Obama: US misjudged Iraqi army, militants’ threat
Yeah, that’s the headline on an Associated Press article about the President’s interview on 60 Minutes later today;
President Barack Obama acknowledged that U.S. intelligence agencies underestimated the threat from Islamic State militants and overestimated the ability and will of Iraq’s army to fight.
Questioning Obama’s strategy to destroy the group, House Speaker John Boehner said the U.S. may have “no choice” but to send in American troops if the mix of U.S.-led airstrikes and a ground campaign reliant on Iraqi forces, Kurdish fighters and soon-to-be trained Syrian rebels fails to achieve that goal.
Good to see Boehner getting ready to put boots on the ground, ain’t it?
But, in regards to that headline, no, the US didn’t misjudge, it was the Obama Administration that misjudged. The rest of us out here could see it without the benefit of his intelligence assets. The Obama Administration ignored the signs because that’s what they chose to do. That’s what they do about everything. Immigration. Ebola. Russia. North Korea. Boko Haram. Iraq. Afghanistan. Somalia. Syria. I probably left out some of the other things that this administration did nothing about until the situation got out of hand while all of the time they were hoping that the problem would go away or get handled by someone else. Someone competent and not worried by the political repercussions of doing the right thing in a timely manner.
He noted that his director of national intelligence, James Clapper, has acknowledged that the U.S. “underestimated what had been taking place in Syria.” Obama also said it was “absolutely true” that the U.S. overestimated the ability and will of the Iraqi army.
The Obama administration has cited its intelligence weaknesses before.
It’s probably because of those Tea Party people who infiltrated the intelligence services and undermine the nation’s security because they don’t like the President. Or it could be because this administration is willfully blind to anything that takes their attention away from fundamentally changing this country they claim to love.
Category: Barack Obama/Joe Biden
How’s the underside of the bus look these days, Lt. Gen. Clapper?
What, you thought he was going to say that he fornicated with the K9? Of course his advisors let him down; nothing is ever his fault.
“[I]ntelligence weaknesses”, indeed…
Shit. Just shit.
Barack Obama–I don’t fix problems, I fix blame.
Awesome. I am so stealing that, NHSparky.
Way to take responsibility for your foreign policy fuckups, Barry. Iran popping a nuke will be next.
Waiting for the blame Bush comment.
If I did my job the way the Glorious Leader does his…shit, I’d be at least four years into a prison term by now!
Call me, Ishmael…on your Obamaphone. I know all about the feeling about misjudgment. Competence, like truth, beauty, and contact lenses, is in the eye of the beholder. Who knew that an entire community would rise up across the internet when I tried to sue SOCNET? Like Obama, how was I supposed to foresee that?
To thine own self be true. (If not that, at least make some money.)
The worst part is this should be “my time” right now. With Russia, terrorism, etc. all as issues, my face should be on every newscast in America. It’s not fair. The saying doesn’t say “one little lawsuit and you are a cocksucker for the rest of your life” but somehow now everyone knows the truth about me anyway. How could this happen?
Stupidity, like virtue, seems to be its own reward
I can’t help that if Machiavelli were alive, he’d work for Archangel Group. I only feel the love here at TAH because you guys hate Phildo, Monkress, CPO of the Year, and the Round Ranger more than you hate me.
I’m a really good guy. Just ask me or Charles Chinn. If you are an insult to my intelligence, I demand that you log off immediately.
sincerely
John “Faker 6” Giduck
You forgot to mention the great and ignorant Brad “I support ‘Faker 6’ Thor…
Neville Chamberlain: I will bring you peace in our time.
I’m going to gag. And I had such nice plans for dinner.
IT IS THIS>>>>>>…”. administration is willfully blind to anything that takes their attention away from fundamentally changing this country they claim to love….”
Period..even us civilians out here saw the writing on the wall.
Middle Eastern Countries, Iraq in particular, are ineffective at modern warfare because they really aren’t “countries”. They are tribes of different ethnicities, languages and beliefs that were encircled by boundries in the 1900s.
Whereas An American from Texas would gladly go to Alaska to kill Chinese invaders, an Iraqi Soldier from Bagdad could give a shit about ISIS in Ramadi.
You are so right!!!!
Old Dog,
Numba one son was in Iraq twice and AFG once. He said that the news reports about the Shia v Sunni don’t get it right. He said that it was “Me against the world”. Then “me and my brother against the world”. Then me and my family, me and my extended family, me and my clan, me and my village, me and my tribe, and so forth. Shia and Sunni are bigger than tribes. And none of those are absolutes – a guy could kill a brother or a cousin over some issue of honor. The US is a nation of laws – the law rules and is more important than family. Iraq is not a nation of laws and neither is most of the Islamic world because family is more important than law. Iraq is not a nation in the sense that we mean it because individuals and families are more important than laws. Our system of laws and institutions is not consistent with the way that they run stuff.
Does this match what anyone else saw?
I wholeheartedly concur, you cannot civilize some of the regions and cultures in this world.
That wasn’t a bad explanation…at least in my opinion.
Very accurate, IME.
He doesn’t listen to the military, his intelligence agencies or attend breifings.
Mr. Transparency …. you can see right through him.
Lying, Gutless, Treasonous SOB !
Has B. Hussein 0bama ever cared about anything in this life other than his own personal gain? And since he became POTUS has he cared about anything other than his agenda, golfing, fundraisers, and lavish vacations at our expense as well as jetsetting all over the world aboard AF One?
“President Barack Obama acknowledged that U.S. intelligence agencies underestimated the threat from Islamic State militants and overestimated the ability and will of Iraq’s army to fight.”
LIAR, LIAR, LIAR!!! Your mom jeans are on fire!!! He knows damned good and well the “intelligence agencies” AND the Pentagon have been feeding him the truth about Iraq since day one! He just didn’t want to hear it so he didn’t have to deal with it. Then he would tell whomever gave their report, “this doesn’t get out of this room and our official comment is, as always, all is in control, okay and we know what we’re doing about everything…GOT IT!”. They say yes sir or it’s their jobs and they don’t have the balls to do otherwise. He has no balls whatsoever to begin with, so no surprise there.
Meanwhile, Boehner, hey isn’t he the senior Republican in Congress, finally has something to say. Although if course, it is a Johnny come lately comment about a situation that could have been stopped a lot sooner, while it was a lot smaller. Now they are fighting lions with straw spears and wonder why ISIS is still laughing. Every day they delay EFFECTIVE bombing of the ENEMY, they potentially cost more American lives. In Iraq and everywhere. History will lay a lot of bad stuff on Obama’s doorstep. The worst will be his body count.
What I say after every B. Hussein Obama speech:
A bit dated and a long read, but a very good analysis of Arab/muslim Armies.
http://www.meforum.org/441/why-arabs-lose-wars
Meh. If Obama’s lips are moving, he’s blowing smoke.
I have more confidence that Timmy from South Park can give me a high and tight with a chain saw, then anyone or anything coming out of the beltway!
That is all … Carry on!
Timmmmmaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!
Sorry, couldn’t resist sir :).
WAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH !!!!!
Dem big meanies in da CIA told me dat dey would take care of dis !!!!
WAAAAHHHHHHHH…..
I’m tellin’ Mom !!!!
Okay, I will bring the great EXAMPLE. History,Viet Nam and their collapse after we left them. The ARVN had a better fighting force than the Iraquis in my opinion.When the Boots hit the ground, full war no ROE. No mirco managing from the Potus or Congress. Let the Commanders in the battle area call the way we fight the ISIS. Snake N Nape with a generous dose of cluster bombs. Time to break things and people. Joe
I read that 1999 article about the hierarchy in the Arab world. It fits with everything else I’ve ever read about them. It is such a feudal system, serfs and all, and they are so embedded in it that it truly does make India’s caste system look nearly modern.
If we expect to win this war, we either have to do it ourselves with no holds barred, period, or find some way to get them to turn on each other.
Furthermore, the braindead liberal mindset is so numb, I get a headache even thinking about it. They really do not want to have reality slap them in the face. It is too painful for them to look it in the eye, and to believe, for even one tiny second, that anyone can be as vicious as the ISers have become. The only difference between the ISers and Hitler is that he hid what he was up to until he attacked Britain. The ISers have been right up front with it from the get-go: annihilation of the entire Western World.
So all that nearly psychotic ‘feel good’ and ‘everything is just fine’ crap has to go, once and for all. They all need a hard, nasty wake-up call if they want to stay alive, because I’m not one bit sure I want to protect them.