Obama: 'We underestimated IS'

[webfact]

US President Barack Obama admits US underestimated the Islamic State

WASHINGTON: -- PRESIDENT Barack Obama acknowledged that US intelligence agencies underestimated the threat from Islamic State militants and over-estimated the ability and will of Iraq’s army to fight.

Obama described the US intelligence assessments in response to a question during a CBS 60 Minutes interview. He was asked about how Islamic State fighters had come to control so much territory in Syria and Iraq and whether it was a surprise to him.

The president said that during the Iraq war, US military forces with the help of Iraq’s Sunni tribes were able to quash al-Qaeda fighters, who went “back underground”.

“During the chaos of the Syrian civil war, where essentially you have huge swathes of the country that are completely ungoverned, they were able to reconstitute themselves and take advantage of that chaos,” Obama said, according to an excerpt released before the show aired.

He noted that his director of national intelligence, James Clapper, has acknowledged that the US “underestimated what had been taking place in Syria.” Obama also said it was “absolutely true” that the US over-estimated the ability and will of the Iraqi army.

Full story: http://www.news.com.au/world/us-president-barack-obama-admits-us-underestimated-the-islamic-state/story-fndir2ev-1227073469276


-- News.com.au 2014-09-29

[BATHIK]

No problem, happens all the time, but it's foolish to expect that they won't make similar mistakes in the future or are not making them right now.

People love certainty, though, and consider weighed hesitation as weakness and lack of commitment to go all in in any particular direction as indecisiveness.

Lessons are not learned, memories are short, and so it goes on and on in circles, worse if it's solely for the sake of looking good in the press.

[Krataiboy]

No problem, happens all the time, but it's foolish to expect that they won't make similar mistakes in the future or are not making them right now.

People love certainty, though, and consider weighed hesitation as weakness and lack of commitment to go all in in any particular direction as indecisiveness.

Lessons are not learned, memories are short, and so it goes on and on in circles, worse if it's solely for the sake of looking good in the press.

Wow - an apologist for an apologist. That's real barrel-scraping.

[Emster23]

NSA wastes time & money, alienates allies bugging everyone and their dog, yet somehow misses this.... So much for intelligence agencies. Right up there with CIA caught unawares when Iranian revolution hit.

[pkspeaker]

What was also overestimated was obama's integrity.. he was elected saying he would get out of iraq, slamming GWB for getting into iraq because he didn't like the regime there, now obama says we will get back into iraq because he doesn't like the regime in the sunni parts of it.. he says 'IS' is too 'brutal' , the same excuse GWB made, saying Saddam was too brutl with his murder and torture of these islamic militants that the US spent trillions and 5000 dead fighting.. Iraq will never have a positive outcome so why keep delaying the inevitable.. iraq's shiites are aligned with iran and the Sunni's hate the US for all the death and destruction they caused, and fo throwing them out of power, so why stay in a never ending war that cannot be won?

[ggt]

This is damage control...pure and simple...his military advisors had to finally get on national TV...to tell the world and the US public...how dangerous ISIS really was...and that the commander-in-chief...was refusing to act on a problem that was threatening the Middle East and eventually the world...

Obama is a career politician...had almost no experience in world affairs when he came to office...his worldview is immature, un-sophisticated, lacking the reasoning of a seasoned leader...

Thankfully he has a few leaders who have the balls to tell the world what is going on...and even more thankfully...his time in office will soon be over...

[Dimpys Dad]

Underestimated ISIS he says...now say Duh!

[Ulysses G.]

Thankfully he has a few leaders who have the balls to tell the world what is going on...and even more thankfully...his time in office will soon be over...

Two years is a long time with the world in the shape it in now. The Brits were able to dump Neville Chamberlain in WW 2 and put a real leader - Winston Churchill - in his place. Americans don't have that option.

Edited September 29, 2014 by Ulysses G.

[khaowong1]

These Islamic nut jobs have got to be made to understand that the rest of the world is not going to put up with their bullshit.

[beechguy]

The Americans underestimated how big of an idiot, Barrack is.

It's pretty evident when you work in some of these places, that nothing is going to happen unless you stay involved and keep the pressure on.

Edited September 29, 2014 by beechguy

[ClutchClark]

I remember when Bush spokesman told the World that the cost to remove Saddam would be as little as "one bullet".

The US has a great history of under-estimating threat and its often misrepresented intentionally.

[beechguy]

I remember when Bush spokesman told the World that the cost to remove Saddam would be as little as "one bullet".

The US has a great history of under-estimating threat and its often misrepresented intentionally.

Actually I think they were right, just as it wouldn't have taken much to get rid of Osama, if someone would have had the guts to give the order at the right time.

[ABCer]

Underestimated: Vietnam , Cuba, Afghans, Iraq, Iran +++. Maybe simply Overestimated USA?

[ClutchClark]

I remember when Bush spokesman told the World that the cost to remove Saddam would be as little as "one bullet".

The US has a great history of under-estimating threat and its often misrepresented intentionally.

Actually I think they were right, just as it wouldn't have taken much to get rid of Osama, if someone would have had the guts to give the order at the right time.

Umm...hasn't the last 12 years of iraqi War costs since Ari made the "one bullet" statement effectively disproved that argument?

[beechguy]

I remember when Bush spokesman told the World that the cost to remove Saddam would be as little as "one bullet".

The US has a great history of under-estimating threat and its often misrepresented intentionally.

Actually I think they were right, just as it wouldn't have taken much to get rid of Osama, if someone would have had the guts to give the order at the right time.

Umm...hasn't the last 12 years of iraqi War costs since Ari made the "one bullet" statement effectively disproved that argument?

I suppose I substituted could for would. Also, when venturing into the past, I find it interesting that people called Bush a liar for saying there were WMD's, but not Clinton. Just my opinion, I think there were some, perhaps made it to Syria or someplace. I know when I was in Kuwait(1998), there was concern Sadam would try to cross the border again. Again, in 2002, 2003 before the invasion, we were given MOPP Gear and Anthrax shots while I was in Bahrain, so I think someone had concerns. As to the strategy, I think we had already paid the biggest part of the price, and we just needed to stay and apply pressure to the Iraq's, Obama gave it away for us to start all over again.

Edited September 29, 2014 by beechguy

[wandasloan]

I don't see in the story where he says "we". That's an invention of the headline writer. It seems to be "you" and "them". He's pretty famous for switching between "I-me-my" and "they-them" depending on whether it's good news or bad. "We" isn't usually in his vocabulary, and it certainly isn't used in this story. Nor did he use it in his cringe-worthy 60 Minutes interview. It's an invention of the Thai Visa headline writer.

[Ulysses G.]

Obama did not say "we". He blamed it on James Clapper.

[Seastallion]

Overestimated the Iraqi army.

In other words, it's not America that failed, but Iraq.

Of course. America never fails. It's always someone else's fault.

[Seastallion]

I don't see in the story where he says "we". That's an invention of the headline writer. It seems to be "you" and "them". He's pretty famous for switching between "I-me-my" and "they-them" depending on whether it's good news or bad. "We" isn't usually in his vocabulary, and it certainly isn't used in this story. Nor did he use it in his cringe-worthy 60 Minutes interview. It's an invention of the Thai Visa headline writer.

" has acknowledged that the US “underestimated what had been taking place in Syria.” Obama also said it was “absolutely true” that the US over-estimated the ability and will of the Iraqi army"

He talks about the US; "we" is a valid paraphrase.

[iancnx]

*Deleted post edited out*

Please don't forget the Horn of Africa, Sudan and North Africa..... We will be hearing much much more about these regions in the years to come.

[pitrevie]

This is damage control...pure and simple...his military advisors had to finally get on national TV...to tell the world and the US public...how dangerous ISIS really was...and that the commander-in-chief...was refusing to act on a problem that was threatening the Middle East and eventually the world...

Obama is a career politician...had almost no experience in world affairs when he came to office...his worldview is immature, un-sophisticated, lacking the reasoning of a seasoned leader...

Thankfully he has a few leaders who have the balls to tell the world what is going on...and even more thankfully...his time in office will soon be over...

No experience in world affairs, perhaps like GWB. Then go back to Reagan what experience did he have in world affairs. Lest we forget we almost got Palin, oh I forgot she could see Russia from her house.

A career politician, I guess there have been so few of those in the White House.

[MilesofSmiles]

Nuke 'em.

How uppity will OilWellIstan get?

China and Russia have domestic problems with Muslim violence, and are hardly going to be sympathetic.

[hhfarang]

It's funny how flickle many (if not most) of you are. I remember a few years ago when a thread came up about Obama if there were a couple of detractors (usually American) they got torn apart and the praises of Obama were sung by nearly all the TV members from other countries and many left leaning Americans.

Now, you all know him for what he is... an incompetent, lying, blaming everyone, never taking personal responsibility, waste of space in the oval office or on the golf course, even much of his base and one time staunch supporters are turning on him.

Summary; never elect a President to set a precedent... not because he is black or Latino, female or the first alien President. Elect the President on his competency and experience to run the country. Obama had and still has neither.

[Ulysses G.]

Too many of us bought that “a uniter, not a divider" crap.

Edited September 30, 2014 by Ulysses G.

[pitrevie]

It's funny how flickle many (if not most) of you are. I remember a few years ago when a thread came up about Obama if there were a couple of detractors (usually American) they got torn apart and the praises of Obama were sung by nearly all the TV members from other countries and many left leaning Americans.

Now, you all know him for what he is... an incompetent, lying, blaming everyone, never taking personal responsibility, waste of space in the oval office or on the golf course, even much of his base and one time staunch supporters are turning on him.

Summary; never elect a President to set a precedent... not because he is black or Latino, female or the first alien President. Elect the President on his competency and experience to run the country. Obama had and still has neither.

How long did it take Obama to get Bid Laden and good old competent George had the best part of 8 years. Then when good old competent George left office the country was in financial meltdown with the GOP candidate for President McCain having to interrupt his electioneering for president to scurry back to Washington and find a solution to the mess the country was in.

Obama is still trying to extricate the USA from the mess that good old competent George and that idiot of a VP got embroiled in looking for weapons that never existed, costing trillions of dollars and several thousand allied lives and we are still up to our neck in it as a result of that.

That along with having to deal with a congress dominated by the nuts in the Tea Party.

[Scott]

Off-topic posts and replies deleted.

[ClutchClark]

Having trouble posting this video:

It must have been a very windy day when this apple fell from the tree--or maybe it rolled down a hill?

[umbanda]

Well....ALL will know what a REAL politician will do for the US and the World very soon.....HILLARY CLINTON will be the next US President and she will have the BALLS to start World War 3.....Thanks God...Nobody can force me to vote for HER or ANYBODY in the US anymore!...... and Thanks God I am living in Thailand....

Edited September 30, 2014 by umbanda

[ClutchClark]

Well....ALL will know what a REAL politician will do for the US and the World very soon.....HILLARY CLINTON will be the next US President and she will have the BALLS to start World War 3.....Thanks God...Nobody can force me to vote for HER or ANYBODY in the US anymore!...... and Thanks God I am living in Thailand....

Even if you were still in the US nobody could force you to vote...and if WWIII starts then you will have to move farther away than Thailand to avoid it ;-)