U.S. considers air strikes as militants advance on Baghdad

It's Vietnam, 1975, all over again. Mosel has fallen. So when do we get to see the fall of Baghdad, with US diplomats hanging from the rails of a helicopter? LOL.

Bush, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz and the rest ought to be impeached for wasting many Americans lives on a lie and utter incompetence. "Mission accomplished!"

Jefflee:

" Bush, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz and the rest ought to be impeached for wasting many Americans lives on a lie and utter incompetence. "Mission accomplished!" "

Removing the secular dictator in Baghdad was stupid, yes. Alas the other political party is making the same mistake as we speak. Obama has been supporting the Muslim Brotherhood all over the Middle East, and is doing so as we speak in Syria.

Soon, we will see the bizarre spectable of Obama using US ressources to fight Al Quaeda in Iraq, while at the same time using US ressources to help Al Quaeda in Syria.

Words do not cover how crazy this is. So, turning this into a party politicas in pointless. Both got it tragically wrong.

Graham. If it were really a democracy the invasion would never have happened in the first place. Fact is all of these interventions have ended and will end badly. At same time as we are supporting the loonies in Syria to oust Assad. One assumes people with hands on the levers of power are intelligent but some of these decisions show thay are either dumb or working to anagenda that is way more complicated than i can figure out. Inthe ,eantime the Middle East is becoming even more of a toilet.

All these swines are funded by Saudi Arabia. If anyone really wants to stop them they need to start bombing the palaces in that country.

Tom Wenn:

" The lesson is keep the tyrants in power unless you can do a better job. So Japan should not be too eager for the North Korean demise. "

That is totally different. If the North Korean dictator is removed, Korea could and would unify as a modern state, just as happened in Germany and in Vietnam.

You can not compare that with Middle Eastern islamic countries, where religionist fanatics of both Sunni and Shia stripes want to take power and establish a Mullah state. There, a secular dictator who keeps a lid on the Jihadis is by far the best option.

Alas, as we speak, Obama is trying to repeat GWBs Iraqiy mistake in Syria, by trying to remove Assad.

"This is not Obama's (or even Bush's) fault."

It's clearly Bush's fault for a unilateral invasion of a nation on the WMD lie. His people deliberately cherry-picked their "intelligence" because they knew they didn't have a legitimate case, and so they needed to systemically spread lies to sell the war to the UN and others. The deception and lies were purposeful. So impeach 'em!

The training of Iraqis "to defend their own country" was started and implemented during the Bush years as a Bush strategy.

Like so many other countries in the Middle East, I'm starting to care less and less if Muslims continue to kill each other. They brought it on themselves.

The weapons here were delivered to defeat Assad, but once you arm people with power on their minds, you have no more control

Graham DeShazo,

You mean perceived Democracy.

MASSWIPE i guess you are right. although i think people we misled as the facts are now proving. but i suppose "democratic" leaders lying to the electorate to get elected is nothing new.....

'U.S. considers air strikes as militants advance on Baghdad'

This situation could get much worse and if it does, will it stop there? The inevitable catastrophe in Iraq was created by an illegal invasion built on lies. The Iraq invasion was just a particularly egregious example of Western powers acting disgracefully in this area ( it won't be the last with all that oil involved ) and making things even worse. Stay out.

Maliki is a failure leader of Iraq, His leadership under Iranian influences cause much bloodshed for all Iraqis. His stupidity and arrogant not to come in term with U.S. during Obama's rolling out the tent created the fiasco he is tasting now. U.S. air strike, hell no! let him calls his......... Be smart, do not feed the poisonous snake.

See what happens when you get rid of dictators? The bad guys can thank GB for kicking Saddam out and destabilizing Iraq. The lesson is keep the tyrants in power unless you can do a better job. So Japan should not be too eager for the North Korean demise.

Rule number one... you can't give people freedom. They must take it themselves. Number two the people fighting for freedom rarely get to enjoy the freedoms they win...it is there children's freedom. Look at South Africa, perfect no, but getting better. These people must stand-up and fight for themselves and die if needed to truly have freedom. Then and only then will their democracy work.

@bass4funk

U.S. did not adequately consider that even in the case of Iraq, things could be worse. Sure, Saddam was cruel beyond imagining because the ethnic and sectarian differences in Iraqi society were themselves cruel and bloodthirsty beyond imagining. U.S. should have been thinking more about how once Saddam were toppled, simply replacing him might be a very complex affair. U.S. did not consider the effect of a long-term commitment in Iraq and Afghanistan. The problem is that such a happy outcome in Iraq usually requires a finely calibrated strategy from the beginning. The Bush administration did not have one in Iraq and the Obama administration seems to lack one as well. Instead, it appear to be backing into a military action that it itself only half-heartedly believes in. It is still entirely possible that the Obama administration will not get bogged down, and if it comes to intervention, will pivotally affect the situation for the better.

Serrano:

" Blessed by who? Allah? Nope. "

Yes, not nope. They are folllowing the Koran and the Haddith to the letter, and you better wake up up to the fact that you are not facing a couple of isolated "misunderstanders" but the core of the religion/ideology. I suppose you know that the leader of ISIS has a doctorate in islamic studies from Baghdad University? So good luck on lecturing these guys on the content of true islam , or your idea of the same.

Wolf pack this is a totally bogus argument. We live in a democracy and the overwhelming majority wanted American forces out. President Obama wanted a residual force for training and counter-terrorism, but the Iraqis blocked it over SOFA terms that no administration of either party would accept. The United States provided abundant weapons and intelligence, but the vaunted Iraqi army (in the finest tradition of Saddam) simply ran from organized thuggery.

If you want to blame somebody, blame the Iraqis with their total inability to stand up for themselves in spite of untold billions in aid. This is not Obama's (or even Bush's) fault.

JeffLee - "Impeach 'em". Who? Do you know what that means?

Bush's fault- Yes Bush planned this outcome -No. Bush trained to defend themselves-Yes. A great idea but the Iraqi's couldn't do it.

"If it were really a democracy the invasion would never have happened in the first place."

Sadly, you are mistaken. The democratic process worked the way it was supposed to in the USA in 2003 and a clear plurality of people signaled that they were fine with the waging of a unilateral war of aggression against Iraq. Americans then proceeded the following year to give George W. Bush a clear mandate to serve another full term--victory by 3 million votes over John Kerry.

One thing that never should have happened--the strong endorsement of Bush's actions against Iraq by Prime Minister Koizumi of Japan. That was pathetic, in retrospect, how he so ingratiated himself with the Bush people in the hopes that the USA would then turn its attention to North Korea and do something about the abductees issue. Bush & Co, of course, did not and nobody in Tokyo ever should have been naive enough to think that any such action by the USA was in the offing. Koizumi ought to do a mea culpa.

Muslim extremists , Al Qaeda and its affiliated were broken down during Bush 's presidency. Now, they are on the rise across the globe, not on the run as Obama claimed. Thanks to the community organizer's foreign policy in chief. Syria's red line, Benghazi's problem, Putin took over Crimea, Taliban attacked Pakistan and Afghanistan,......and now Iraq in turmoil. Americans got tired of Iraq war, but the PREMATURE withdrawal and FAILURE to get the agreement in maintenance some security force in Iraq by Obama; cause much bloodshed and the rise of Muslim extremist worldwide. Wait and see, more troubles are coming due to Obama's naivety (+ the Obamabots). America is getting weak, and the bullies are getting strong. Too bad, many worship the image, rather than substance.

'The US and others have wasted enough money and lives trying to bring freedom to these wild crazy places who just throw it in their face.'

The US and others have not attempted to bring freedom by propping up despot scumbags in this area for decades, including Saddam ( he was supplied with arms including chemical weapons from the US to enter a war with Iran which left a million dead ). The vicious theocrats in Saudi ( one of the major sources of terrorist funding ) are still supported. Iraq was never about bringing freedom to the people of Iraq unless you can convince yourself that those oilfields are a mere coincidence. I'm not anti-American, as I mentioned, other countries such as my own country of the UK have a similarly appalling history in the Middle East, but it's about time we realised that it is in their and our own interests to stay out.

If Obama really bombs the Sunni jihadis in Iraq, then we have the crazy situation where he drops bombs in Iraq on the same organization that he helps and arms in neighbouring Syria.

But don´t count on the mainstream media to notice how bizarre this is.

The latest on this proposal. http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/war/us-wondering-if-it-should-invade-iraq-2014061287499

So when there's a problem, who do they call?

These guys learned the lessons of Shock 'n Awe from General Schwarzkopf and now it looks like they are doing it from the north.

bass4funk:

" If you really want to make an argument, stop with the typical liberal rant it's about oil, where the U.S. doesn't even get most of their oil from the ME. It was primarily for the removal of Saddam and good so. "

Yes. But not "good so". Saddam was a secular dictator who kep the religious clerics at bay. Yes, Saddam brutally persecuted any challenge to his regime, but under Saddam. women were uncovered and educated, and religious minorities were protected (heck, even his propaganda minister was Christian).

Once you remove the secular dictator from a sectarian islamic society, the religious crazies take over. In case of Iraq, that means the Shiites, who then proceeded to brutalize the Sunni minority (and of course minorities like Yazidis, Christians, Mandeans, etc.)

The Sunni uprising now is a reaction to the Shiite oppression. Either, way, under both Sunni and Shia rule, you do NOT get a wonderful democracy, like Bush believed. Instead, you get a brutal Mullah state.

While Obama is now scratching his head as what happened after his much-touted withdrawal from Iraq, he is making the SAME mistake as Bush did in trying to remove Assad in Syria.

The ISIS jihadis with their strict Shariah, full burkhas, mass beheadings and everything that comes with radical islam show us what the replacement of Assad in Syria will look like.

Both Bush and Obama are acting foolishly in regard to the Middle East. It is really tiring to see US party hacks try to turn this into political talking points.

Nandakamanda:

" You have to consider that the Kurds probably negotiated in advance with ISIL/ISIS. "

I doubt that very much, considering how the Kurds in Syria have been consistently under attack from ISIS. The relatively modern and secular state that the Kurds have managed to build in Northern Iraq is certainly not what ISIS has in mind for their islamic Caliphate.

I think the Kurds will manage to stand up against the jihadis though. Unlike Maliki`s Shia occupation armee, they are strongly motivated to defend to defend their homeland.

Heroes of "Mission accomplished" (Bush, Blair....) should return to field immediately, it's an emergency.

But, but, but . . . Obama told the world the war on terror was won and al-Qeada was defeated.

Lest we forget, between the Bushes was the Clinton.

" The December 1998 bombing of Iraq (code-named Operation Desert Fox) was a major four-day bombing campaign on Iraqi targets from December 16, 1998, to December 19, 1998, by the United States and United Kingdom.… The stated goal of the cruise missile and bombing attacks was to strike military and security targets in Iraq that contribute to Iraq's ability to produce, store, maintain and deliver weapons of mass destruction. The bombing campaign had been anticipated since February 1998 and incurred wide-ranging criticism and support, at home and abroad. [2] Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates initially announced they would deny U.S. military the use of local bases for the purpose of air strikes against Iraq. It became one of the roots of the 2003 invasion of Iraq which resulted in the deposition of the Ba'athist Iraqi government."

So, this has the dirty fingerprints of BOTH war parties, D & R.

Is there a solution? Same as with Israel. Let them fight their own battles, as they have for millenia.

The US is funding and arming these same separatists in Syria....this is the same exact organization killing people in Iraq...

How can Americans look at this situation and still support their government???

@DeShazo

This is not Obama's (or even Bush's) fault.

Obama clearly never wanted a status of forces agreement. He always intended to pull out all troops no matter what - the same as he will do with Afghanistan (what used to be the good war). What is happening in Iraq today is the result of an ideologically crippled president unwilling to use any form of American power and influence to shape events in other countries in a way more favorable to America's interests. So instead, America's enemies (Al Qaeda, Iran, Syria, Russia) have a free hand to manipulate the events in Iraq and elsewhere in their favor. Obama has such a naïve view of the world he is constantly being out maneuvered and embarrassed. When it comes to world affairs, Obama is a pathetic joke.

nandakamanda:

" Obama needs to make a quick decision over whether to wipe out the convoy just as Bush did on the Iraqi retreat from Kuwait or to do nothing. "

No, he "must" not do that at all. Why not lit Iran support their Shiite client government in Baghdad?

And IF Obama decides to fight Al Quaeda in Iraq, then sure hope he does the same in Syria, instead of supporting them as "vetted rebels" there!

Willi "No, he "must" not do that at all. Why not lit Iran support their Shiite client government in Baghdad?"

That's what I said, the flipside of the coin, ie "to do nothing". No time and no place for a middle road here.

He needs to make a quick decision, a) to do something, or b) to do nothing. Doing nothing means leaving the field open to Iran, and to the Kurds.

You have to consider that the Kurds probably negotiated in advance with ISIL/ISIS.

Gawd, what a mess. Whose idea was it to invade Iraq, anyways?

Oh yea, I remember. We all remember. But some try to forget they cheered and clapped the loudest for the war. And slurred those against them un-patriotic.

And now try to blame Obama.

When they should be blaming themselves, and their terrible party.

JeffLee

Bush, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz and the rest ought to be impeached for wasting many Americans lives on a lie and utter incompetence.

So impeach 'em!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2y8Sx4B2Sk

They quite clearly don't want to live the way the west does, they do not want democracy, civility or peace, they want religion, violence and corruption, let them go for it, leave them to it. The US and others have wasted enough money and lives trying to bring freedom to these wild crazy places who just throw it in their face.

If the masses, or the domestic military didn't want this jihadist stuff to take over they would have stood shoulder to shoulder and fought them, but instead they lay down their weapons and walk away. Let them enjoy their choices.

In Tehran, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Shiite Iran “offers its support to the government and people of Iraq against terrorism.”

This statement would be funny, if it weren't so obscene. Anyone that has been in Iraq KNOWS that these are the SAME people that were providing " Shaped Charges " to the insurgents, in order to defeat " MRAPS ".

Catch 22 here. Obama needs to make a quick decision over whether to wipe out the convoy just as Bush did on the Iraqi retreat from Kuwait or to do nothing. No time to dither.

If he does so, with drones, by supporting the weak fledgling democracy, the non-inclusive one-sided Shia state, he will influence things far into the future.

If he does nothing, he may allow the fall of a Shia state, and its replacement by an extreme radical Sunni faction.

He must be taking advice left, right and center/centre. My bet is that he will go for the lesser of the two evils, and go for the columns, if that is how they move during the night, or individual cars if they are crossing the desert spread-out, but by then will it be too late?

"ISIL ( Islamic wackos ) vowed on Twitter that it would “not stop this series of blessed invasions” that have seen the fall of the whole of Nineveh province in the north and swathes of Kirkuk and Saleheddin provinces further south."

Blessed by who? Allah? Nope. And what do the Chinese have to say about all of this?

Looks like Obama's foreign policy is having the same affect on cities in Iraq (like Mosul) as his domestic policy is having on cities in the US (like Detroit).

@Jim

Please stop with the it was all for oil talk. That is so played out. That was never the premises for going to war, since the U.S. doesn't get most of its oil from the ME anyway.

Impeached from what JeffLee?

To me majority rules. 1/2 million leave, how many self proclaimed jihadists have taken the city?

The US and others have not attempted to bring freedom by propping up despot scumbags in this area for decades, including Saddam ( he was supplied with arms including chemical weapons from the US to enter a war with Iran which left a million dead ). The vicious theocrats in Saudi ( one of the major sources of terrorist funding ) are still supported. Iraq was never about bringing freedom to the people of Iraq unless you can convince yourself that those oilfields are a mere coincidence. I'm not anti-American, as I mentioned, other countries such as my own country of the UK have a similarly appalling history in the Middle East, but it's about time we realised that it is in their and our own interests to stay out.

If you really want to make an argument, stop with the typical liberal rant it's about oil, where the U.S. doesn't even get most of their oil from the ME. It was primarily for the removal of Saddam and good so. Now, if you want to make the argument that Bush and the allied forces made some mistakes during the war, there are always mistakes made during the war and will always be. My problem is, you libs get on Bush and bash him for starting the war, that is your right, but how about Obama finishing up the war? Obama can and should be blamed for doing a miserably piss poor job and drumming down the war, instead of establishing and continuing the relationships with the Iraqis and Maliki, Obama did the thing that liberals are mostly known for, cutting and running without securing a stabilizing both countries first, making sure the local troops and police force have the proper equipment and everything they need to keep the country as stabilized as possible and to leave a small amount of security forces behind and that is NOT happening. If you want to to blame Bush, you need to equally, if not, even more so, because now that we the latest news is the military has to abandon Iraq. Al Qaeda controls Tikrit now and gaining ground in Syria, this is bad, bad, bad all way around. Over 45% of Iraq is under control of Al Qaeda. At this point blaming the past is the past and we can't change it. Now matter how angry and what vitriol you have towards Bush is irrelevant at this point and the focus should be on the NOW and the president that is in office and Obama handled the exodus of both countries poorly. Just saying to the public that Al Qaeda is on the run just goes to show you how out of touch this guy is with reality. The same goes for the release of Bergdahl and the swapping of the 5 Top senior Taliban and the WH saying that these guys pose NO threat to the U.S. good lord, these people are so far gone and beside reality.

@Dennis

To a point, you are right.