Here we go once more.
The commander in chief “authorizes” the use of military force but leaves the door open to possibly not actually using it.
http://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2014/08/07/obama_authorizes_renewed_airstrikes_in_iraq_107354.html
The enemy this time is in Iraq, the Sunni Muslim extremists seeking to overthrow the Shiite government. President Obama today announced a humanitarian mission to help those who are stranded in northern Iraq by the onslaught of the Sunni fighters.
What’s next? The president said he has “authorized” the launching of targeted air strikes against those who would threaten a small detachment of U.S. forces sent to protect American consulate officials in Irbil.
A part of me wants the president to make good on the threat. However, a bigger part of me hopes the Iraqi government can push the insurgents back, defeat them on the battlefield and forgo the use of U.S. military might in a conflict our ground forces ended more than a year ago.
As RealClearPolitics.com reported: “‘As commander in chief, I will not allow the United States to be dragged into fighting another war in Iraq,’ Obama said.
“Even so, he outlined a rationale for airstrikes if the Islamic State militants advance on American troops in the northern city of Irbil and the U.S. consulate there in the Kurdish region of Iraq. The troops were sent to Iraq earlier this year as part of the White House response to the extremist group’s swift movement across the border with Syria and into Iraq.”
No one should want the United States to re-enter the fight in Iraq. However, the United States, with its investment in lives and money already deposited in Iraq, needs to protect its interests in that country.
If air strikes are needed, then we must not be reluctant to exert our considerable force.
Any further involvement in Iraq is an unsettling idea. But genocide should be responded to. Not only in Iraq, but everywhere it occurs. The real problem is to apply our resources not only where these injustices are happening, but to implement them where it is most effective. Drone strikes and other methods would be more effective in Iraq where, technically speaking, an invasion is taking place. That wouldn’t have helped in Rwanda or Sudan. Sometimes the application of humanitarian aid is the only option. But not in Iraq today. It’s too bad but something should be done.
Agreed, but some of us should fear the so-called slippery slope. I trust the president fears it as well. Thanks for your comment.