Bad Blood between Obama and the Military On the Rise

Bad Blood between Obama and the Military On the Rise

President Obama and the military have always had an uncomfortable relationship, but it appears that the question of what to do about ISIS is reaching a boiling point.

Obama is of the opinion that ISIS can be “dismantled”  — sort of like taking apart a Legos tower, apparently — by arming and training some 5000 “moderate” Syrian rebels, against between 20000 and 31,500 psychopaths comprising ISIS. What precisely is meant by “moderate” in that part of the world is anyone’s guess; I wonder if we will have to “dismantle” them at some later point. But I digress.

While the Senate voted on Thursday to fund and arm these rebels in compliance with the President’s demands, a number of military leaders have openly criticized Obama’s approach to ISIS, and it’s not just the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey. Retired Marine General James Mattis, who has served under Obama, told the House Intelligence Committee on Thursday that Obama’s explicitly stated refusal to employ ground troops was “tying the military’s hands.”  He added: 

“Specifically, if this threat to our nation is determined to be as significant as I believe it is, we may not wish to reassure our enemies in advance that they will not see American ‘boots on the ground. If a brigade of a our paratroopers or a battalion landing team of our Marines would strengthen our allies at a key juncture and create havoc/humiliation for our adversaries, then we should do what is necessary with our forces that exist for that very purpose.”

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General James Mattis

Former Army Vice Chief of Staff General Jack Keane, appearing on The Kelly File told Megyn Kelly of enormous frustration at the Pentagon, CENTCOM, and among the military due to Obama’s constant overriding of their capable opinion. He claims we have a “weak hand” on the ground with the Kurds, Iraqis, and the Syrian rebels, and is of the opinion that only a ground campaign can defeat ISIS.

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General Jack Keane

Army Chief of Staff General Ray Odierno, himself a former top general in Iraq, was quoted in the New York Times as declaring “You’ve got to have ground forces that are capable of going in and rooting them out.” However, in the Navy Times on Thursday spokeswoman Lt. Colonel Kathleen Turner appeared to walk back General Odierno’s comments, insisting that “General Odierno was referring to the Iraqi Ground Forces.”  Is this a bit of CYA for the general, figuring he’s going to lose out to Obama, anyway?

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General Ray Odierno

One outspoken American who will never backtrack on his words is Constitutional attorney and radio host Mark Levin. On Wednesday night’s Hannity, the “Great One” said this:

“These men are trying to communicate to the American people that they are military men and we cannot defeat this enemy unless we use all of our armed forces and armed services. That’s number one. Number two, Obama does not view this as a military action. He keeps telling us it’s not a war, it’s not a war. For him, the truth is it’s about politics. It’s about containing this issue politically for him so he can focus on fundamentally transforming America.”

He continued:

“So the generals and the military see this quite differently than our very political president who really doesn’t want to defeat this enemy. Or he will go to Congress, get a declaration of war, unleash hell on these cockroaches and then get out. Instead, he speaks to our military men and tells them don’t worry, no combat boots on the ground. He has said it a thousand times so everyone of our enemies in every single language can understand under this so-called commander in chief he has no intention of defeating them, period.”

I guess the compassionate President is just hesitant about sending our military troops back into a conflict that is still festering even after ten years. He wants to assure them that a return to “The Sandbox” is not in their future.

So he’ll just send 3000 of them into the hell holes of Ebola-laden West Africa. 

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This is what awaits our well-trained military.

Written by

Kim is a pint-sized patriot who packs some big contradictions. She is a Baby Boomer who never became a hippie, an active Republican who first registered as a Democrat (okay, it was to help a sorority sister's father in his run for sheriff), and a devout Lutheran who practices yoga. Growing up in small-town Indiana, now living in the Kansas City metro, Kim is a conservative Midwestern gal whose heart is also in the Seattle area, where her eldest daughter, son-in-law, and grandson live. Kim is a working speech pathologist who left school system employment behind to subcontract to an agency, and has never looked back. She describes her conservatism as falling in the mold of Russell Kirk's Ten Conservative Principles. Don't know what they are? Google them!

2 Comments
  • Chris in N.Va. says:

    Hey, no problem!

    Sure, there’s a significant risk that many members of our rapidly-shrinking military (hmm, why might THAT be?) might become infected with the Ebola virus and either come home to potentially infect others (Plan A?) or even die themselves (Plan B?), but not to worry. If that happens, even after a potential medical discharge, they’ll be lovingly looked after by the ever-efficient and consummately-competent Veterans’ Administration.

    Oh, wait, on second thought….

  • Appalled By The World says:

    I’m so glad I’m not a high ranking officer in the military under this Supreme Warlord. I couldn’t carry out any of his ridiculous, crazy and/or treasonous orders knowing how much he hates the military, how much he has absolutely no clue about foreign affairs, and how much he does things contrary to the nation’s best interests. Clinton was bad enough to serve under but this clown has to be 1000 times worse-and that’s saying a lot.
    I am glad that the military is getting tired of him as well and although one could say that a military coup to overthrow this petty tyrant has some appeal (the full truth on Obozo would probably be finally revealed to the shock of a lot of totally clueless morons) it would set a dangerous precedent that, long term, could be even worse than a full 8 years of this clown wrecking the nation.

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