My grim amusement of the day: In answering press questions yesterday, the president insisted that if the U.S. was going to reenter the Iraqi battlefield by air, the government of Prime Minister Maliki would need to deliver in a big way on ending sectarian divisions, working with Iraqi Sunnis, being inclusive etc. etc. The passage is below. On this one-way planet, you cant really reverse such things, but for a moment I imagined some foreign leader saying to Obama, before we come to your defense, we insist on one thing: you must end your political strife and sectarian divisions; you and John Boehner, Democrats and Republicans in Congress must work together effectively and inclusively. I wonder just how well that would go? And thats childs play compared to the Iraqi situation. So I wouldnt hold my breath for a wave of non-sectarian inclusiveness to strike Baghdad and environs any time soon. Tom Heres the president on the subject: And, as I indicated before -- and I want to make sure that everybody understands this message -- the United States is not simply going to involve itself in a military action in the absence of a political plan by the Iraqis that gives us some assurance that theyre prepared to work together. Were not going to allow ourselves to be dragged back into a situation in which while were there were keeping a lid on things and, after enormous sacrifices by us, as soon as were not there, suddenly people end up acting in ways that are not conductive to the long-term stability and prosperity of the country. washingtonpost/politics/transcript-obamas-remarks-on-crisis-in-iraq/2014/06/13/a4fb72fe-f310-11e3-bf76-447a5df6411f_story.html
Posted on: Sat, 14 Jun 2014 15:34:38 +0000
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