Grim Assessment for America's Safety

I'm afraid the future of America's safety looks grim under the Presidency of Barack Obama.  Below I list and discuss several incidents that lead me to this conclusion.

First, I received an email from an individual whose name I will withhold for now, who says he has the high honor and distinct privilege to address the Inter-Agency-Working-Group on the War later this week.  I'm not familiar with this group, but below are some of the comments he will make to this group.  Let me state here that I disagree with point number one.

1. The War in Iraq is lost, with the United States military effort having failed to achieve its stated political objectives.


2. The U.S. and Allied response to Political Islam, awakening in countries around the world, is conceptually flawed due to a lack of understanding of its actors, goals, objectives and modalities.


3. The U.S. and Allied response to extremists is conceptually-flawed due to a lack of understanding of its actors, goals and modalities.


4. The U.S. and Allied effort in Afghanistan, as currently conceived, shall fail.


5. One should not be surprised if, following the NATO summit, President Karzai were to disallow further troop augmentation!


6. One should not be surprised by a heightening of tensions along the Line of Control! (India and Pakistan)


7. One should not be surprised by talks ongoing between Taliban, AQ, and others, with the objective of circumnavigating the U.S. and Allied war plan!


8. Paras 5/6/7 should be expected to bring to bear considerable lateral pressures on US intentions. Bearing in mind that the objective of US efforts is not Afghanistan, but Pakistan. And that heightening tensions in South Asia will further deflect from Iraq and the ME, which will please the Iranians. And displeases the Israelis.


9. In the current climate, domestic and international, the U.S. and Allied Powers fail to deflect the threat perception emanating from the possibility of a greater War. While not yet blowing, the Winds of War are gathering beyond the graying horizon. Let us not, in years to come, have to answer, “Why America Slept.” (Again.)

There is much truth to many of the points listed above.  Pakistan is home to the terrorists and this must be dealt with.  The Taliban has installed Sharia law as the law of the land in large areas of Afghanistan.  Iran is still providing weapons and fighters in the region.  The Iraqi government has met all of their benchmarks.  Success in Iraq is within our grasp.  But ...

Jan Lamprecht of African Crisis says "The truth is: Unless the enemy gives up *COMPLETELY*, you have NOT WON."  Today 25 people were killed and dozens injured in the province of Diyala.  The attack came just hours after another bombing in the district of Abu Ghraib, west of Baghdad, killed at least eight people.  We need to remember that violence is at the lowest level since 2003, thanks to the surge and General David Petraeus.  (BBC)

The enemy is fighting in Afghanistan, and the Taliban I believe are now fighting in Pakistan. The wars are just continuing.   Iran, the source of much of the wars, remains stronger than ever, and is so strong that America is loathed to attack it. And here is one of the key proofs that this war is lost:   For as long as Iran remains an enemy, and is the root base and sponsor for all terrorism in the Middle East, America will have achieved nothing.   In fact, Iran is so strong, that America has wavered for years now to try and break it down because, Iran is an exceptionally tough nut to crack. But so long as Iran is there, and is sponsoring the enemy... America will lose the moment it withdraws from the region.  [snip]

President Obama is a Muslim terrorist's dream come true. Oh, the CIA and State Dept all think President Obama is going to bring them victory, but I contend that President Obama is the greatest morale booster the terrorists could ever hope for. (continue at African Crisis)

With Obama pulling troops out within the next year and leaving only a token number of American military in Iraq, the door is open for the enemy to return with the assistance of countries like Iran, Syria, and others. 

President Barack Hussein Obama sent a video to Iranian leaders.  Israeli President Shimon Peres also offered his best wishes, referring to “the noble Iranian people.”  Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said the video did not show that the United States had shifted its hostile attitude toward Iran.  I personally think that Obama appears weak to our enemies and that puts America in a very precarious position.

From the Iranian point of view, the United States has made two fundamental demands of Iran. The first is that Iran halt its military nuclear program. The second, a much broader demand, is that Iran stop engaging in what the United States calls terrorism. This ranges from support for Hezbollah to support for Shiite factions in Iraq. In return, the United States is prepared to call for a suspension of sanctions against Iran.

For Tehran, however, the suspension of sanctions is much too small a price to pay for major strategic concessions. First, the sanctions don’t work very well. Sanctions only work when most powers are prepared to comply with them. Neither the Russians nor the Chinese are prepared to systematically comply with sanctions, so there is little that Iran can afford that it can’t get. Iran’s problem is that it cannot afford much. Its economy is in shambles due more to internal problems than to sanctions. Therefore, in the Iranian point of view, the United States is asking for strategic concessions, yet offering very little in return.  (StratFor)

The "war" has yet to be defined.  Obama has shunned the term war on terror.  I don't blame him for that, I never thought the term properly defined the enemy.  The war is against Islamic terrorists, which includes but is not limited to al-Qaeda.  We are fighting this war around the globe, not just in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Osama bin Laden himself connected the dots between al-Qaeda and Al-Shabaab (as well as dozens of other Islamic terror groups).  You remember the Somalis from the United States jumping ship and going to Somalia to fight jihad there, with the group known as Al-Shabaab.  You may also remember that our 'refugee resettlement program' brought many of these Somalis into the United States of America, just as we continue to bring questionable groups onto our shores.

While this all sounds very negative, there are a few signs of hope, signs that some in the US government may be finally 'getting it' when it comes to who the enemy is.  Our military men and women understand who the enemy is.  Many American citizens understand who the enemy is. 

All these years since September 11, 2001, and previous attacks on the US, we still have not defined the war we are in, who the enemy is, what strategy we will use to defeat that enemy, and what success means.  Until we do these things, I don't think we can win completely.

With Obama and the Democrats in charge, America looks weak.  The terrorists take advantage of weakness.  There are questions as to the possibility that US economic problems were intentionally brought on by certain people.  Obama refuses to be a war president, but seems to love the spending opportunities the economic problems have provided him.

The economy has pushed terrorism to the back burner.  Obama's administration doesn't seem to know how to handle the economy or anything else except increased spending, higher taxes and more government programs, the government takeover of private business and financial institutions.  Our new president has never run anything.  He's a rookie with a huge ego who implied in an interview that he 'enjoyed governing' and was  'good at governing.'   Have Ego Will Travel. 

America's enemies must be smiling.

Comments

[Skunkfeathers]

A firm hand, a stiff spine, tough talk backed by equally tough action is what is needed right now in foreign affairs. With Barry's demonstrated ineptitude, and his equally inept Sec of State mucking up things internationally, the Leftards are getting just what they want: people love us. Love us because they see we're run by incompetent appeasers.

That's the kind of "love" that got Neville Chamberlain and Eduard Daladier exactly what they thought they were appeasing off: a world war.

Do any dumbasses on the Left learn a damned thing from history whatsoever?

[MK]

"One should not be surprised if, following the NATO summit, President Karzai were to disallow further troop augmentation!"

The way things are going, i'm not sure Karzai will be alive for much longer if America leaves.

"I personally think that Obama appears weak to our enemies and that puts America in a very precarious position."

I think that too, and not just to our enemies.

"Many American citizens understand who the enemy is."

Many but not enough.

"With Obama and the Democrats in charge, America looks weak."

Sorry, but America is weaker under Democrats. Your enemies did not back Obama and the democrats because they're going to be tougher than a Bush, for example.

"America's enemies must be smiling."

They most definitely are.

[Debbie]

The "Obamanation" is just beginning.

Debbie

[Ron Russell]

Obama is weak, indecisive, and befuddled. The man, if you can call him that, doesn't have a clue about what to do. He is simply a puppet with his handlers pulling the strings and calling the shots. The appeasing lefties are in control and they will ultimately lead us to defeat if left unchecked.

[Gunfighter]

When will people figure out that a war against terrorists can't be won with conventional military assets?

Sure, you can blow Jihadis to hell and gone with a JDAM, but Jihadis are a dime a dozen. They don't really mean much in the grand scheme, do they?