which was the basis for the lurid 'Bush Doctrine') can easily see the hated NEOCONS' hand-prints all over this latest escalation. Their goal has ALWAYS been the destruction/subjugation of Iraq and the rest of the Middle East, and ISIS (whether intended, or not) is actually playing into their hands.
Exactly!!!! I was beginning to wonder why no one else picked up on this? Here is a guy, who apparently is aware that in a few moments he is about to have his head cut off, and yet he is as calm as a cucumber as he denounces his country. Who in this situation would either be 1) totally freaking out or 2) completely numb from resignation. Either way, is his calm behavior really believable? Please!
no REAL president would have armed and trained them in the first place.
Okay, Barry and John; here are your rifles… Here are your parachutes. We ran out of the desert camo but here are a couple bright day-glo orange jumpsuits left over from the CIA torture centers. Watch your heads climbing into that transport plane, and we will call Iraq and tell them you are on your way to kick their butts all by yourself.
But We The People remember how we were tricked into the first invasion of Iraq with a hoax about stolen Kuwaiti incubators.
We The People remember how we were tricked into the second invasion of Iraq with a hoax about Saddam's nuclear bombs.
Frankly, this beheading video just seems like more of the same.
So you will understand if we sit this one out and keep our kids safe at home.
So are Syria and Iran now allies since they want to exterminate the ISIS also? And if the ISIS is exterminated are we then enemies with Syria and Iran again? One needs a scorecard.
At the risk of being obvious, shouldn't we crush DEA, DHS, IRS, FBI, NSA, CIA, ATF, and USDA before we worry about all the acronyms over there?
The "beheading" video is a mediocre theatrical production. How any news service or government can get away with describing this as proof of anything other than bad acting, is mind-boggling.
Why won’t Obama use a no risk idea. Why is he afraid to not punish isis with the NAVY laser? this war on isis would end very quick if he ZAPS THE HELL OUT OF THESE EVIL JERKS, And frees ISLAM from the brunt of set up caused by stupid radical muslims!
I think there are one or two mountain ranges in between the Mediterranean and ISIS territory. Even if there were no hills, Raqqa is 250 miles from the coast, and over that distance the curvature of the earth drops 500 feet. There’s no way a direct fire weapon like a laser can reach targets beyond the horizon, and modern warfare is overwhelmingly fought without a direct line of sight.
MahmudH, Thanks for the information,The only way now is to send Drones to speed up the goals of wiping ISIS out.