Obama warns of jihadist 'cancer' in Iraq as U.S. reveals failed hostage rescue attempt

Since the "solution" obviously isn't working, isn't it about time to find another one?

U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday demanded the world take action against the “cancer” of jihadist extremism in Iraq, after militants murdered an American reporter.

Can't diasgree with the sentiment, but maybe if Obama had done something more proactively in Syria, there might be a different sitaution now. As someone who voted for him twice, I have concluded he is great at giving speeches, but really lacking on true leadership. Leadership takes real courage and conviction, not just a great vocabulary. Sometimes being the smartest guy in the room, or at least thinking he is, is not a good thing.

Can't wait for a new CINC and administration.

I saw his anger in his eyes today, which is very unusual. Obama does not have a short temper.

And we were told that a man who shot James Foley speaks in English accent. British PM Cameron spoke in public admitting his first name ends with John. I think they have a pretty good idea who he is. His days are now numbered.

Shortly after he spoke, the State Department asked for 300 more U.S. troops to be sent to Iraq to protect US facilities.

More boots on the ground... the mission is creeping a bit more every week. Time for Obama to admit he was wrong and negotiate Status of Forces agreement with the Iraqi's.

I saw his anger in his eyes today, which is very unusual. Obama does not have a short temper.

He's politician and thus an actor. Whether red or blue. Can you tell if it's genuine?

America is already at work, ISIS will be Blown to atom's or deposited into the deep blue sea, Which ever suit's the Armed Forces involved. Bye, Bye...just like Osama Bin Laden...Made by America, and laid to rest by America...

"the British government held a crisis meeting"

Why does it take the death of ONE American for the British government to respond?

Gimme a break. I've known for months that there are hundreds of those bastards over there, and they've been beheading and torturing countless of innocent people, And that they've got even more sympathizers in Britain with British nationality, possibly in the several thousands.

They should have cracked down on their local Islamists a long time ago. Allowing hate preachers to speak at local Mosques, for sharia courts to be set up throughout the country, honor killings, genital mutilation....hello....what did the British expect?!?!

The ideal opportunity was several months ago. And the limited targeting only scattered the cockroaches. They are no longer concentrated and have been and will be actively spreading out all over the world.

With these heartless, sacrificial, self proclaimed believers in Ala we will have new world tension in the future. When they realize more and more of the world will not tolerate such sickening behavior maybe they will weaken. Saudi Arabia was a start.

And... Obama owns this. Obama supported them clandestinely and the wonderful Arab Spring which Egypt, Libya, and Syria have hag great success with. The POTUS supported these uprisings which were largely a great failure.

Allah akabar what a religion? Decapitation seems a hall mark of Allah. Peace love and chop your head off if you are an infidel. Great. Stay in your desert and keep the hell away from my family my country.

@bertie

Since the "solution" obviously isn't working, isn't it about time to find another one?

And you suggest what? Ignore them and they will just go with the sunset, never to be heard or seen again??

@global

I saw his anger in his eyes today, which is very unusual. Obama does not have a short temper.

What are you talking about?!! Obama has THE shortest temper of ANY president we had in recent memory. I can give you hundreds of examples, that is just NOT true. The man has a very short fuse!

And we were told that a man who shot James Foley speaks in English accent.

Shot, you mean, beheaded!

British PM Cameron spoke in public admitting his first name ends with John. I think they have a pretty good idea who he is. His days are now numbered.

Yeah, he Cameron cut his vacation to try and assist the US in helping to solve the problem of this individual that murdered Foley. Obama, goes back to Golfing, everyone needs their time off, but even as a journalist, I had to cut my vacation and go to the office and Obama should take his job more seriously. Obama doesn't seem to get that and he doesn't care about the optics of it.

@Jeff

Exactly.

globalwatcher:

" And we were told that a man who shot James Foley speaks in English accent. British PM Cameron spoke in public admitting his first name ends with John. I think they have a pretty good idea who he is. His days are now numbered. "

Not shot, but beheaded. And his days are not numbered. ISIS is on a roll, the UK is doing nothing against the jihadist movement growing in its midth.... to the contrary, they continue to cave to islamist demands.

Don´t mistake words with substance.

Weakening Assad forces in Syria, dismantling the relatively well trained Iraq army and replacing them with sectarian thugs, allowing fundamentalist, brainwashed individuals to openly intimidate other communities is just helping this cancer spread.

ISIS is just a symptom of the disease which has been allowed to spread unchecked and at times even encouraged to do so. Fundamentalism, hatred of other religions has been growing steadily for a long long time now.

But the short sighted policy makers have been so blinded by the bogeys of communism, socialism that they totally ignored the bigger monster.

Y'all can thank Dick Cheney and GW Bush for all of this. Saddam Hussein kept Irag under control and the economy flourished.

Some nuts from Saudi Arabia and Yemen take over planes in the U.S. and Cheney and the neocons attack Iraq, destroying the flourishing economy and creating the chaos and a power vacuum that could only result in this.

They were 100% wrong about everything they said would happen: no WMD, no welcoming parades, no cheap oil that would pay for the $50 million cost that turned into a trillion dollars.

I wouldn't spend a dollar or a quid of any taxpayer money to be anywhere over there. If the west got out, there would be no one to hold hostage and no reporters to murder for propaganda.

Interesting to me that Cameron and Obama have time for vacations while hundreds and hundreds of people are being butchered by these jihadi dogs. But when the blood of one white man is spilled they cancel the tee times and come running to the cameras. I'm sorry, but when you seek out the job of "leader of the free world" you don't get regular vacations. You take time off when the situation permits. Any idiot with a brain in his head could see that time is not now.

Not shot, but beheaded. And his days are not numbered. ISIS is on a roll, the UK is doing nothing against the jihadist movement growing in its midth.... to the contrary, they continue to cave to islamist demands.

Partly agree and partly disagree. I agree that the western world continues to cave to islamist demands. Nowhere is this more true than in the UK. They can't even deport hate preachers from their country because doing so might "violate their human rights". They just continue to allow them to live off the dole and recruit more jihadis from among the mostly out of work population of disaffected young muslim youth.

Disagree that ISIS is "on a roll". These guys may be merciless butchers, but they aren't very bright. In attempting to carve out a "caliphate" and in running an "army" they set themselves up for the kinds of battles they can't possibly win. Military firepower, brought to bear correctly, can send most of these so-called "fighters" to see their "god". And quickly. The only advantage terrorist jihadi scum have had in the past is that they hid behind women and children, seldom massed in groups larger than a few dozen, and wore civilian clothing. In trying to start their own "country" and their own "army" they are playing right into the hands of their worst enemies.

Butchering American citizens on video is one way to ensure that the fire is going to rain down on them.

They can't even deport hate preachers from their country because doing so might "violate their human rights".

Which is a good thing. Regard for human rights is one thing that distinguishes us from the jihadis. Ignore human rights and we'll end up no better than they are.

Which is a good thing.

No it isn't.

Regard for human rights is one thing that distinguishes us from the jihadis. Ignore human rights and we'll end up no better than they are.

Human rights are for humans. Prove yourself to be sub-human and lose your rights.

People who have to live surrounded by fundamentalists have human rights too. Forced to accept their messed up way of living is a violation of my human rights.

@hidingout

You start locking people up, or deporting them for what they say, (not what they do; incitement to violence is an offence) then you're on a long, slippery slope to Fascism.

you're on a long, slippery slope to Fascism

We aren't going to agree here, and that's cool. Just let me say that I'd rather live in what liberals call a "fascist state" than in a pc wonderland where we have to sacrifice our culture and our way of doing things to appease scum like Anjem Choudary and Abu Hamza.

“We will be vigilant and we will be relentless… From governments and peoples across the Middle East, there has to be a common effort to extract this cancer so it does not spread.”

And thirty minutes after this firey proclamation, Obama was flown back to the golf course, where he played "relentlessly" for the rest of they day. God save us...

Sure, I'd agree they're scum. But then, I'd say that about Villa fans, which even I can see is a bit unfair.... ; )

It always amazes me(not really) how hypocritical the American government is. An American journalist is killed and the President demands the world to react. Meanwhile we drop bombs all around the world causing I'm sure more than one beheading, but that's ok.

Obviously Chuck and Steven and Sly weren't on the case otherwise they woyuld easily have rescued all the hostages as well as putting paid to IS eveil regime.

since when did "relentless" become such a feature of almost every politicians vocabulary? Maybe if the occasionally relented the world would be in less of a mess.

@JeffLee

They should have cracked down on their local Islamists a long time ago. Allowing hate preachers to speak at local Mosques, for sharia courts to be set up throughout the country, honor killings, genital mutilation....hello....what did the British expect?!?!

Remember of horrific story of the nine year old child in Syria with his father stating "That's my boy" as he held up the severed head of his victim? Nine years old. Both were Australian nationals. Along the lines of what you mentioned above regarding he situation in the UK, the exact same thing is happening in Australia. There are scores of homegrown defectors in Syria & Iraq, fighting for ISIS. All indoctrinated in a mosque in the western suburbs of Sydney. Truly shocking stuff.

BertieWoosterAug. 21, 2014 - 07:44AM JST

Since the "solution" obviously isn't working, isn't it about time to find another one?

You are a British, what do you mean? I have a trouble understanding your post here. Please explain further for me.

“We have not identified the individual responsible, but from what we have seen, it looks increasingly likely that it is a British citizen,” Prime Minister David Cameron told reporters. “This is deeply shocking.”

Only shocking in the sense of how disgusting this is, not in the sense of it being shocking that a UK citizen carried this out. Hundreds of UK Muslims have converged on this area. I can guess they weren't there to teach English. Our home-grown religious fanatics blew up trains on the London Underground and our production line of murderous jihadists seems to still be in fine working order. The fact that the is UK is a breeding ground for Islamic terrorists is utterly disgusting and a catastrophic failure of our system that the whole world can see.

The prophet Mohammad would be displeased.

@Jimizo, I was about to thumbs up you but couldn't. I thought of all those who would never think about doing those sorts of things. Sad times to live in.

Very interesting, heard that the information that came out about the rescue should have never been disclosed to the public for many reasons, one is security and the other to never let the enemy know what your doing and possibly guessing your possible next move. It was failed, but at the same time, these special forces were able to get in and leave quickly without being detected. For the jihadists, knowing this, they can take precautions of not being caught. Now it could also be that the White House is releasing this is because an election is coming and they don't want to seem weak or look inept. You just have to wonder.....

If the world Islamic community is so peaceful and shocked by the acts of terrorism and brutality that are committed by members of that faith, why are the headlines of the world not crying out with condemnations from both religious and political leaders of the Islamic faith? I read a broad spectrum of left to right, first to third, world news sources and there is hardly a peep in the dark from anyone of significance in the Muslim world condemning the heinous acts of terrorism. Silence is condoning....

@MeanRingo There are around 2.7 million Muslims in the UK which is around 5% if the population. I was born in a multicultural city and lived in an area of North London with a very large Muslim population. I've lived with Muslims as my neighbours and worked with Muslims with no real problems ( well, twice I was called unpleasant things when I gave my honest opinion of Islam when asked - as I would with any religious faith ). Of course the vast majority of UK Muslims wouldn't dream of blowing up Underground trains or traveling abroad to kill people in league with butchering theocrats. This still doesn't get away from the fact that the UK is producing murderous jihadists who are have killed innocents in the UK and abroad. It doesn't get away from the fact that people feel it necessary to March through London with the opinion that satirists in Denmark should be beheaded. It also doesn't get away from the fact that the views of young, British-born Muslims are very often far more reactionary and extreme than those of their parents. I think it's acceptable to ask why this is.

MarkG: And... Obama owns this. Obama supported them clandestinely and the wonderful Arab Spring which Egypt, Libya, and Syria have hag great success with. The POTUS supported these uprisings which were largely a great failure.

I think the situation is a little too complicated for Republican hacks. Step aside and leave this to others.

I think the situation is a little too complicated for Republican hacks. Step aside and leave this to others.

For the last 10 months, we did and look what happened in the world? Like I always say, I got my Obama calendar and we have 882 more days to go until this guy is finally gone and before the celebrations can begin.

Jimizo,

the views of young, British-born Muslims are very often far more reactionary and extreme than those of their parents. I think it's acceptable to ask why this is.

Gaza and the West Bank? WMD and sexed up dossiers? Donald Rumsfeld? Roy Chubby Brown? Deafness to Islamophobia in an otherwise PC popular culture. Drone strikes? Supporting oppressive regimes in the Middle East? Abu Ghraib? Guantanamo Bay?

Why are those ingrates angry? It's just not cricket!

Well I guess it was inevitable. Obamas speech send an unusually clear message back. For quite some time the ISIL or IS has enjoyed relative peace and quiet during their rampage in Irak. The horrific events aside, earlier I think ISIL has acted on rather intelligent leadership. They seemed to have known enough about military strategy to put their limited resources to best use. But this beheading of Mr J.F. is hard to interpret as anything else than a display of weakness and desperation. In one stroke they managed to loose the fear and respect from their enemies and anger the international community to the degree that it now is more likely that they will be exterminated within a few years. As sad as this murder must be for the Foley family I guess many hardline military commanders and advisers will now rejoice in the light of a newly gained authority. Basically the IS managed to open their very own pandoras box. So what happened? Did a few airstrikes crumble their plans? Did they get chocked when someone actually fired back?

Agreed, SuperLib. A theme science shares with geopolitics is that some stake out a position rational only within their preconceived ideology and refuse to be budged by facts. Hence, anthropological global warming is nonexistent, and Obama funded the ISIS. Argument and facts are futile. Identical posts appear repeatedly regardless of newly revealed information.

The situation in the Middle East is far from desirable, but at least the US, for once, has kept relatively clean hands since Obama. Let them learn to work it out while mitigating human suffering is the only viable course.

In June, the group then known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant declared the dawn of a Muslim caliphate and seized control of a swath of eastern Syria and northern Iraq.

I am not a fan of Syrian President Assad. He may not be Saint. Comparing with ISIS brutality, barbaric beheading to civilian Yanks, raping and Genocide to minority of Kurds and Yazidis , Assad is lesser evil. The whole world is facing the unthinkable threat of sword verses of ISIS.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/08/10/us-iraq-security-yazidis-killings-idUSKBN0GA0FF20140810

Obama has threatened Assad as " Do not cross the red line!" In fact, he should support Assad and eliminate the Cancer cells before it has spread up. It was the biggest policy failure of US. If US, Syria, Kurds and Irag have made the alliance, ISIS have to fight multiple enemies.

It is too late for Commander in Chief say that we will against the Cancer which has already grown up as out of control tumor.

King Richard I of England who fought against the Genocide and religious oppression during the Crusade war failed in history. At least he tried his best and displayed his courage, determination and defending of weak and vulnerable. He has been honored as Richard the lion heart.

History will judge Obama as Obama the rabbit heart who was on holidays while Americans are dying with barbaric decapitation.

Sense not so common:

" Gaza and the West Bank? WMD and sexed up dossiers? Donald Rumsfeld? Roy Chubby Brown? Deafness to Islamophobia in an otherwise PC popular culture. Drone strikes? Supporting oppressive regimes in the Middle East? Abu Ghraib? Guantanamo Bay? Why are those ingrates angry? It's just not cricket! "

I notice that "radical clerics" is completely missing in your long list of excuses. Anything but the obvious, eh?

Think about this: If anger about political issues was a reason for terrorism and calls for radical religious law, then why don´t we see radical Hindus und Buddhists blowing up and beheading people? If you list the human rights abuses about Hindus, Christians, Buddhists (and shall I mention Yazidis) committed in muslim world, we should see thousands of radical Buddhist. Why don´t we?

'King Richard I of England who fought against the Genocide and religious oppression during the Crusade war failed in history. At least he tried his best and displayed his courage, determination and defending of weak and vulnerable. He has been honored as Richard the lion heart.'

We had an oil-drenched tinpot cowboy who fancied himself as a crusader, telling us that god told him to invade Iraq and that turned out swimmingly as we all know. The last thing we need is another.

Sentiment:

" Well I guess it was inevitable. Obamas speech send an unusually clear message back. For quite some time the ISIL or IS has enjoyed relative peace and quiet during their rampage in Irak. "

And what, pray tell, is that message?? That he will now stopp supporting ISIS via support of the ficitious "vetted rebels" in Syria?? That would be the day. Remember that the only reason ISIS could have this smashing success is Obamas misguided support for the sunni jihadis in Syria.

Or maybe he was threatening to pull out the big guns.... by asking Michelle to create a Hash tag. "//Bring back our journalists"? .

WilliB,

Yes, there are shit-stirring, third rate imams, and I have repeatedly in previous posts mentioned these shrill non-clerics and the pimpled wannabe jihadists. I have also posted on the Saudi's (who still behead people for sorcery) $3Bn per annum proselytizing of their brand of intolerant, Wahhabi Sunni Islam, beloved by ISIS.

These morons would be irrelevant without the valid grievances served willingly on a gilded platter.

Wake up, Willi. Respect is a two-way street.

That this man died horribly is a tragedy.

There is no question about that.

But why people are up in arms about it is that the slaughter was VISIBLE.

The US, in the name of "freedom," "democracy," and the "War against Terrorism," has killed countless thousands of non-combatants, women, children, and the elderly who just happened to be in the line of fire. Drones kill not only the target, who is a "suspected terrorist," as opposed to a convicted one.

Each death is as horrible as Foley's. It's just not as VISIBLE.

The old Hammurabi line, "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth," is not going to solve this problem. It's only going to make it worse.

BertieWoosterAug. 21, 2014 - 07:44AM JST

Since the "solution" obviously isn't working, isn't it about time to find another one?

Please tell your government to set up a clear policy discouraging these ISIS terrorists growing like a" fungus" in UK. That's one of the solutions.

Cut off the head of an American journalist and commander-in-chief just shrugs his shoulders and heads back to the golf course with a few more of his super rich buddies. Maybe if ISIL were threatening the PGA instead of the USA this president might be able to at least pretend like he takes the war on terror seriously. This new bunch of ruthless Islamic murderers must realize that they will never have a better opportunity to pursue their goal of a global Muslim khalifate then while Obama is leader of the free world. Even the NY Times is beginning to catch on to Obama's lack of interest in being president.