White House: We’re “at war” with ISIS
The other night, John Kerry made some kind of discombobulated statement to explain how we’re not really at war with ISIS/ISIL/Islamic State forces. So the White House quickly corrected him yesterday, according to Fox News;
The comments are a sharp turnaround from how Kerry described the military operation on Thursday. In interviews with CNN and CBS News, Kerry described it as a “very significant” and “major counterterrorism operation.” He told CBS News that “war is the wrong terminology.”
His spokeswoman, Marie Harf, also said she would not “refer to our efforts” as part of the “war on terrorism.”
Therein lies the problem; If you can’t even admit that its a war, how can you fight it the way it needs to be fought? Do they plan to tickle the jihadists until they cry “Uncle!” The only way to win is to kill them all, every last one of them until the countryside is one huge gooey paste, but if the people who are responsible for fighting the war can’t even say the word “war” and use it correctly in a sentence, it’s already lost. No one in the White House thought to correct Kerry until the morning shows pointed out the silliness of his statement.
Then they send out Kerry to coordinate a “broad coalition” of allies, but who is going to take him seriously? Turkey has already caved on their commitment to provide us with airbases from which we could hit whatever we’re going to be shooting at Syria, you know Turkey, the sole Islamic member of the 10-nation coalition that was supposed to provide direct military support.
There are other Islamic countries in the coalition, though;
Thursday’s meeting in Jiddah ended with Saudi Arabia, other Gulf states, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon pledging to stand against terrorism. They promised steps including stopping fighters and funding, repudiating the Islamic State group’s ideology, providing humanitarian aid and “as appropriate, joining in the many aspects of a coordinated military campaign.”
They also agreed to boost support for the new Iraqi government as it tries to unite its citizens in the fight against the militants. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said coalition members agreed to share responsibilities for fighting the Islamic State group, as well as to “be serious and continuous in our action to eliminate and wipe out all these terrorist organizations.”
That sounds helpful, but not in any meaningful way, but I’m sure they all feel better about themselves. At least they’re going to “be serious” more than John Kerry appears to “be serious”. I appreciate their seriousness. Back to Fox News;
White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest and Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. John Kirby used almost identical language when pressed by reporters Friday whether or not the expanded military operation against the terrorist group is in fact a war.
“In the same way that the United States is at war with Al Qaeda and its affiliates … the United States is at war with ISIL,” Earnest said.
OK, that’s a little bit better, but someone needs to grab the State Department by the throat (I’ll volunteer) and shake them until they understand that war is part of their political business, too. They should read von Clauswitz, and then reread it occasionally.
Category: John Kerry, Terror War
How hard is this? The ISIS fuckers ALREADY said they are at war with us. This is a no-brainer. Actually, the current cabal in power has no brains and can’t figure this out so I have to use a different term to describe this. But seriously, make a decision, commit to it, and see it through. It ain’t that difficult!
Not difficult at all…
Unless you have spent the majority of your adult life with your finger in the air trying to find which way the wind is blowing before making a half-assed decision.
How I wish we had grown ups in charge.
I laugh every time I see that pic of “Lurch” Kerry sitting in that chopper looking like he’s feeling sorry for himself. Is he scared that he doesn’t know what he’s doing, or is he afraid that they’ll be short on butlers where he’s staying, and he’ll have to wipe his own ass for a change?
Probably just found out that they aren’t going to comp the prostitutes he requested.
The filet mignon was disagreeing with his sensitive palate…..
Well, American politicians on both sides of the aisle haven’t bothered making an actual declaration of war since 1942, and even long before that they still liked sending American troops to war without actually calling it a war. God forbid winning the fight and saving American lives might actually trump political convenience.
And John Kerry just needs to fucking go away. At this point, Forrest Gump on ritalin could do a better job.
I’m thinking that we’d have a more competent and believable State Department if Larry, More & Curley were running things.
President mom-jeans and his clown car posse administration are so far out of their element that they’re putting our national security in danger.
This administration does not know whether to shit or go blind. Half of them are off message and the other half don’t know what the message is. These fuckers haven’t seen the ball since kickoff.
Remind me again how we are going to fight this “war”?????? Are we going to talk ISIS to death or as Jonn said, turn those fucking maniacs into gooey paste?? My guess is it will be mostly talk, with a few air strikes thrown in for good measure. What a joke!!
Hell, Jonn – they don’t have to read Clausewitz. I’ll summarize it for them as it applies to this situation.
1. “War is merely the continuation of politics by other means.”
2. “To achieve victory we must mass our forces at the hub of all power and movement. The enemy’s ‘center of gravity’.”
3. “The aggressor is always peace-loving (as Bonaparte always claimed to be); he would prefer to take over our country unopposed.”
4. “Everything in war is very simple, but the simplest thing is difficult.”
5. “The enemy of a good plan is the dream of a perfect plan.”
6. “All war presupposes human weakness and seeks to exploit it.”
7. “War is such a dangerous business that mistakes that come from kindness are the very worst.”
8. “. . . to introduce into the philosophy of war itself a principle of moderation would be an absurdity.”
9. “. . . the side that feels the lesser urge for peace will naturally get the better bargain.”
and, finally:
10. “No one starts a war – or rather, no one in his right mind ought to do so – without first being clear in his mind what he intends to achieve by the war and how he intends to conduct it.” (Note: wording from the Paret translation; varies from the linked source slightly.)
Best I can tell, the Current DC Clowne Crewe has ignored every one of the above. They’re . . . Clueless.
War? This is war:
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=good+day+for+the+crows+troy+movie&FORM=VIRE2#view=detail&mid=41657B3338ADBEC3A64941657B3338ADBEC3A649
I said elsewhere it is kill or be killed. It’s them or us. That is war.
But lurch wants to use harsh words and stern sentences. He really has a knack for pissing off our allies, doesn’t he?
Sorry, I didn’t get that copied correctly.
I just don’t get it. Well in a way yes I do. Considering this is the most cowardly President and Administration in American history I get it. They cannot call a spade a spade. Even when waffling European nations are calling them what they are. Obama and Kerry still want to posit that they are somehow redeemable and therefore not enemies to be destroyed. Wow, I wish ISIS though the same about us. But they make no bones about declaring war on America and Obama personally and yet the Coward In Chief, can’t simple say, we are now at war with them. Why? He’s a coward and a do nothing coward at that. The kind that gets others killed for his ineptitude. If he declares war, he’ll have to act the part of a wartime President and he does not know how. Neither does anyone in his circle of dimwits.
Let’s see if I correctly understand events.
North Korea captures a US Navy vessel, holds the crew for over a year, and we do nothing.
Iran kills hundreds of U.S. Marines in Beirut, holds Americans with diplomatic immunity hostage, bombs an Air Force high rise in Saudi, and we do nothing.
Russia invades an ally and we impose sanctions.
ISIS kills two American reporters who went into the danger zone knowing people were being killed and as Americans they were in particular a target, and the Chump in Chief declares war. When did our country lose it’s priorities?
Nov. 4, 2008.
By not saying we’re at war with IS, the fumblefuck administration can later say that the fumblefuck in chief never started a war. Those guys love playing semantic games.
But you forget, bodaprez can’t even win in a pick-up game of basketball. He has no idea how to compete against a real opponent, never mind win.
Translation: Because of Bush we are still at war…
Report of another beheading…
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/david-haines-beheading-live-updates-4256832
I just… WHAT? I can’t even.
Our guys aren’t going to be given the ability to do what needs to be done anyway since we’ve been fighting our recent wars from a political instead of military side.
Remove the politics from it and let’s kick some ass.