The Left's Iraq Problem

Who are we to believe?  Before the Obama administration pulled all the troops out of Iraq against the recommendations of his military commanders Vice President Joe Biden proclaimed Iraq one of the administration's biggest successes.  In answering a question on the O'Reilly Factor about Obama and Putin Liberal commentator Kirsten Powers referred to Iraq as the biggest blunder in U.S. history.  Did she know about Biden's remarks?  Does she think he is wrong on every foreign policy question of the past twenty years as many others do?  Does she acknowledge that Iraq was relatively stable in 2008-2011 until out troops were gone?  Does she think WWII was an even bigger blunder?  Many millions killed and turned two enemies into allies.  Only turned Iraq into allie before abandoning it to Iran, al-Qaeda etc.

Following From Behind

President Obama's foreign policy has been a muddled mess from the day he gave his hollow Cairo speech.  it continued throughout his first term with the failed reset of relations with Russia, the sort of intervention in Libya and capped with the complete pull out from Iraq.  His second term promises to be just as bad with phony deals with Syria and Iran, a supposed pull out from Afghanistan and rumblings from China.  None of this adds up to leading, not even from behind, this is following the path of least resistance that leads nowhere good.

OIF: Sources?

Starting to read "Tell Me How This Ends" about the the surge in Iraq 2007-2008. Author recounts an NSA meeting of 2003 using CIA Station Chief/Baghdad as the source.  He have given completely accurate account, but did he?  Couldn't talk to anyone else?  Will a transcript ever be available?

Iran "Vive la France?"

There are conflicting reports, but there is a narrative that Sec. of State John Kerry and the U.S. administration was ready to sign on to what the French foreign minister called "a sucker deal."  I am hard pressed to find a lot of area agreement between myself and the French government so it gives me pause when it is reported it was only the French that stood against a deal that pretty much would have ensured Iran completed its nuclear weapons program AND get relief from economic sanctions.

What is the state of diplomatic relationships among U.S., Israel and France that only at the eleventh hour did this sucker deal unravel?  Shouldn't the parties have had all their ducks in a row before negotiating about WMD?  At best, this would have been like the agreement Bush admin tried so hard to get with North Korea.  When did they stop their WMD program? Oh, that's right they didn't, they have a few nukes.

Home Front: Jihad

"Jihad in America" documentary by Steve Emerson.  Influence of Muslim Brotherhood in U.S.   Gov. since Clinton Admin or earlier has been taken in by militant Islamist groups posing as civil rights and benign religious groups.

Trading Strategy for Tactics

President pulled all the troops out of Iraq and now it is being torn down by al-Qaeda terrorists and Iran-backed Shiite terrorists.  The troops are being pulled out of Afghanistan as the Taliban and al-Qaeda licks their chops.  Are we supposed to not notice these historic strategic blunders because we are being treated sexy commando raids?  Over the weekend Army SF and Navy SEALs conducted raids, the former team captured a long-wanted al-Qaeda terrorists who was involved in the 1998 African embassy attacks.  The latter raided a sea-side terrorist safe house in Somalia targeting the man who planned the recent massacre a the Westgate mall in Kenya.  Counterterrorist raids like these should certainly be a part of the GWOT, but a series of tactical strikes, whether conducted by drones, or SF, is not a winning strategy.  However, it seems to be the strategy of least resistance and coincides with "Lead From Behind," President Obama's so called-doctrine.

Iran: Lately of the Axis of Evil

The question is: Does the Obama administration really believe a different Iranian president means Iran is now willing to reverse more than 15 years of stated policy ,shutter dozens of facilities and flush the billions of dollars it has invested in its nuclear weapons program?  It really believes this or it is cynically and fearfully pretending this is the case so it can allow Iran to run out the clock.  If the U.S. and Iran are "negotiating" some worthless piece of paper to achieve peace on our time, Israel would be under enormous pressure to not attack Iran's facilities and so implicitly accept a nuclear Iran.

Another question is: Will Israel go along with this charade?  If we believe Israel's rhetoric it can not afford to allow it and considers it an existential threat.  If it does not act at some point what are we to make of this?  Was the rhetoric overblown in the first place?  Can Israel, the Middle East and the West live with an Iranian bomb?  Unfortunately we are probably going to find out soon enough.