This week has been typical: if any terrorist act happens anywhere in the world, provided it's Islamic particularly ISIS, and the critics are out in force.
"Because I focus on economics, and because I don’t agree with Obama on many economic issues, I often end up being critical of his policies. (Although less critical than most conservatives; for instance I thought Obamacare was mostly a missed opportunity.) But this WSJ story made me appreciate Obama’s cool, cerebral style."
http://www.themoneyillusion.com/?p=31576
You get a good sense of Obama's 'cool, cerebral sytle' in the Goldberg piece. Of course, now we have another ISIS attack and now again we're hearing about Obama's feckless style and how America is now 'leading from behind.'
Here is typical anti Obama boilerplate by Charles Krauthammer.
What happened in Belgium this week as bad enough, but for the critics what's most galling is that Obama was at a baseball game in Cuba when it happened. Somehow he should never go to a baseball game so on the off chance that an ISIS attack occurs anywhere in the world, he doesn't look nonchalant.
Last night I found myself reading a very long piece Jeffrey Goldberg did in The Atlantic about Obama and his attitude towards the Middle East-Goldberg got the chance to interview POTUS extensively.
I hadn't realized it was so long. I kept reading and reading and thinking well surely, it's done soon but it ended up early in the morning an I finally fell asleep on the couch in front of my computer.
Anyway, it's very interesting reading.
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/04/the-obama-doctrine/471525/
Scott Sumner of all people HT me to it.
http://www.themoneyillusion.com/?p=31576
You get a good sense of Obama's 'cool, cerebral sytle' in the Goldberg piece. Of course, now we have another ISIS attack and now again we're hearing about Obama's feckless style and how America is now 'leading from behind.'
Here is typical anti Obama boilerplate by Charles Krauthammer.
"Obama’s ideological holiday: An indulgent trip to Cuba and a stubborn inattention to ISIS-fueled terrorism."
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/charles-krauthammer-obama-ideological-holiday-article-1.2576837
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/charles-krauthammer-obama-ideological-holiday-article-1.2576837
Yet there is something to 'leading from behind.' For one thing, it takes some of the heat off of us when our allies have to put their money where their mouth is. Obama notes how the US is the indispensable nation and how so many of our allies are only too happy to free ride on US muscle. The trouble with going it alone is when things don't work out, we alone take the political hits.
Historians probably will debate for years whether Obama should have bombed Assad after he went over Obama's own 'red line.' What is clear, is that the Obama Doctrine has been very effective in both destroying al Qaeda and now taking out ISIS leaders and reducing their territories.
Yet again, the headlines make clear Obama is many things but feckless is not one of them:
"US coalition forces have killed Islamic State's second in command, Haji Imam, according to a top defense official cited by The Daily Beast. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter is expected to announce the operation later on Friday."
"Imam, whose real name is said to be Abd ar-Rahman Mustafa al-Qaduli, was considered to be second in command for Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL). He is believed to go by various aliases, according to NBC."
"Reuters confirmed that an IS commander was targeted and likely killed in a US operation. "
"In May 2015, the US State Department announced a reward of up to US$7 million for information leading to his capture or death."
"That same month, the Iraqi Ministry of Defense reported that Imam had been killed in a US coalition airstrike on a mosque. However, Washington later denied that coalition planes had struck a mosque."
"In addition to confirming Imam's death later on Friday, Carter is expected to confirm the reported killing of IS' “minister of war," Abu Omar al-Shishani, in a strike earlier this month."
"Also known as Omar the Chechen, 30-year-old al-Shishani is believed to have been a close military adviser to the infamous leader of IS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Until recently, al-Shishani led a brigade of foreign jihadist fighters responsible for a series of beheadings and suicide bombings in northern Syria."
https://www.rt.com/news/337190-isis-deputy-leader-killed/
How does that square with a 'stubborn inattention to terrorism?'
Historians probably will debate for years whether Obama should have bombed Assad after he went over Obama's own 'red line.' What is clear, is that the Obama Doctrine has been very effective in both destroying al Qaeda and now taking out ISIS leaders and reducing their territories.
Yet again, the headlines make clear Obama is many things but feckless is not one of them:
"US coalition forces have killed Islamic State's second in command, Haji Imam, according to a top defense official cited by The Daily Beast. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter is expected to announce the operation later on Friday."
"Imam, whose real name is said to be Abd ar-Rahman Mustafa al-Qaduli, was considered to be second in command for Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL). He is believed to go by various aliases, according to NBC."
"Reuters confirmed that an IS commander was targeted and likely killed in a US operation. "
"In May 2015, the US State Department announced a reward of up to US$7 million for information leading to his capture or death."
"That same month, the Iraqi Ministry of Defense reported that Imam had been killed in a US coalition airstrike on a mosque. However, Washington later denied that coalition planes had struck a mosque."
"In addition to confirming Imam's death later on Friday, Carter is expected to confirm the reported killing of IS' “minister of war," Abu Omar al-Shishani, in a strike earlier this month."
"Also known as Omar the Chechen, 30-year-old al-Shishani is believed to have been a close military adviser to the infamous leader of IS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Until recently, al-Shishani led a brigade of foreign jihadist fighters responsible for a series of beheadings and suicide bombings in northern Syria."
https://www.rt.com/news/337190-isis-deputy-leader-killed/
How does that square with a 'stubborn inattention to terrorism?'
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