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2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumSlate's Fred Kaplan: Obama's Next Move
Obamas Next Move
The president just described ISIS as a threat to civilization. Now he must back up those words with action.
By Fred Kaplan
President Obama delivers a statement from Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, on Aug. 20, 2014.
Photo by Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
With his speech on Wednesday condemning ISIS in newly stark, determined language, President Obama now needs to step up his military campaign in equally dramatic fashion.
That does notand should notmean sending American ground troops or taking steps that give even the whiff of an American-led war.
The president just described ISIS as a threat to civilization. Now he must back up those words with action.
By Fred Kaplan
President Obama delivers a statement from Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, on Aug. 20, 2014.
Photo by Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
With his speech on Wednesday condemning ISIS in newly stark, determined language, President Obama now needs to step up his military campaign in equally dramatic fashion.
That does notand should notmean sending American ground troops or taking steps that give even the whiff of an American-led war.
If the jihadists of ISIS are as dangerous as Obama says they are (and the evidence suggests they are), then its time to plow through diplomatic niceties and pursue the common interests of nations with which we otherwise might not get along. Yes, its politically awkward, to say the least, for Obama to make common cause, even on this one issue, with Assad (a monster whom he once said must go) and the mullahs of Tehran (most of whom regard America as the great Satan). But in World War II, Roosevelt and Churchill joined with Stalin to defeat Hitlerand, if they hadnt, Hitler would have won.
The fighters of ISIS arent ragtag hooligans, but theyre not Hitlers Panzer Corps, theyre not Saddams Republican Guards, theyre not even the Taliban. The fight isnt a cakewalk, but it doesnt have to be a huge struggle, if the Western politicians can get over their complexes about working with certain bad people in order to defeat even worse people.
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Slate's Fred Kaplan: Obama's Next Move (Original Post)
flpoljunkie
Aug 2014
OP
CTyankee
(63,912 posts)1. Interesting article but it is pretty obvious that this is the best approach to destroying ISIS...
a coalition of the willing who are just as scared of ISIS and as determined as we are to stop it from getting any stronger can and will overcome ISIS who is really staring into the abyss. Looks like the abyss is starting to stare back...
flpoljunkie
(26,184 posts)2. Perhaps to all but McCain and his buddy Lindsay who want us to go it alone
'Bomb, bomb, bomb...'