Our objective is clear: we will degrade, and ultimately destroy, ISIL through a comprehensive and sustained counter-terrorism strategy.
First, we will conduct a systematic campaign of airstrikes against these terrorists. Working with the Iraqi government, we will expand our efforts beyond protecting our own people and humanitarian missions, so that we’re hitting ISIL targets as Iraqi forces go on offense. Moreover, I have made it clear that we will hunt down terrorists who threaten our country, wherever they are. That means I will not hesitate to take action against ISIL in Syria, as well as Iraq. This is a core principle of my presidency: if you threaten America, you will find no safe haven.
Second, we will increase our support to forces fighting these terrorists on the ground. In June, I deployed several hundred American service members to Iraq to assess how we can best support Iraqi Security Forces. Now that those teams have completed their work – and Iraq has formed a government – we will send an additional 475 service members to Iraq. As I have said before, these American forces will not have a combat mission – we will not get dragged into another ground war in Iraq. But they are needed to support Iraqi and Kurdish forces with training, intelligence and equipment. We will also support Iraq’s efforts to stand up National Guard Units to help Sunni communities secure their own freedom from ISIL control.
Across the border, in Syria, we have ramped up our military assistance to the Syrian opposition. Tonight, I again call on Congress to give us additional authorities and resources to train and equip these fighters. In the fight against ISIL, we cannot rely on an Assad regime that terrorizes its people; a regime that will never regain the legitimacy it has lost. Instead, we must strengthen the opposition as the best counterweight to extremists like ISIL, while pursuing the political solution necessary to solve Syria’s crisis once and for all.
Third, we will continue to draw on our substantial counterterrorism capabilities to prevent ISIL attacks. Working with our partners, we will redouble our efforts to cut off its funding; improve our intelligence; strengthen our defenses; counter its warped ideology; and stem the flow of foreign fighters into – and out of – the Middle East. And in two weeks, I will chair a meeting of the UN Security Council to further mobilize the international community around this effort.
Fourth, we will continue providing humanitarian assistance to innocent civilians who have been displaced by this terrorist organization. This includes Sunni and Shia Muslims who are at grave risk, as well as tens of thousands of Christians and other religious minorities. We cannot allow these communities to be driven from their ancient homelands.
This is our strategy. And in each of these four parts of our strategy, America will be joined by a broad coalition of partners. Already, allies are flying planes with us over Iraq; sending arms and assistance to Iraqi Security Forces and the Syrian opposition; sharing intelligence; and providing billions of dollars in humanitarian aid. Secretary Kerry was in Iraq today meeting with the new government and supporting their efforts to promote unity, and in the coming days he will travel across the Middle East and Europe to enlist more partners in this fight, especially Arab nations who can help mobilize Sunni communities in Iraq and Syria to drive these terrorists from their lands. This is American leadership at its best: we stand with people who fight for their own freedom; and we rally other nations on behalf of our common security and common humanity.
Meanwhile, Republicans like Georgia Rep. Jack Kingston are accidentally telling the truth about how they feel about airstrikes.
A lot of people would like to stay on the sideline and say, ‘Just bomb the place and tell us about it later.’ It’s an election year. A lot of Democrats don’t know how it would play in their party, and Republicans don’t want to change anything. We like the path we’re on now. We can denounce it if it goes bad, and praise it if it goes well and ask what took him so long.
In other words, there's nothing that President Obama can do on ISIS that will satisfy Republicans. They'll go after him no matter what.
Long way from 9/12/01, huh.
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4 comments:
From the start when we first start talking about Syria and the cluster**** of that assholic region I have been against our involvement. Nothing the President said has changed my mind.
We can sugar coat it all we want but this will not end well. Limited airstrikes my ass. The only way to control the ground is too have ground troops involved and right now unless we do a 180 with our relations with Iran those ground troops will be GI Jane and Joe
Rhode Island is a state? Since when? I thought it was a large county on the fringes of Massachusetts, like the troglodytes of Vermont and New Hampshire.
To date I have been rather blase about the prospect of Clinton succeeding Obama because I figured that Congress would keep her hawkish tendencies in check. While a strike at ISIL may be the right thing to do, going into Syria is more dicey and I am not enthusiastic about handing Clinton a hot (if small) war that she can escalate.
Would it be too late to take back all the criticisms I have made of the elwiors and jump on the Warren for Lefty Saviour bandwagon?
If it is any consolation, I am in fact completely in agreement with you: putting the Purity Trolls in charge would only blow the election and hand the Republicans another eight years to drag the country screaming to the right and sow the political landscape with another generation's worth of mines and moles and sleeper agents that will take the next Obama yet another decade to defuse.
The President has done a solid job under the most trying circumstances - eighty years having passed since the previous combo of war and economic meltdown - yet few people are willing to see what he has done and nobody is cutting him any slack. As was said two years ago "I prevented the worst financial meltdown in world history" is not going to motivate people who are suffering because they lost too much in a slightly lesser meltdown that took place even before the election.
So I support him any way I can, although it appears that I express myself inelegantly.
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