anyone expecting Obama to fare much better at the hands of a fellow Democrat was no doubt disappoint- ed. Panetta wrote that Obama wished for someone other than war-weary Americans to shoulder the defense of Western civilization. That, Panetta said, led to “a kind of a mixed mes- sage that went out with regard to the role of the United States.” “This administration’s inac-
tion and lack of commitment and resolve in fighting ISIS provides fuel for terrorism,” states former SEAL and present-day congressman Zinke. “It gives them hope that they can win.” President Obama’s critics say that
ing the specter of a large, open-ended U.S. occupation. “The alternative would be mas-
sive U.S. deployments in perpetuity,” Obama said during his visit to India, “which would create its own blowback and cause probably more problems than it would potentially solve.”
Some say Obama’s message of But the “massive deployment” op-
his aversion to anything that could lure America back into the labyrin- thine, fly-trap world of Middle East politics is an overreaction to the Bush-era tendency to launch wars on dubious pretexts. Where Bush shot from the hip, they say, Obama seems reluctant to draw. The president re- sponds to these broadsides by rais-
tion is the first scenario that politi- cians on both the left and right uni- versally disavow. It’s hard to find a politician who favors a full-fledged de- ployment such as Obama describes.
¿ ¿ ¿ So is there no good option beyond
drone strikes and troop training, other than stationing troops in Iraq? “Wars can’t be fought with rheto-
ric,” Zinke told the Washington Free Beacon. “That doesn’t mean we need frontline ground troops, but they need significant logistics support.” One problem with that “logistics
weakness was received loud and clear by America’s enemies.
support” is finding someone in Syria, Yemen, or Libya who isn’t apt to even- tually turn their U.S.-provided weap- ons back on Americans and their allies. U.S. military officials refer to
the moderate opposition in Syr- ia as “unicorns.” By which they mean the phrase “moderate Syr-
ian opposition” describes a creature that doesn’t exist. Many agree it’s only a matter of
time before the administration re- verses course and sides with Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad, in order to tamp down ISIS. But the fallout with trusted Sunni
allies like Saudi Arabia and Turkey would be immense. Those on the frontline of fighting
terror in the United States say extrem- ists will succeed in drawing more
• EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW •
The former head of the CIA says we are more informed as a result.
F 54 NEWSMAX | MARCH 2015
ew indeed know more about U.S. counter- terror strategies
than former Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden, the former head of both the CIA and the NSA. In a recent appearance
on Newsmax’s “America’s Forum” program, Hayden said anyone questioning the value of America’s massive data- collection program need only consider the bloody attacks in France and Belgium.
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