There is no denying the fact that Barack Obama does not have his heart in defeating ISIS. A couple of months ago he was dragged kicking and screaming into doing something in retaliation for the brutal beheadings of two Americans and two British citizens. If the violent images had not been plastered all over the Internet, causing the public to look up from their iPhones and pay attention, the advancement of the ISIS Islamic Caliphate might have gone virtually unnoticed. This administration knew that ISIS was a looming threat, yet they were not willing to believe it or try to stop it.
They were finally forced into making some sort of response, but the administration did the least amount necessary. They hesitated and pondered, took meetings and discussed, all the while letting ISIS slaughter and behead innocents. In August, Obama spoke to the American people in a passionless speech that you know he did not want to give about "how this fight against ISIS will be a long-term project" and that "there will be no American military boots on the ground."
With very few countries willing to form a coalition, ISIS continued its advancement through Iraq and into Syria. The U.S., the U.K. and Australia launched a humanitarian effort to support refugees stranded in Northern Iraq that were being terrorized and brutally slaughtered by ISIS, and pinprick airstrikes were attempting to target ISIS bases, but nothing substantial was being done to stop them.
Advertisement - story continues below
Now, after more than two months it looks as though our military actions are not working. The Kurdish forces on the ground are begging for help, desperately trying to stave off the massacre they know is coming if ISIS does indeed take Kobane on the Turkish border. Vigorous efforts are being made on the ground to try and keep ISIS from taking the Baghdad airport, but with little help it may be just a matter of time before that is lost as well. Our military leaders time and again have told Obama and this administration that if we want to win this fight, more has to be done. There will eventually need to be boots on the ground to work in coordination with other fighters within the region.
TRENDING: Dems' 'loyalty through fear' program: Saddam would be proud
Still, day after day, week after week we see feeble efforts and absolutely no passion or will to win this fight. The American people are witnessing a POTUS that is hell-bent on keeping his promise that he will end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and that all of the troops will be brought home regardless of the consequences to that region and our own country. He has no stomach for this war, and it is a war whether he wants to believe it or not. The problem is, when you don't want to be in the fight, you lose the fight.
Right now ISIS has the upper hand, and the world sees it. Putin has the upper hand in Ukraine and Crimea, and the world sees that as well. In the words of George Orwell, "Whoever is winning at the moment will always seem to be invincible," and right now that is the perception the world has of ISIS.
Advertisement - story continues below
Margaret Thatcher once said, "You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it." We fought it once and won but left before it was stable, requiring us to fight it again. ISIS has a mission. They have the will to fight, and right now they see us as a weak country they can terrorize and intimidate.
It is up to this president to forget about the effect our actions will have on the upcoming election. He needs to put on his big-boy pants and show ISIS that for America, winning is the only option.
Media wishing to interview Morgan Brittany, please contact [email protected].
|
