Ahoy thar mateys! Today be International Talk like a pirate day. This be an open thread. So speak your piece and talk about anythin’ you wish. Just be sure and end your comment post with at least an “Aaarrr…”
Wednesday, President Obama once again telegraphed t’ ISIS what is Ahoy!posedly off t’ table. Why be we tellin’ our enemies what we will and won’t do?
“I want to be clear,” Mr. Obama said to a gymnasium full of troops at MacDill Air Force Base outside Tampa, the headquarters of the military’s Central Command, which oversees operations in the Middle East. “The American forces that have been deployed to Iraq do not and will not have a combat mission. They will support Iraqi forces on the ground as they fight for their own country against these terrorists.
“As your commander in chief,” Mr. Obama added, “I will not commit you and the rest of our armed forces to fighting another ground war in Iraq.”
Must be news t’ our fighter pilots that they aren’t on combat missions when they conduct airstrikes.
Meanwhile, White House Press Sec Josh Earnest in addressing General Dempsey and General Mattis comments:
“All they do is they misinterpret Chairman Dempsey’s testimony, and the rest of the time they essentially quote – they quote people how are either frequent critics of the president or people who supported the previous Iraq War,” Earnest said of The Post’s story. “So, the more accurate headline would be ‘Supporters of the Bush war in Iraq criticize Obama’s strategy.’”
Noah Rothman at Hot Air concludes:
It is perfectly enraging that this man would suggest that the fact that these military leaders who served their country for decades are disqualified from offering their expertise on matters martial because of that fact. It is unconvincing and juvenile for Earnest to presume that merely invoking the name Bush will serve to shut his critics up, though this threadbare trick still works on the hosts of MSNBC’s morning show. It is more than a little disturbing that this White House continues to treat this threat to national security as a political problem to be managed rather than addressed comprehensively.
Enjoy the weekend ye scallywags!
Aaarrr….
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNHShuGGtVU[/youtube]
A former fetus, the “wordsmith from nantucket” was born in Phoenix, Arizona in 1968. Adopted at birth, wordsmith grew up a military brat. He achieved his B.A. in English from the University of California, Los Angeles (graduating in the top 97% of his class), where he also competed rings for the UCLA mens gymnastics team. The events of 9/11 woke him from his political slumber and malaise. Currently a personal trainer and gymnastics coach.
The wordsmith has never been to Nantucket.