Leader of the Free World? I don't think so

[cnelsen]

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree. It established our leadership role on paper. It took presidents like Truman and Eisenhower to become the leader of the free world. Time will tell if this president is up to the task or if he will continue to flounder.

he can't do any worse than Barry the apologist who created ISIS.

Oh I believe he already has. Twice he's claimed that somehow the US is no better or different than a country whose leader routinely kills off his political opposition.

ISIS is the Sunni faction of Iraqis who were driven into Syria. They never would have formed without the breakup of the Iraqi state.

agree to disagree with the first issue.

As for the second, yes, they are Sunni, not just Iraqis though. They never would have formed if not for the U.S. pulling out of Iraq too early which allowed the Shia influence from Iran to fully infiltrate the fledgling Iraqi government. EVERY Senior U.S. Military Leader tried to tell Barry that we needed more time to stabilize the Iraqi government. Then throw the ill conceived Arab spring movement instigated and resourced by the U.S., and that only provided a strong motivation for others to join the ISIS efforts, and barbaric as they were.

I really can't blame the invasion of Iraq either. It was the occupation that lead to the breakup of the state and the ensuing civil war. The US withdrawal was forced on President Bush by the Iraqis and the UN. He had a full year to negotiate a SOFA with the Iraqi that included a stabilizing force but he wasn't able to. So you can blame President Obama for getting the same results in negotiating with the Iraqis if you want, but it would not have been necessary if the country had not been driven into a sectarian civil war to begin with.

So you are blaming the sectarian violence on Bush?? So I guess the 1400 years of Shia-Sunni violence had nothing to do with it?

Yes, I can blame Oduma, Bush negotiated a SOFA with Iraq. Oduma refused to even attempt a renegotiation and take U.S. forces out. That allowed the Iranian influence to flow freely into Iraq which we had been keeping at bay. Once the Sunnis were being pushed out by the Shia (backed by Iran), that is when the stage was set for ISIS to evolve.

Um, if I remember correctly, Saddam Hussein was handling the whole "keep Iran at bay" thing pretty ******* well. And then we came along and killed and slaughtered and destabilized and radicalized and terrorized until ISIS just popped up like a well-oiled Open Society. But it was worth it because at least we accomplished our stated goal of... wait... why did we kill four million Iraqis again?

 

[cnelsen]

The UN is a waste of space. Trump should take a page from Feinstein (D-CA) and sell the UN building to his son in law and let him condo it

This UN?

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2003/sep/04/iraq.

The Bush administration suffered a humiliating diplomatic climbdown over Iraq yesterday as it presented a draft resolution to the UN, asking for military and financial help to rescue it from the ballooning human, financial and political costs of the occupation.

The draft resolution calls for a security council mandate for a multinational military force, under a unified command and with American commanders ultimately in charge.

Or this UN?

Global Ebola Response

Are you libtards ever going to quit blaming Bush for anything? Geez, Oduma had 8 years to "fix" the situation, and what does he do? **** it up royally!!! It's worse now than ever. Over a million dead in Iraq alone since ISIS came into being as a result of his botched Arab Spring movement. Syria in a protracted civil war that Oduma drew several "red lines" in the sand only to change his position when Assad or Putin stepped over them. Oduma is a jellyfish with no backbone.

**** W and you too fake Col. Orange Man said we're no better than Putin's thugs. Reagan JFK or RFK would have torn out his asshole.

He said we weren't so innocent. And in terms of oceans of blood spilled, he's right. And until we wise up and shut AIPAC down, this warmongering will never cease.

 

[westwall]

Inexplicable. Regardless of whether the foreign policy is military power-first or diplomacy-first, global intelligence has to be at the very top of our list of priorities.

Particularly considering the fact that cyber warfare may be the next major global battleground.
.

Obama spent the last eight years engaging our allies to assume a stronger role in global affairs. Let them engage their military. Let them assume the risk. Diplomacy was valued over military action and military action was deferred to our allies.

Slashing our State Department is not a solution to reducing our foreign entanglements. Republicans have been harping about cutting foreign aid for decades. But foreign aid serves a purpose. It is the carrot that we offer so we don't have to use the military stick

Trump seems intent on leaving us no options but the stick

For all of his "engagement" his policies were sure an epic fail. How do you explain that?