Obama wouldn’t approve plan to beat ISIS in 2012
That far-Right wing media organ, NBC News reports that CIA officer Doug Laux has written a book that tells the story of how he provided a plan that would have resulted in the ouster of Syrian President Bashar Assad to the Obama Administration back in 2012. A plan that Obama failed to approve;
Laux, an Indiana native who joined the CIA in 2005 at age 23, says he wrote an “ops plan” that included all the elements he believed were necessary to remove Assad. He was not allowed to describe the plan, but he writes that his program “had gained traction” in Washington. His boss, the head of the Syria task force, regularly briefed members of the Congressional intelligence committees on what Laux was seeing, hearing and suggesting.
A former senior intelligence official said Laux’s ideas—many of them shared by other members of the CIA’s Syrian task force–were heavily represented in the plan that was ultimately presented to Obama.
But the president, who must approve all covert action, never gave the green light. The White House and the CIA declined to comment.
That’s hardly surprising – this administration is the least pro-active presidency in recent history. They seem unwilling to display anything even resembling leadership either at home or in conducting our foreign policy. This administration has no problem using the troops and force to clean up that which has turned to shit, but they don’t want to fix problems before they are problems. From Libya to Syria. From sub-Saharan Africa to Yemen.
Category: Terror War
Geez. First refuses to negotiate a revised SOFA allowing a stay-behind force, is warned that something like ISIS might occur – then refuses to take direct action early on when it might have mattered.
After considering the above, this seem apropos – especially the part starting at about 1:35.
Ah… Quo Vadis!
That takes me back… movies cost $.25 and popcorn was a nickel, and adults were responsible people who took things seriously.
Ex-PH2, remember too, those were the days when you could still smoke in the theater too. “Gone Are the Days”.
I remember those days when admission was a quarter, hotdogs were a dime or three for a quarter. (Jeez, what were those dogs made from? Ugh.) Soda was a dime. On some days, entry was five Doctor Pepper bottle caps. There were always at least two movies playing, sometimes three. Could ride the bus downtown, watch hours of movies, eat a bunch of dogs and ride the bus home, all for less than $1.50 or so.
That sounds so nice and idyllic, and not to cast asparagus, but also remember the flip side, what was the average hourly, weekly, monthly, and yearly pay and wages at the same time period?
My father’s weekly pay as the head of the university’s speech and theater department was a whopping $100 pre-tax. If we hadn’t raised chickens and planted a huge garden – and we raised literally everything – we’d have starved to death.
On the other hand, we had a radio that, when conditions were just right, could pick up Baltimore, MD, broadcasts; a huge library of books to read; popcorn we raised ourselves; and a quiet neighborhood in a semi-rural area.
It’s a shame, but it’s all built up now.
75 cents for a “kid” matinee back in the day, and my dad made about $150 a week back then.
Then again, we lived 15 miles out of town. We’d usually get dropped off and the movie and a burger afterwards was “babysitting” so my folks could have some time to themselves without worrying about us kids walking in on them.
And all y’all were excited when you saw your first “talkie” too weren’t you? 😉
I’m sure it was the bees knees….
That would be my mother you’re referring to, you know.
I began working at a nursery/garden shop about 1965 and made, I think, about $1.25 – $1.50 an hour. Twelve hour workdays slinging bales of pine needles, lime, fertilizer. I really enjoyed the work and was grateful to have a job.
And before someone shows up to defend the POTUS he considers the most “hardline and effective in the fight against Islamic extremists and terrorists” in history – yes, I know that Nero’s involvement in Rome’s great fire of 64AD is unclear historically, and may be apocryphal; that it is unclear whether Tacitus’ account of him playing the lyre as Rome burned is accurate; and that the fire may well have been set by others completely unconnected to Nero or might have been due to accident.
Regardless, the scene above from Quo Vadis is IMO quite an apropos metaphor for how this naive gang of neophyte naifs and immature, deluded fools called the Current Administration have handled US foreign policy – and, specifically, US policy in North Africa and the Middle East – since virtually day one.
There was an episode in which Nero did burn the slums of Rome to make room for his Golden Villa. It was a legend that was discounted until his villa was unearthed. So the story of that fire and Nero’s excesses may have some basis in reality.
Worth reading: The Great Fire of Rome, by Stephen Dando-Collins.
Other of his eminently-readable works include some truly amazing books on individual Legions of Rome. The series begins with “Caesar’s Legion”, about the Tenth legion.
That is a great series of books.. he also wrote about the rulers as well.
Next time some stank ass hippies try to claim Bush was responsible for ISIS, I’ll show them this.
Right after I throat punch them. And Lars, just for good measure.
Hey, where IS our poodle this weekend?
Another page in the growing comic book (or tragedy depending on your point of view) of Obummer’s legacy.
I have always believed Obama is an overt Muslim supporter. Be they the talking heads here who with every terrorist attack, come out of the woodwork to proclaim, “We’re not them! We are a peaceful people”. Yet it you were to ask them to use their media access to address their “non-brother” terrorists who are killing innocents on a global scale, they would decline for religious reasons. In other words, don’t look at our mosque too closely or you’ll see the money and support getting funneled back to our glorious Caliphate brothers.
Next they are in the Rose Garden where Obama genuflects to kiss their two-hole and blows the old smoke up the ill informed American ass that “These are peaceful people and we love and accept them as Americans”.
Fuck him! Just fuck him, up, down and sideways! Remember Obama, should the Caliphate come to America, or what was America, you would be one of the first on TV on your knees getting your head sliced off by these inhuman murderers you love so much. I only hope they get those big ears first and keep them as trophies. So again if my point was not clear, FUCK YOU Obama. You have set this nation back to near pre-WWII levels of readiness and left us as vulnerable as we have been in decades. So show up anytime and kiss my ass in the county square you worthless, piece of shit coward!
All good points, but I’d also add that Obama is a muzzie apologist to go along with his support. Maybe he should send Kerry to Damascus with a reset button. That worked out so well with Hillary and Russia.
Accidentally hit report comment while trying to scroll down on the tablet.
“I had worked my ass off for almost a year, risked my life, and compromised my health and personal life because I was seriously trying to come up with a plan to help the Syrian opposition that would meet with the approval of the administration, Congress, and our Arab and European allies.” Laux
So, he quit. Pardon me for not shedding a tear for Doug “Where’s-My-Binkie?” Laux but his one year of risk (we have to take his word for that, BTW) did not come with a Good Housekeeping seal of pre-approval. I’ll just leave his authoritative book of whine untouched, thanks. As for oBaMa’s decision, He wanted Assad gone badly but 2012 was an election year so I’m guessing his political advisers voted nyet. After all, the Red Line had been drawn so that was enough.
Won’t commit to action against ISIS… but I bet you that he and Mooch can throw one hell of a party with all of his Hip Hop buddies in the White House! ‘Cause being the preezy of the 57 steezy is so hard!
King Putt, the Ghettofabulous One!
The Tea Party blog says Dr Carson has info that our king is going to use ISIS threat to call off the November elections. Interesting if true.
Stay off the conspiracy blogs/sites. Those are bad for your mental health.
I second this. I had a friend develop severe, clinical paranoia after getting hooked on these sites. Stay off them.
x3 ^^^^^^
Yes. How many times did the Progs say Bush was going to call off elections?
You just can’t fix stupid.
This man is a disgrace. There is no way that he doesn’t have a narcissistic personality. He would have to in order to sleep in night with all the blood on his hands. He should be ashamed but I don’t think he has the capacity.
I think he just does not give a flying fart in Hell about any of it, Blaster. I think it’s always been that way with him.
I will be so glad when he’s gone. When is he leaving?
Less than 300 days
No surprise. Just one of many opportunities he had to weaken and/or destroy enemies of this country that he decided instead to do the thing least in our national interest. By design? Perhaps an easy conclusion to draw simply because of the consistency of it.
Whether by accident or design really doesn’t matter much – the result is the same. He has weakened this country to a point that we may never recover from the damage he caused. (No, he hardy did it on his own – he had an abundance of sycophants and enablers assisting him. Like members of Congress.)
“Looking back, Laux now says he doesn’t believe his or any other covert plan could have stopped the rise of ISIS or ended Syria’s bloody civil war. “There were no moderates,” he says.”
So what’s the story here? Oh, Laux needs money.
I believe Laux is on the sell some books-cash in train.
Yeah, but he quit his job, so he has to get some cash somehow, you know. He can’t just go on QVC and hawk Spy vs Spy costumes.
Yeah, I’m not sure why people are criticizing the President on this. There is routine condemnation on this blog of plans to arm ‘moderates’ in these conflicts because their allegiance, and those weapons, often end up at cross purposes to our interests. The plan, it seems, involved arming these sorts of groups.
If the President had done that, he’d get criticized. Seems a wee bit unfair to criticize him for saying yes AND for saying no. That’s a classic no-win scenario.
I don’t know -and I don’t think anyone knows- whether this was ultimately the right call or not, but it surely isn’t a slam-dunk case of the President obstructing US interests.
The difference is the time frame. If that plan had been put into operation four years ago, there were probably some “moderates” we could have worked with. But that ship has sailed.
The other difference is the failure of this group of naive fools to recognize the truth of the old wisdom, “In for a penny, in for a Pound,” along with, “Don’t throw good money after bad”.
While any decision to intervene in Syria is questionable (I for one would have argued it completely unnecessary, since BOTH sides were antithetical to US interests – and in fact Assad was less antithetical than the initial al Qaeda-backed rebels opposing him), this gang of idiots chose precisely the worst possible course of action. Specifically, they chose to do enough to be destabilizing – without doing enough to be decisive. Unless your aim is to cause chaos, that is generally a prescription for disaster.
At to top if off, they were warned by those in the know that something like this could happen if they pursued that course of action in 2011-2012 (it was also reasonably foreseeable to anyone with half a brain who understands the real world). Yet they chose to do it anyway.
I would not have supported a Syrian intervention in 2011 or 2012. But what this
clown KreweAdministration chose to do was even worse than doing nothing. And to make it worse, now they’re hypocritically whining about the very predictable outcome – and continuing to “throw good money after bad” (to the tune of $500+M) long after reasonable prospects for success have ended.If you’re not willing to do the job right, it’s best not to attempt the job at all.
And why would O’Bolo approve any plan that would attack his spiritual brothers and sisters?
Wait, What, a plan?
I thought there was a plan already in place for the past 35 years.
After all, former LT Kennedy Uzomba said: “I sent my plan for the WAR ON TERROR to President Reagan in 1981, where it was instantly approved by the NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL.”
Sounds like this former CIA Officer should have consulted with LT Zero before making up his *plan*.
You all remember LT Zero, right? The *Interim Brigade Commander* of the 197th at Benning.
How do we know this guy is even legit? It wouldn’t be the first time someone has claimed to be a CIA agent and people believed his bullshit. Remember Wayne Simmons? I’m not saying the current POTUS would have approved such a plan, if it existed. I’m just always questioning people when they claim shit like this now…seeing posers in the fucking shadows, I am
I am pretty far right wing but where I differ is the need to oust Asad