Mr. President, ISIS Does Not Give Mulligans - Granite Grok

Mr. President, ISIS Does Not Give Mulligans

Isis fighters, pictured on a militant website verified by AP.Fore!

On ISIS, the Putter in Chief’s caddy says (all emphasis throughout is mine):

“We haven’t made a decision to take additional actions at this time, but we truly don’t rule out additional action against ISIL if it becomes warranted,” Ben Rhodes, a senior Obama aide, told National Public Radio earlier on Thursday, using another name for Islamic State.

The “if” is troubling when one considers the following different views on this particular fairway.  They imply more immediate attention is warranted given its engulfing “imminent threat” hazard and that it dog-legs towards an “apocalyptic, end-of- days strategic vision”.

“They are an imminent threat to every interest we have, whether it’s in Iraq or anywhere else,” Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told reporters at the Pentagon.

General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said officials were worried about the possibility that European or U.S. nationals, radicalized after fighting in Iraq or Syria, would return to their home countries.

 

Dempsey suggested Islamic State would remain a danger until it could no longer count on safe havens in areas of Syria under militant control.

 

“This is an organization that has an apocalyptic, end-of- days strategic vision and which will eventually have to be defeated,” Dempsey said.

 

“To your question, can they be defeated without addressing that part of their organization which resides in Syria? The answer is no. That will have to be addressed on both sides of what is essentially at this point a non-existent border.”

This is a problem. The “if” highlighted earlier comes off as either delusionally close minded because the Pres is not listening to his advisers, or disturbingly passive with a “I’ll get around to it at some point” type of quality–which is pretty much in line with the way I view the O’s handling of well, anything that doesn’t supply him with a self-perceived immediate political advantage.

But given the Sec Defs use of “imminent threat” coupled with the General’s “eventually have to be defeated”, it strikes me that it’s time for Putter in Chief to swap his mommy jeans for a set of big boy pants.  He needs step up to the tee and drive one down the center of the fairway.  Rally the country and allies and make the case for terminating these savages.  What’s the price of waiting for “eventually” to become immediate, more beheaded Americans?

I think most paying attention are open to hearing options.  This does not necessarily mean to include boots on the ground, it means laying out the options, intentions and reasons for sustained kinetic action.  It needs to be something more than we’re bombing to protect our consulate—somewhere Ambassador Stevens is … never mind.  It means obliterating a real threat and justifying it.

Of course, there will be skeptics and naysayers, but I believe many are persuadable and this threat requires making an attempt at persuasion.

Now given this President’s diaphanously thin record on persuasion, this might be a tricky shot.  But to improve his lie—okay, scratch that, bad golf term in this case– to improve his shot, the arguments at his disposal are foreboding, revolting and numerous.

This particular enemy occupies a landmass larger than many countries, has advanced weapons at its disposal, wealth and a detestable penchant for beheadings, crucifixions, rapes, mass murders which include burying woman and children alive etc.  With the added bonus of being extremely willing to satiate its penchants on anyone who’s not the right type of Muslim and they’re not shy about it.

This is a real threat.

Come on Mr. President, if it’s “imminent” and eventual, why wait?  They’ll only get stronger.  It’s time to drive one down the fairway, not the time to gamble on getting a mulligan.

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