Editorials & Other Articles

newthinking

(3,982 posts) Fri Jun 13, 2014, 03:33 AM Jun 2014

Blaming Obama for Iraq’s Chaos

As Islamic militants gain ground in Iraq, Official Washington’s neocons
and the mainstream media are blaming President Obama for ending the
U.S. military occupation, but they ignore their own role in destabilizing Iraq with the 2003 invasion
by Robert Parry

Former President George W. Bush speaking on the USS Abraham Lincoln in 2003. (Reuters/Larry Downing)

Former President George W. Bush speaking on the USS Abraham Lincoln in 2003. (Reuters/Larry Downing)After Islamic militants captured the major Iraqi city of Mosul on Tuesday, the danger of Official Washington’s false narratives again asserted itself, a direct consequence of the failure to enforce any meaningful accountability on the neocons and others who pushed the Iraq War.

The emerging neocon-preferred narrative is that the jihadist victory in the northern city of Mosul and the related mess in neighboring Syria are the fault of President Barack Obama for not continuing the U.S. military occupation of Iraq indefinitely and for not intervening more aggressively in Syria’s civil war.

For instance, the New York Times on Wednesday wrote that “the swift capture of large areas of [Mosul] by militants aligned with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria represented a climactic moment on a long trajectory of Iraq’s unraveling since the withdrawal of American forces at the end of 2011.”

https://www.commondreams.org/view/2014/06/12-2

4 replies

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Blaming Obama for Iraq’s Chaos (Original Post) newthinking Jun 2014 OP

it's what happens when no one is held accountable Skittles Jun 2014 #1

the right wingers' best friend, Saudi Arabia,,,,what are they doing to "help" lol nt msongs Jun 2014 #2

"You break it, you own it." Colin Powell 2004, also Pottery Barn rule deminks Jun 2014 #3

The headline spells out the insanity. JayhawkSD Jun 2014 #4

Skittles

(153,122 posts)

1. it's what happens when no one is held accountable

Reply to newthinking (Original post)

Fri Jun 13, 2014, 03:37 AM

Jun 2014

what a mess

msongs

(67,368 posts)

2. the right wingers' best friend, Saudi Arabia,,,,what are they doing to "help" lol nt

Reply to newthinking (Original post)

Fri Jun 13, 2014, 03:53 AM

Jun 2014

deminks

(11,014 posts)

3. "You break it, you own it." Colin Powell 2004, also Pottery Barn rule

Reply to newthinking (Original post)

Fri Jun 13, 2014, 05:59 AM

Jun 2014

Obama didn't break it, he tried to pick up the pieces.

JayhawkSD

(3,163 posts)

4. The headline spells out the insanity.

Reply to newthinking (Original post)

Fri Jun 13, 2014, 11:01 AM

Jun 2014

"As Islamic militants gain ground in Iraq, Official Washington’s neocons and the mainstream media are blaming President Obama for ending the U.S. military occupation, but they ignore their own role in destabilizing Iraq with the 2003 invasion."

To debunk the idiocy of "neocons and the mainstream media" blaming President Obama for ending the U.S. military occupation one doesn't have to use the moronic and irrelevant argument of "well they did it too." Jeez, why do we always resort to the weakest, least justifiable argument there is in defending our leadership? Telling the world that we are the good guys because we are merely copying the bed guys... On what planet does that make any sense?

No, when "neocons and the mainstream media" blame President Obama for ending the U.S. military occupation all we have to do is tell them they are welcome to therir opinions but not to make up their own facts, and that the fact is that he did not end the U.S. military occupation in Iraq, George W. Bush did that by making an agreement with al Maliki in 2008. All Obama did was allow that agreement to be carried out because he had no choice.

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