Ramadi appears about to fall…
…and the Obama administration says it doesn’t matter much:
…Ramadi’s looming collapse has long been predictable. After all, it’s not exactly a secret that ISIS wants to control the arterial roads that connect central Syria with central Iraq (if you want to see the strategic importance of those highways, just look on Google maps). Neither is it a secret that ISIS wants to dominate the Euphrates river from northern Syria into central Iraq. Or that it wants to dismember the governance structures in Anbar province. Its strategy is vested in the domination of territory and the appropriation of Sunni populations under its banner…
The simple fact is that if Ramadi collapses, the Islamic State will symbolically and physically crown itself the ruler of Anbar. Propaganda being central to its strategic narrative ”” that which it uses to gain resources and recruits ”” the seizure of Ramadi would be an extraordinary victory. It would also be an extraordinary defeat for the struggling Iraqi government…
It is for these reasons that the administration’s downplaying of Ramadi’s significance is so galling. While General Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has long been advising President Obama for more comprehensive action against the Islamic State, he’s wrong to suggest that Ramadi isn’t that important. It most certainly is. We should have been supporting (as I explained here) the Anbar tribes with military support and political empowerment for months now. But there’s also an American moral issue at stake here. A better future for Ramadi ”” that which it had before the Islamic State’s rise ”” was built with American sweat and blood. It was in Anbar that Marines fought so valiantly and so successfully to win the Sunni tribes to their side, and together crush al-Qaeda in Iraq.
But Tom Rogan, author of the above, is speaking to an administration that is deaf to his plea. It’s not that they don’t understand it, it’s that they (a) don’t much care; (b) are completely unwilling to commit to any action that would have a good chance of changing things, since it would be neither politically expedient nor in line with their philosophy; and (c) know that, except for the right, most Americans have accepted the narrative that it’s all Bush and the Republicans’ fault, so Obama and the Democrats won’t be left holding the bag.
The left’s plan to make Iraq into another Vietnam has succeeded. One big difference, though, is that although the fall of Vietnam to the Communists caused widespread suffering and bloodshed in that region of the world, and undermined our worldwide reputation for being able to follow through and win a lasting victory and lasting peace, the winners in Vietnam were not planning to come to America soon and commit mass murder here. ISIS is.
General Martin Dempsey.
His military service to his country is appreciated.
However, he has become a political tool for the Obama administration:
1.) He led the investigation of Benghazi. He never interviewed Hillary Clinton. A simply inexcusable element to that investigation.
2.) He was advised by three of Beau Bergdahl’s team members in Afghanistan just months after Bergdahl deserted. General Dempsey acknowledged at that time he was fully aware of Bergdahl’s behavior.
Fast forward to one year ago, Dempsey was reported to be making claims that he was not aware of what had occurred in that case. He allowed Obama to fashion the narrative that Bergdahl “served his country with honor and distinction”.
Dempsey stalled on the investigation and the release of their findings. The investigation concluded in October, 2014. Dempsey waited until last month to announce what the military’s investigation found.
Dempsey has now used his position and his years of service to help Obama LIE about Benghazi and the Beau Bergdahl case.
“Dempsey has now used his position and his years of service to help Obama LIE”
Just so, which makes the assertion that Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, “has long been advising President Obama for more comprehensive action against the Islamic State” patently untrue. And that Dempsey suggests that Ramadi isn’t that important is a bald faced LIE. The entire upper echelon of the US Military is guilty of violating their oaths, which makes them not only unfit for office but arguably, treasonous as well.
Had they ANY honor, they’d all resign, stating that they could not serve this President and simultaneously fulfill their oaths. Once private citizens, they’d issue public statements, telling the American public just how traitorous is this administration.
For a brief period the military was the last remaining institution with a hint of sanity. Big business, academia, the news and entertainment industries were long ago lost. But after six plus years of an Obama administration the military has also been compromised. Any senior leaders not in lockstep with this administration have long since resigned or been pushed into positions without influence. GB is correct that a mass resignation is the proper course here. But they are men without honor and that will not happen.
The HELL that has become Iraq, Yemen and Syria could have been prevented by maintaining our muscular presence in Iraq. Lessons of the Past: Germany, Japan, S.Korea.
His scrawny infantile majesty abandoned/retreated from that hard won VICTORY and is fully responsible for the horror which has followed. Predictable by anyone with a brain.
NeoConScum,
In Foreign Policy magazine, Ali Khedery, perhaps the longest serving US official from Operation Iraqi Freedom, attributes (link) the regression of Iraq since Bush left office to decisions by Obama from the outset in 2009, including the pull-out in 2011.
In Foreign Affairs magazine, Rick Brennan, a senior advisor in Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2006 to 2011, describes (link) “the bungling of the Iraq exit” by Obama.
In Politico, Emma Sky, another senior advisor in Operation Iraqi Freedom, laments (link) the progress and opportunities lost in Iraq due to Obama’s sharp deviation from Bush with an approach that favored Iran’s encroachment in Iraq.
Neo: “except for the right, most Americans have accepted the narrative that it’s all Bush and the Republicans’ fault, so Obama and the Democrats won’t be left holding the bag”
A few Right-side pundits, such as Jonah Goldberg, have shown a willingness to adopt the prevailing Left narrative of OIF to try to tag Hillary Clinton with the stigma, which is shortsighted, because stipulation of the Left narrative of OIF will always redound on Bush and the Republicans.
Well, you see Obama’s military and naval forces are too busy.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/mar/25/sailors-leaving-navy-over-stress-on-social-issues-/
They’re fundamentally transforming.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/04/16/army-survey-morale/24897455/
“Army morale low despite 6-year, $287M optimism program”
Optimism program! Shiny object! Look, over there!
Where are these moderate Democrats again that are supposed to be our saviors, those white in snow innocent ones.
Eric: Yep, yep and yep.
The loathsome one, as recently as a week or so ago, layed it—dduuuuuuuhhhhhhhh—at President Bush’s feet. A ***king coward, both moral and physical, that’s our pathetic prezzy.
“If history has taught us anything, it is that WEAKNESS IS PROVOCATIVE.” Rummy & Cheney.
“Peace in our time.” Chamberlain and Obama.
OT but definitely worth passing on to All and Sundry — Smithsonian Magazine has an article about the savage Japanese reprisal against the Chinese after the “30 Seconds Over Tokyo” Doolittle raid:
http://preview.tinyurl.com/o4g8g46
They slaughtered 250,000 Chinese civilians. More than the combined total killed by both the atom bombs.
Iraq, Libya, Egypt, Syria, Ukraine, … follow the trail of bloodletting.
I doubt ISIS is planning on hitting the Midwest.
All the juiciest targets are in blue states; which is fine, since those are the people who need to be taught a lesson.
Matt_SE:
Hey, gotta crack a few eggs to make an omelet, right?
Of course, everyone in a blue state deserves to be blown to kingdom come—at least, that’s how I read your remark.
I hope you understand that your remark about people in blue states indicates that you may be on the way to becoming what you hate the most. And if you were joking, it’s really not a funny joke, so please desist.
NCS & Eric,
I’ve enjoyed using the hard fact on Lib colleagues & friends that fewer (by far) Americans had been killed in Iraq during the year prior to Mr. Obama’s 1st Inaugural than were killed in his adopted Liberal ‘Poster City’ of Chicago. And, the latter were(and are)mostly black by blacks. Remember those millions of Voting Purple Fingers? The hundreds of newspapers and other free expression pulications growing in the growing free country maintaining stability with our warriors? Our engineers even restored the treasured lands of the Marsh Arabs which Saddam had destroyed. Women—Repeat: WOMEN—were free to vote, write, express, etc.
Then, Oh Lucky-Blessed Iraiquis, Obama abandoned-retreated-betrayed our warriors and all Iraquis.
Beverly…
If you read all the way through… the writer conflates the Japanese atrocities that were committed nine-months later with the Tokyo raid.
BTW, in case you didn’t know, Japan went FAR MORE VICIOUS after American B-29 raids began from China.
Tokyo launched “Operation Go” … which displaced the Chinese national government hundreds of miles and caused at least 200,000,000 Chinese to fall into the arms of the Imperial Japanese Army.
Thereafter a wholesale blood letting that eclipsed the holocaust was visited upon the hapless Chinese citizenry.
Whereas feral warfare, by German troops, was dominated by the SS, ( not as if the Heer wasn’t guilty as Hell ) in the case of the IJA –EVERY single outfit fought with feral rules of conduct.
Did you know that the one stipulation that Percival obtained when he surrendered Singapore was that the Japanese ARMY would not occupy Singapore? Yamashita agreed. Instead, the Japanese (military) POLICE would occupy Singapore.
The horrors of Hong Kong had swept through Singapore and were a huge reason why Percival surrendered on the basis of keeping the IJA (regular) troops out.
You can watch a million video histories and never discover that this side deal was made.
This side deal also explains why the British forces had to leave Singapore, proper, to surrender themselves… why there was no IJA victory parade through downtown Singapore… etc.
&&&&&
The larger reason for the Japanese actions was their version of Lebensraum, for Tokyo’s long term objective was the liquidation of the Chinese elites, serfdom for the rest.
They had this scheme rolling along long before Adolf Hitler adopted it for Poland.
Even Adolf was impressed by the rape of Nanking. Prior to that moment genocide was not considered a national policy option.
When the West didn’t ‘kick’ over the Japanese super slaughter, Adolf got to thinking….
&&&&&&
One last coda: the Japanese revenge atrocities were hugely stimulated by the realization that their war was lost, for the IJN had been destroyed at Midway.
BTW, did you know that the IJN didn’t tell the Tojo administration that they’d lost the fleet until five weeks later?
It was at that time German diplomats wanted the Japanese version of events — “Were these NY Times articles really true?”
Beverly…
Other tid bits:
The Chinese high command was deemed penetrated by the Japanese — one way or another. It’s not as if Tokyo didn’t have enough hostages to toy with.
Beyond that, the ENTIRE raid was super-secret — even from American military officials. It was, as you probably guessed, specifically conjured up by FDR and his White House (NSC) staff.
Its purpose was to provoke the IJ Navy into a strike eastwards against the USN… so that its carriers could be destroyed.
It was already obvious (radio intercepts) that the IJN carriers travelled separately from the main battleship fleet. Hence, the way was open to provoke a carrier-only strike that could be met by an American carrier-only strike. Such a battle was the ONLY naval battle that the USN was prepared to fight in the Summer of ’42.
Against all odds — the provocation — and the battle — came off — both better than the NSC ever hoped.
Had it not worked so well, the Dolittle raid would have been branded the the raid that did little: 16 brand new medium bombers thrown to the wind — with elite crews, to boot!
No military man could authorize such a gamble. It came straight from the President’s desk. This last aspect is usually slipped on by in all video histories.
Again, we see how TV and other mass media are totally warping our history — even without ayatollah Soetoro’s thumb on the scale.