Obama knows Mideast war is Kryptonite for US superpower

[Ulysses G.]

Do you think those nutty rants convert anyone who does not already get their
"news" directly from the Huffington Post?

Edited October 10, 2014 by Ulysses G.

[sgtsabai]

Like I said, I don't care, I'm not trying to convert anybody, especially people like you that have closed their mind to the truth. BTW Hufington Post is not a left wing rag, more middle of the road and I don't subscribe to it. I would hazard a guess you don't either, too scared.

[Ulysses G.]

I don't subscribe to it, but I read it. I read all kinds of stuff. From reading your posts, I'm not surprised that the Huffington Post is not far left enough for you. I would have pegged you as an alternut alternet kind of guy.

I do agree with you on the Kurds though.

Edited October 10, 2014 by Ulysses G.

[sgtsabai]

Hey, good to hear that. Yep, do subscribe to Alternet, again not a really left wing rag. The truth is where you find it. I'm no "liberal" panty waist, not a turn the other cheek pacifist, by any means. The Kurds deserve our protection, our help and our petro-dollars. While I've never been "boots on the ground" in the mid-east, mine was much earlier not too far from here, I've talked to many that have, and have worked with the Kurds. All say good people deserving of our help. IS will never be defeated without "boots on the ground". Sometimes I wonder if the US really wants it completely defeated, sure doesn't look like it.

[Chicog]

Do any of you Obama critics even know what the "I's" stand for in ISIL and ISIS?

Your hero is the one who does not seem to grasp that concept.

Sorry, I didn't think I needed to explain that the whole shebang started in Iraq once Saddam was unnecessarily removed.

[confused american 48]

i am not a politician but i am american who has traveled around the world and i think that these other countries should handle there own stuff if we spent just 10% of the money spent on other countries on our own country we would be a great country and any one who has traveled around the world now,s the us is not number one now its sad the rich send our companies and our work to where they get it done dirt cheap and we train all these other countries pay them to come here to learn to train then we sit around watch them grow as we fail as a country if the rich spent there money here brought home our companies jobs we would be the best the strongest but this is a control issue over natural gas oil money its not about whats right or wrong they will keep it up until god comes back and the angles take there wings and swing the trash out and then every one will be happy and dead

[Chicog]

i am not a politician but i am american who has traveled around the world and i think that these other countries should handle there own stuff if we spent just 10% of the money spent on other countries on our own country we would be a great country and any one who has traveled around the world now,s the us is not number one now its sad the rich send our companies and our work to where they get it done dirt cheap and we train all these other countries pay them to come here to learn to train then we sit around watch them grow as we fail as a country if the rich spent there money here brought home our companies jobs we would be the best the strongest but this is a control issue over natural gas oil money its not about whats right or wrong they will keep it up until god comes back and the angles take there wings and swing the trash out and then every one will be happy and dead

I think your period key is broken.

[Scott]

I think Iraq, Turkey, Syria (or what's left of it) and Iran would have a real problem with an independent Kurdistan.

[sgtsabai]

I think you are right Scott. In fact I think they fear an independent Kurdistan greatly, hence Turkey literally sitting and watching a vastly outnumbered Kurd force fighting a loosing battle when all they have to do is start engines and roll. Turkey will pay a price and already violence has erupted inside Turkey. Their help could have helped cement the shaky 2 yr. peace in effect.

[pkspeaker]

rathe than sending in ground forces and another 10 years of dead american soldiers everyday and american war crimes everyday.. just end the airstrikes and 'let' the IS take the Sunni parts of Iraq (including western Baghdad) and the riverbank towns in Syria..then they can just fight it out with shiite militia's in Iraq and Assad's regime in Syria. If they keep fighting to a stalemate they can eventually have ceasefire lines as that always happens in civil wars.. I see no reason why these Shiite led regimes should forcefully occupy Sunni areas. the gulf states and Turkey are the giving them(sunni islamic militants) arms and there is no way to stop them from doing that but ; giving them shoulder launched SAM's and sophisticated anti-tank weapons .. These weapons can be used in terrorism.. I just saw a video of IS in Iraq using a guided missile to to destroy a US made and provided tank in western Iraq.. They definitely got those from the weapons being provided to the Syrian rebels by the US and it's allies because they didn't have those when the US military was there.

Under the old system there was a balance of power; prior to the US overthrow of the Saddam Hussain secular baathest regime, Iraq was a majority Shiite country with a Sunni president and with Sunni hands on the levers of power.. The regime tried to be inclusive to minorities and shiites by throwing them bones here and there.. IE there were shiites in Saddam's cabinet and in some key military positions.

Syria was the opposite, majority Sunni but Assad's secular baathest regime was Shiite(alawite) led. He keeps Sunni's in some key positions ie most of Syria's airforce pilots are Sunni's.

Once the Saddam regime was overthrown, the US started presuring Assad to not let his riverbank Sunni people help the Sunni's that were fighting the american occupation (or else!) So Assad became a defacto US ally already since he was fighting the insurgents with the US when they were still occupying iraq..

So now the model is broken and both shiite regimes have lost the Sunni's, they don't have the manpower and the will to pacify these Sunni area's and another american invasion to do the job is out of the question especially since this time they would have to battle double the Sunni's and clash with the Assad regime and Hezbollah..forget it.. the place is broke and it's time to let it go like they did in Vietnam in 1973.

[Chicog]

I just saw a video of IS in Iraq using a guided missile to to destroy a US made and provided tank in western Iraq.. They definitely got those from the weapons being provided to the Syrian rebels by the US and it's allies because they didn't have those when the US military was there.

Why do you say that?

They've captured plenty of American-supplied Iraqi weapons.

[pkspeaker]

The US was not supplying the iraqi military with portable guided anti-tank missiles, that is a guerrilla warfare type weapon; why would the US sell that to a state that is full of rogue units? The US provided the iraqi military with tanks and armored vehicles so it could defend borders and fight insurgencies.

It has been reported that qatar and turkey were giving those to the syrian rebels so they could counter Assad's conventional army, IS now has them and is using them in iraq.

Edited October 11, 2014 by pkspeaker