The End of the Caliphate?

[Running Gator]

3 minutes ago, shiloh357 said:

No, the direct cause of ISIS was Obama's failure to have a SOFA in place before leaving Iraq, leaving our equipment behind for ISIS to commandeer,  and spending over a year ignoring his intelligence briefings that warned of their rise to power.  Obama spent several months laughing them off  as the Jay-vee team.    If we had a SOFA and enough troops in place when we left there would have been no vacuum to fill.

The only reason he went after ISIS at all was because of the massive outrage in the US over the beheading of our reporters they captured over there.   Obama laughed off their beheading and went and played golf after hearing about it.    He would never have even lifted a finger to stop ISIS until the American people got angry enough to force him to do something.    Obama is THE direct cause of ISIS becoming what it is.   In addition, he has done nothing but a lot of little pin pricks where air strikes are concerned because he doesn't want to destroy ISIS and never has wanted to destroy them.

The SOFA was never going to leave enough troops in Iraq to stop ISIS, not even under the Bush plan for it.  It is just to expensive logistically to station large numbers of troops there.  We don't have enough troops to have filed that vacuum, which is why the whole world told Bush II not to take out Sadam.  It is nothing more than petty partisan politics to lay the blame on anyone but Bush II. 

[Guest shiloh357]

1 minute ago, Out of the Shadows said:

The SOFA was never going to leave enough troops in Iraq to stop ISIS, not even under the Bush plan for it.  It is just to expensive logistically to station large numbers of troops there.  We don't have enough troops to have filed that vacuum, which is why the whole world told Bush II not to take out Sadam.  It is nothing more than petty partisan politics to lay the blame on anyone but Bush II. 

If we had a SOFA, there would not have been a vacuum in the first place and no vacuum means we would not have had ISIS to contend with, at least not in their present manifestation.  ISIS did not start off with 60,000 troops.   They would not have become what they are had we not left our equipment behind for them and had we left enough of a presence that we would have been able to take them out when they were small.    It's like in pre-holocaust Germany.  If we would have taken Hitler and Nazis out in 1936, WWII would not have happened.   If we would have taken ISIS out when they were a much smaller less armed group, we would have saved ourselves a lot of grief.

[Running Gator]

4 minutes ago, shiloh357 said:

If we had a SOFA, there would not have been a vacuum in the first place and no vacuum means we would not have had ISIS to contend with, at least not in their present manifestation.  ISIS did not start off with 60,000 troops.   They would not have become what they are had we not left our equipment behind for them and had we left enough of a presence that we would have been able to take them out when they were small.    It's like in pre-holocaust Germany.  If we would have taken Hitler and Nazis out in 1936, WWII would not have happened.   If we would have taken ISIS out when they were a much smaller less armed group, we would have saved ourselves a lot of grief.

The vacuum existed from the day Saddam lost power, not the day the US left.   The US was never able to fill the vacuum even with 160,000 plus 4 years after the invasion.   Just how many troops do you think we should have left there since 162,000 was not enough.

[ayin jade]

1 hour ago, Out of the Shadows said:

This is the problem with all those that were complaining that we were not doing enough to fight ISIS in Iraq and Syria. This was always going to be the result of running them out of those countries, but it had to be done.  Sort of funny that for years you on the right have been bashing President Obama for not doing enough and now that they are being pushed back you are still complaining and making up silly ideas.  This is why our country is falling apart, too much "us vs them" to where nothing can be taken in a good light if it helps "the other side".   Our form of government cannot survive in a divided, no compromise environment.   We are a much bigger threat to ourselves than ISIS could ever be.  

Hmmm are you turning your post into an "us versus them" commentary? Because you just lumped "foolish" people on the right with those who are not you. 

[ayin jade]

1 hour ago, Out of the Shadows said:

Why can't you as a level headed, open minded person give some credit and be happy about what should come as good news?  It is this very attitude that is pull our country apart. 

What did obama do in this instance that is worth giving him some credit for? I missed it.

[other one]

4 minutes ago, ayin jade said:

What did obama do in this instance that is worth giving him some credit for? I missed it.

Putin had more to do with IS being hurt than Obama.

[Running Gator]

40 minutes ago, ayin jade said:

What did obama do in this instance that is worth giving him some credit for? I missed it.

As of yesterday the US has flown over 13,000 sorties against ISIS.  In those we have destroyed over 300 vehicles, more than 7000 buildings, more than 1000 staging areas, more than 7000 fighting positions and over 1000 pieces of oil equipment and countless members of ISIS.   As well as over 50,000 other sorties in support of the fight against ISIS

Edited July 14, 2016 by Out of the Shadows