This is far from being just about ISIS. Now, the question is whether stopping the latter is worth a U.S. presence on the ground in Syria. I say No. Let the Saudis and Israelis stop it.
Posted on 12/22/2018 5:10:53 AM PST by reaganaut1
...
The more lasting damage will derive from the shoddy, humiliating way Mr. Trump treated the secretary and his generals on such a core military issue as deployments in Syria. Jim Mattis is not some neoconservative bent on staying in Syria for years. He is less hawkish on Syria and Iran than national security adviser John Bolton or Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Yet in deciding to withdraw all U.S. troops from Syria, Mr. Trump acted on his own impulses with little more than cursory consultation with his military advisers. Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has let it be known he wasn’t consulted at all. A month ago Gen. Dunford told Congress that Islamic State wasn’t defeated, but on Thursday Mr. Trump declared victory.
It’s one thing to advise a President and be overruled. But it undercuts the Pentagon’s authority to learn after the fact that the Commander in Chief has acted without so much as fare thee well. As Gen. Dunford’s immediate supervisor in the chain of command, Mr. Mattis must have been embarrassed as well.
This is about more than two egos, though both the general and Mr. Mattis are modest men. This is about the message Mr. Trump is sending to the men and women under their command. He is telling soldiers that he will act on uninformed impulse, after a phone conversation from a Turkish dictator, without deliberation or due respect. Mr. Trump should know that tens of thousands of his “deplorables” are in uniform or are veterans. He has stuck a finger in their eye.
Then there is the disdain his Syrian withdrawal shows for allies, especially the Kurds and Arabs in the Syrian Democratic Forces. These have been our ground forces in clearing out the Islamic State caliphate.
(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...
So let’s see,
1. Our policy is to want removal of the existing unhumanitarian regime - Basher Assad.
2. That unhumanitarian regime, the one we despise, is fighting ISIS.
3. We are fighting ISIS.
4. So we are helping our enemy, the unumanitarian regime, stay in power.
Perhaps the above is why no one bothers trying to explain to us why we should be there.
But....Saudi Arabia is sending troops in to replace ours...Hmmmm
Yes, the sons and daughters, grandsons and granddaughters of the WWJ editorial board need to be inducted into the services and put in combat units pronto. I would imagine their enthusiasm for these Mideast wars would wane significantly when they have some exposure beyond their armchairs.
[ Coulter retweeted a quote, sorry I don’t know who it was: “How is Mattis going to look those families in the eye and tell them “your son/daughter is coming home?” lolol ]
When Coulter is Right and Biting she is glorious!
obama had 4 defense secretary’s. obama wanted Hagel out as he looked to want to defeat the terrorists.
If a pussy cat gets run over in Syria after we leave, you’re going to hear about it from a howling press.
This is far from being just about ISIS. Now, the question is whether stopping the latter is worth a U.S. presence on the ground in Syria. I say No. Let the Saudis and Israelis stop it.
Is your post TRUE???? If so, hilarious!
If the no Wall Street Urinal says it was a bad play then President Trump made the right move.
[ So let’s see,
1. Our policy is to want removal of the existing unhumanitarian regime - Basher Assad.
2. That unhumanitarian regime, the one we despise, is fighting ISIS.
3. We are fighting ISIS.
4. So we are helping our enemy, the unumanitarian regime, stay in power.
Perhaps the above is why no one bothers trying to explain to us why we should be there. ]
If we learned anything in the last nearly TWO DECADES of middle east Adventurism, it is that the Middle East and creating a power Vacuum is not a very damned good thing.
Better to have a POS Bastard Tyrant in charge than a bunch of Anarchist Islamist Caliphate wanna bees Killing everyone one in sight.
Assad is loads better than any ISIS regime of terror wandering the countryside by far.
I say defund the military until the start to patrol/defend the Southern border! Screw then all.
Korea was never the enemy, it was international communism, with both China and Russia supporting Norks.
The Norks, on their own in the early 50s, couldn't have beaten a kindergarten class.
We were so superior to both China and Russia at that time, but the timing was just 5-6 years removed from WWII, and the communist/demonRATS had no will to defeat the communists from the other side of the world.
The country was war weary and got no push from the pubbies who were doing their usual hiding in the tall grass routine.
Oh, I get it. When Trump acts unilaterally to keep a campaign promise, that’s “damaging.” When a Supreme Court Justice sides with judicial activists or a RINO Senator acts unilaterally and votes against their campaign pledge, that’s “bold leadership.”
Yes, true. And verifiable, at least for now.
Trump has not been shy about his intent to leave Syria as soon as he could.
The generals must not listen at their meetings
POTUS can bomb the hell out of ISIS any time with a torrent of cruise missiles, or if declass’d, Rods from God.
I checked his twitter account and a lot of people are sending that meme to him, lol.
I agree. Now that isis has no territory and a destroyed military, the Kurds don’t need advisors on the ground. They just need air support on occasion.
He told Mattis. To wind down Syria 6 mos ago.. instead Mattis. Ramped up.
Also saw that Mattis. Wanted to run for pres in 2024... not sure about accuracy of that.
Mattis is a DEMOCRAT.. always has been.
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