Obama Defends ISIS Strategy, Rejects Blocking Muslim Refugees

[jpak]

Source: New York Times

ANTALYA, Turkey — President Obama declared on Monday that his strategy for defeating the Islamic State is working despite last week’s horrific attacks in Paris, forcefully rejecting calls for escalating the use of military force in the Middle East or turning away Syrian refugees at home.

At a sometimes tense news conference at the end of an international summit meeting here, Mr. Obama said he would intensify targeted airstrikes and assistance to local ground forces in Syria and Iraq, but it will take time to cripple the terrorist group. He dismissed critics who faulted his approach, accusing them of trying to profit politically from the episode.

“We have the right strategy and we’re going to see it through,” Mr. Obama told reporters before heading to the Philippines and Malaysia for summit meetings there. He said he planned to intensify his current approach but not fundamentally alter it. “What I do not do is take actions either because it is going to work politically or it is going to somehow, in the abstract, make America look tough or make me look tough.”

Mr. Obama grew especially animated in rebuffing suggestions by some Republican presidential candidates, governors and lawmakers that the United States should block entry of Syrian refugees to prevent terrorists from slipping into the country.

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Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/17/world/europe/obama-says-paris-attacks-have-stiffened-resolve-to-crush-isis.html

[pampango]

1. "forcefully rejecting calls for escalating the use of military force in the Middle East or turning

away Syrian refugees at home."

“What I do not do is take actions either because it is going to work politically or it is going to somehow, in the abstract, make America look tough or make me look tough.”

Refusing to posture certainly differentiates himself from any republican I can think of.

And predictably republicans came out quickly rejecting Obama's strategy and supportive of posturing as 'tough'.

Republicans quickly pounced on the remarks as defeatist. “With his excuse-laden and defensive press conference, President Obama removed any and all doubt that he lacks the resolve or a strategy to defeat and destroy ISIS,” said Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee. “Never before have I seen an American president project such weakness on the global stage.”

[pampango]

11. What role did refugees play in the violence? Why did they attack France rather than Germany

where refugee numbers are much greater? Or Sweden where the are more refugees per capita of the population than anywhere else?

From what I have heard the perpetrators were French and Belgian citizens.

And the countries neighboring Syria, other than Israel, are all Muslim and have accepted millions of refugees.

[Darb]

15. We should probably jump to conclusions.......

uh.......maybe not.

At least not me.

[pampango]

14. Thanks for the information. I think most liberals will not blame the refugees

(hundreds of thousands of innocent people) for the presence of a few terrorists in their midst who then join terrorists already present in European countries. I imagine that every massive refugee movement in history has had its share of bad actors hidden away.

[msongs]

3. as he is substantially responsible for the rise of ISIS because of his perpetuation of the Bush

& Cheney war machine it is not surprising he is tense

[geek tragedy]

4. You and the wingnuts blaming Obama withdrawing troops from Iraq for ISIS

should really have a debate on this topic.

[leftynyc]

6. Bad idea on the refugees

Paris has proven isis is infiltrating using the refugee crisis as cover. Not happy about it but if those looking for sanctuary don't have family here already and don't have family with them, I wouldn't let them in. Let Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states take them in.

[840high]

7. +100

[Darb]

17. I know, like, we should bus them back to Syria and Iraq and afganistan....like.....

right now........like.

[leftynyc]

21. Spare me the histrionics

I'm not impressed. I'm sorry these practical issues like where is the money coming from gets you so cranky.

[gcomeau]

20. No exactly the correct response on the refugees.

ISIS doesn't want those people getting away. They could have to divert thousands of their fighters to rounding them up and blocking them from escaping... Or they could rely on the pure blind stupid fucking panic reaction of Western governments, use a handful of guys to commit an attack somewhere and associate it with the refugees in any way, and then let those govrnment do their work for them while they laugh theur asses off.



You want to stick it to ISIS? Want to get back at them for this attack?



Not doing exactly what they fucking want in response might be a good place to start. if anything they should respond by increasing refugee acceptance as a great big Screw You to ISIS to make it absolutely clear that their policy cannot be manipulated by acts of terrorism.

[leftynyc]

23. Sigh

So in order not to "give isis what they want", we should simply open our borders and let whoever says they're a refugee in.....even though it's already been proven that isis is infiltrating the refugees. That's some pretty piss poor reasoning. We wont even get into who the fuck is going to pay for housing and feeding the refugees.

[gcomeau]

24. FFS...

To not give ISIS what they want, give aid and comfort to their fucking victims. Feel free to apply all the screening you want in that process but do NOT shut down the flow.

How long is it going to take people to get through their heads a principle which has always been well known? Do. Not. React. To Terrorism. By. Giving. Terrorists. What. They. Want.

What do you think the goal if these attacks was? Just to kill a few dozen people for kicks? No. Terrorism has political and policy objectives. Terrorism is aimed at provoking specific reactions. If you want to beat terrorism you DO NOT blindly react the way the terrorists obviously want you to react. That's the mistake the US made under Bush after 9/11. How about we learn for once and don't do it all over gain?

And turning all their innocent victims back at the borders so they can't escape out of panicked fear that 1 in 10,000 of them might be a bad guy is mind numbingly obviously one of the ways they would *like* western governments to react. So if you want their attacks to be a resounding success by all means keep advocating to give them what they want.

[McCamy Taylor]

8. Yes. Absolutely.

In the wake of Paris, do you find yourself wondering if the US should stop accepting Syrian refugees? If so, then you are playing right into ISIS's hands. ISIS is waging an "internal" war with other Muslims--mainly Shia (Iran) but also secular (i.e. Marxists). They do not give a rat's you know what about France. They want to discourage Europe and the US from accepting refugees from Syria and the Middle East. This leads to more poverty and violence in Syria and more disaffected youths whom they can recruit in order to force Sunni down the throats of Muslims. Sunni is the religion of choice of the Saudi Royal family, because under Sunni, the monarch has divine mandate. Meaning if all Muslims are Sunni then the Sauds get to continue to live like gods. So, if you want to play into the hands of ISIS and the Sauds, then yes, by all means reject refugees from Syria. Because the last thing the Sauds want is for Syrian immigrants to get to the US, get jobs, homes, make some money and then use their economic and political clout to attempt to make things better in their home country. Q: Why did England finally have to get the hell out of Ireland? A: Because so many Irish went to the US where they were able to finally give Ireland economic and political power. Saudi Arabia is not going to make the mistake of the UK. It is going to force its unwilling subjects across the world to stay home and live in abject poverty.

[philosslayer]

13. We should be taking all the migrants we can handle

Not less. You are exactly right. This plays into ISIS's hands. These are people fleeing horror. We should be embracing them.

[Marthe48]

10. France raided 150 places, bombed a daesh HQ

I just read today. So it looks like governments know where to look. So roust them out more often. If daesh is recruiting, plotting, amassing weapons, clean out their hidey holes, as often as legal. Doesn't seem like the authorities can just keep an eye on the meeting places and prevent all the attacks. If the killers are always on the run, won't it keep them away from killing innocents?

[rusty fender]

16. Why had the U.S. not bombed an ISIS/Daesh

headquarters in Raqqa before now? France went right for it

[Darb]

18. Friendlies close by?

Mass murder makes collateral damage seem less of a worry.

[rusty fender]

19. Could be...

the Govt. will probably never tell us why

[Marthe48]

22. I don't want to see more innocent people killed

I'd rather see surveillance and unanticipated regular searches of their meeting places.