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No One Trusts Us
Townhall.com ^ | October 10, 2014 | Linda Chavez

Posted on 10/10/2014 7:54:10 AM PDT by Kaslin

It should come as no surprise that Turkey so far refuses to put boots on the ground to fight the ISIS takeover of Kobane, a beseiged Kurdish town across Turkey's border with Syria. While there is much to criticize about our erstwhile NATO ally's government, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has clearly made a calculation that he can't trust the United States -- or more accurately, that he can't trust this administration. And why should he?

The level of confusion, incompetence and lack of will President Obama has demonstrated in dealing with the multiple crises that face us in the Middle East is mind numbing. He has ordered airstrikes against ISIS, too late and too few, but he has refused to allow the military to do its job well. Without Special Forces spotters on the ground, an air campaign cannot be entirely effective.

In a remarkable breach of protocol, Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, made it clear in congressional testimony in mid-September that we should not rule out the use of U.S. ground troops, despite the president's multiple declarations that no Americans would fight this war except from the air.

The administration is asking Turkish troops to fight ISIS alongside Kurds, their traditional foes, but is unwilling to commit our troops to stand with them? We have the best-trained, most experienced fighters in the world, but we won't allow them to battle a brutal army that not only is capturing wide swaths of territory in Iraq and Syria, but also has announced its aims to bring jihad to American soil?

What Obama has shown is a willingness to draw red lines and then allow them to be crossed, as he did in Syria. He's shown himself quite adept at squandering the blood and treasure spent in Iraq by withdrawing American troops precipitously, which virtually guaranteed the collapse of the country we are now witnessing.

The president's fecklessness on this has come under increased scrutiny in recent days with the publication of a memoir by former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, who lays bare Obama's false claim that he withdrew troops because Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki wouldn't agree to let them stay. The president chose to pull out all of our troops at once rather than personally pushing for a status of forces agreement that would have kept Iraq from coming apart at the seams.

Obama has put together a shaky coalition to fight ISIS, but without American leadership -- which means our willingness to use all of the resources at our disposal -- how can we possibly hope that others will do the job we are unwilling to do?

No one, at this point, is suggesting that the United States send in battalions of fighters, but it makes no sense that we tie the military's hands behind their backs by limiting ourselves to airstrikes without the proper U.S. intelligence on the ground to make them effective. Of course, there is always the danger that once we put Special Forces and military advisers on the ground, we'll end up needing to deploy more troops. But wars cannot be won by announcing to our enemies what we cannot or will not do -- or the day on which we will withdraw, regardless of the conditions on the ground, which is what Obama has done in Afghanistan.

When asked by Bill O'Reilly this week in his much discussed interview whether our enemies fear us, Panetta said, "I think they're getting a mixed message as to whether the United States will stand by its word."

It is not only our enemies who are getting mixed messages -- which is dangerous enough. It is also our allies. Under this president, America's word is becoming worth less and less. It is easy enough to point fingers at those who should take up the fight against Islamist extremism, not least those countries and governments that have helped foster it. But when the United States cannot be counted on to fully engage the struggle, no one else will fill the vacuum.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial
KEYWORDS: isis; turkey
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1 posted on 10/10/2014 7:54:10 AM PDT by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

The one lesson the world has learned about Obola is that our friends can’t trust him and our enemies need not fear him.


2 posted on 10/10/2014 7:55:57 AM PDT by circlecity
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To: Kaslin

Nobody trusts us...and,just as importantly,nobody *fears* us.


3 posted on 10/10/2014 7:56:10 AM PDT by Gay State Conservative (Islamopobia:The Irrational Fear Of Being Beheaded)
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To: Kaslin
“I think they're getting a mixed message as to whether the United States will stand by its word.”

Will these media types stop saying people don't trust the U.S. They don't trust the Obama Administration. Neither does anyone with any intelligence.

4 posted on 10/10/2014 7:57:01 AM PDT by detective
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To: Kaslin
No one likes us-I don't know why
We may not be perfect, but heaven knows we try
But all around, even our old friends put us down
Let's drop the big one and see what happens

We give them money-but are they grateful?
No, they're spiteful and they're hateful
They don't respect us-so let's surprise them
We'll drop the big one and pulverize them

Asia's crowded and Europe's too old
Africa is far too hot
And Canada's too cold
And South America stole our name
Let's drop the big one
There’ll be no one left to blame us

We'll save Australia
Don't wanna hurt no kangaroo
We'll build an All American amusement park there
They got surfin’, too

Boom goes London and boom Paris
More room for you and more room for me
And every city the whole world round
Will just be another American town
Oh, how peaceful it will be
We'll set everybody free
You'll wear a Japanese kimono babe
And there’ll be Italian shoes for me

They all hate us anyhow
So let's drop the big one now
Let's drop the big one now
~R Newman

5 posted on 10/10/2014 7:58:14 AM PDT by PATRIOT1876
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To: Kaslin

No one will trust us ever again.

If the American people were stupid enough to elect a president who abandoned our allies and supported our (their) enemies once, then it only makes sense to think that it could happen again.

Even if the incarnation of Ronald Reagan came back to the White House, and even if every president thereafter were a Reagan clone, our (former) allies will always be reluctant to believe we won’t leave them twisting in the wind.


6 posted on 10/10/2014 7:58:31 AM PDT by Maceman
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To: Kaslin

We don’t trust us. I don’t know what my government will do next, or to whom.


7 posted on 10/10/2014 7:58:44 AM PDT by Pearls Before Swine
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To: Kaslin

They never liked us (and that’s OK) but Bill Clinton made sure they’d never respect us.

Now ... “O” has made sit so they neither TRUST or FEAR us!

What next?

They’ll show up at our borders and invade our sovereign territory UNAPPOSED .... Oh wait ... I forgot... THAT’S already happening!


8 posted on 10/10/2014 7:59:42 AM PDT by SMARTY ("When you blame others, you give up your power to change." Robert Anthony)
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To: Kaslin

I wonder if *this* was the "fascist symbol"?

9 posted on 10/10/2014 8:00:09 AM PDT by Gay State Conservative (Islamopobia:The Irrational Fear Of Being Beheaded)
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To: Kaslin
Maybe it's because too many people already know that ISIS is not a spontaneous uprising of the disaffected, but a well-funded plot by radical Gulf Arabs to destabilize the region and keep Iran off balance.

Maybe they it's because they know a few smart bombs dropped on a few houses in Doha and Riyadh would take care of ISIS more effectively than a Marine Division, whose boots would reach the ground too late to save the Senate for Obama in any event..

10 posted on 10/10/2014 8:00:38 AM PDT by Mr. Jeeves ([CTRL-GALT-DELETE])
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To: PATRIOT1876
Boom goes London and boom Paris

For the record,it's "boom goes London and boom Par-ee" ;-)

11 posted on 10/10/2014 8:01:58 AM PDT by Gay State Conservative (Islamopobia:The Irrational Fear Of Being Beheaded)
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To: Kaslin
Why would any world leader trust Obolabama and John Kerry?

Barack HUSSEIN EObola, our Lying king and his lame excuses:

There is absolutely nothing to worry about!


12 posted on 10/10/2014 8:04:43 AM PDT by Grampa Dave (I, Barrack E Obolabama support the left wing war on Ebola. Fox News and Republicans will fight me.)
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To: Kaslin
The Turks despise the Kurds.

Turkey will allow ethnic cleansing of the Kurds for now and move in and wipe out IS once the Kurdish population is cleansed.

13 posted on 10/10/2014 8:07:25 AM PDT by caltaxed
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To: Kaslin
No one should trust us as long as the purile nitwits running the country are still in charge.
14 posted on 10/10/2014 8:09:56 AM PDT by Paine in the Neck (Socialism consumes EVERYTHING)
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To: circlecity

You said it


15 posted on 10/10/2014 8:10:43 AM PDT by Kaslin (He needed the ignorant to reelect him, and he got them. Now we all have to pay the consequenses)
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To: Kaslin

Obama can’t be bothered with listening to intelligence briefings.

Here’s what’s important to him.....

“Yeah, you paid $32,000 to get into this Democrat fundraiser, but you’ll have to hand over another $32,000 check if you want me to pass you the butter.”


16 posted on 10/10/2014 8:15:13 AM PDT by blueunicorn6 ("A crack shot and a good dancer")
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To: Kaslin

I was devastated that Obama won in 2008. But what I found really frightening was his scrapping the Missile Defense Program for Poland. I was heartbroken for our Allies in the world. My fears have been reinforced over the nearly 6 years Obama has ruled. I am now fearful that voter fraud will allow Obama to continue his destruction. This cancer must be excised from the inside. Panetta is a good start, but his ulterior motive is to rehab Hillary!. There have to be SOME Dems with a conscience that will expose the fraud and let this country get back to the business of being a success. The world was much better off when America was strong.


17 posted on 10/10/2014 8:30:48 AM PDT by originalbuckeye (Moderation in temper is always a virtue; moderation in principle is always a vice. Paine)
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To: Pearls Before Swine
I don't trust the majority of US voters - for all we know they may put Hillary Clinton in charge in 2016.

Neither do I trust amnesty-pimping Linda Chavez.

Yes I am cynical.

18 posted on 10/10/2014 8:32:43 AM PDT by skeeter
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To: Gay State Conservative

I don’t trust us.

But I do fear us.

Omerica has become as dangerous as it is stupid.


19 posted on 10/10/2014 8:34:25 AM PDT by chris37 (heartless)
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To: Maceman

I do believe you are right and it goes much further than just Presidencies. We have federal agencies completely out of control who would usurp a Reagan clone in half a heartbeat so what good would it do trusting a staunch Constitutional President of the United States?
The only way our allies swing back our direction is when a serious executive branch along with a serious legislative branch cleans house from top to bottom and starts disbanding many of the more recent federal agencies created in the last sixty years.


20 posted on 10/10/2014 8:36:22 AM PDT by Ghost of SVR4 (So many are so hopelessly dependent on the government that they will fight to protect it.)
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