Obama's ISIS Speech-- A Waste of Air

Hey, don't worry about those ISIS fellows. The self-canonized St. Obama will save us all. It's just like how he was going to make us all rich.

Obama took a brief respite from his grueling golf schedule today to gift us with a speech on the guys who are butchering people across Syria and Iraq. Arab Spring anyone?

 Obama had nothing to say except things are getting better domestically (uh-huh, that's why we have the greatest number of long-term unemployed in American history, just basking in the economic glory), and everything else isn't my fault but it'll be fine. What leadership...

Tom Rogan at the NRO succinctly sums up the weaknesses in Obama's speech.

From his NRO article:

It [Obama's speech] had four key substantive failures. 

First, adopting U.S. strategy in Somalia and Yemen as a guide for action against ISIS doesn’t make sense. The situations in Yemen and Somalia are hardly inspiring. From Yemen, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula constitutes a major threat to the West. Similarly, in Somalia, while al-Shabaab has suffered some notable losses, the group retains a significant regional capability (as illustrated by the Westgate Mall attack). Because of its military assets, internationally destabilizing influence, and expansionist ideology, ISIS must be confronted with a strategy that is more encompassing than that in Somalia and Yemen. 

Second, the president’s speech provides further evidence of his administration’s confusion over the connected power and potential of U.S. leadership. Referencing Arab support, Mr. Obama erred when he noted the limits of U.S. power to effect regional political stability. While this statement is true, to the Sunni Arab monarchies who regard Obama’s foreign policy with thinly veiled disdain, it will suggest another marker of hesitation. That’s a major issue — because unless the United States can persuade these states to coalesce around American strategy, they will continue to support Sunni extremists in Syria. After all, these leaders regard their primary threat as Iran, not ISIS. 

Third, the president failed to provide specifics on what contributions his coalition partners will provide to the counter-ISIS effort. As I noted on Monday, coalitions are complicated. By exaggerating tangible international support — the president’s hopeful mention of U.N. engagement was especially absurd — Mr. Obama has invited expectations he cannot meet. He’s weakened his credibility with the American people. 

But the most problematic element of Mr. Obama’s speech was, fourth, his statement that “American forces will not have a combat mission — we will not get dragged into another ground war in Iraq.” While there is little public or congressional support for a major ground operation against ISIS, the president, by explicitly ruling out any ground troops, has eliminated his critical Special Operations portfolio. This is cause for deep concern. Without limited Special Forces deployments on the ground — especially in eastern Syria’s Deir ez-Zor and Raqqah governorates, and north/central Iraq — it will be extremely difficult to restrict ISIS supply routes along the Euphrates corridor. Denying ISIS its maneuver-support structure will hasten ISIS’s defeat. The president’s only alternative is to order a massive deployment of CIA personnel instead. This is a damaging limitation of strategy at the altar of presumed public opinion. It plainly isn’t leadership.

This speech shouldn't surprise anyone. I mean, what on earth did we expect? Obama has no plan. He's proven repeatedly that he never does. I doubt that Obama is even fully aware of what is going on in the world. I think he avoids it because it hurts his frail ego.

Obama's pattern is clear. He simply makes a placating speech, then hopes that things don't get worse on his watch. If things do get worse-- as they have with ObamaCare, Syria, Egypt, Ukraine, etc.-- he goes into damage control mode and spins blame on the handiest target. which could be Bush, Cheney, the GOP, the Tea Party, ATMs, greed, etc.

Hey America, you voted for a guy who's whole accomplishments are based only in race and PR. Did you expect anything more but PR from him?