The reignited war in Iraq is the latest result of a long string of incompetent decisions made by President Barack Obama. His premature decision to withdraw from Iraq left a power vacuum that the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) is happy to fill.
ISIS is taking over Iraq with a speed and efficiency reminiscent of the Nazi blitzkrieg across Europe in World War II. Al Jazeera is reporting that ISIS has taken an oil refinery along with an airbase and has also seized the western Anbar town of Rutba, adding that at least 70% of Anbar province is now under the control of ISIS. In fact, ISIS now holds nearly one-third of Iraq.
And the war is spreading-Syrian Air Force jets on Tuesday attacked ISIS near the town of al-Qaim, in northwestern Iraq no more than ten miles from the Syrian border.
The US still has troops in Germany so many decades after World War II, so why did Obama not keep enough soldiers in Iraq to keep the peace? Now, America’s worst nightmare might come true – an anti-American Taliban type state in Iraq that gives shelter to America’s enemies.
Speaking on Monday, US Secretary of State John Kerry said that President Barack Obama has prepared “a range of options for Iraq.” But if history is any indicator, the Obama White House will just drop the ball again and leave the Iraqi people in the cross hairs.
The heavy lifting in the Iraq War was done by George Bush and the US military, and it takes sheer stupidity to be able to pull defeat out of the jaws of victory.
Add in his empty threat of a ‘red’ line in Syria which emboldened America’s enemies, his disastrous Obamacare roll-out, the lackluster economy after a $1 trillion stimulus package, his failed reset with Russia, the failed green initiative as exemplified by Solyndra and Obama has failure written all over his face.
Now the other shoe is about to drop. The pullout of US forces from Afghanistan is likely to achieve the same abysmal result as in Iraq.
Russia has taken note of the weakness of America’s president. The result was annexation of the Crimea. Meanwhile, China is pressing its territorial claims against smaller Asian countries. American withdrawal from the world arena has led to more upheavals and a more dangerous world.
At home, Obamacare remains unpopular. Premiums have risen for many Americans. Things will get worse when the employers’ mandate is implemented after the November Congressional elections. Obama’s promise of “if you like your doctors, you can keep it,” proved to be a lie. He wanted to reach out to Republicans. Instead he passed Obamacare without a single Republican vote.
And now he has swapped five top terrorists for one likely deserter, a move that will encourage more kidnappings and is a slap to the face for soldiers who served honorably.
Income inequality has also gone up. Minorities are worse off now than when he became president, and economic growth is poor with a low labor participation rate.
His IRS targeted conservative groups. So much for bipartisanship and healing the country. He promised better relations with allies and instead bugged the phone of world leaders.
How has America managed to elect twice a man of such breath-taking incompetence? In 2008, Obama had zero accomplishments to his name. He was a Senator for only three years before he became President. Half of the time as Senator Barack Obama, he was running for elections. Had he been white, Obama would not have been elected.
Over the past decades, liberal professors had drummed into their students that America is racist. Black people were brought over to work as slaves in the plantations. After being freed, they continued to face racial discrimination.
Race hustlers continued to bang the racist drum long after America ceased to be racist. All the while they were doing nothing to actually help struggling minorities. They were more interested in keeping African Americans angry and white liberals guilty than in solving the problems.
To get rid of their guilt, Americans were conned into voting for this unaccomplished man that they knew little of. Just as better qualified white and Asian students were pushed aside to allow lesser qualified minority students into universities, better candidates for president were set aside to elect a black man, a move Democrats knew would work.
This has resulted in America’s first affirmative action president – a man totally unqualified to hold the office. The result is what you see at home and abroad – a diminished America overseas and a broken American economy at home.
A successful businessman and author, Robert H. Lee has spent years extensively researching the history of nations for his book Saving Democracy from Suicide. (LINK: www.savingdemocracyfromsuicide.com) A self-professed Americaphile, Lee resides in Singapore with his family, but he previous lived in the United States where he went to the University of Michigan for his MBA.