I certainly agree that there was a deficiency of intelligence here. The Obama Administration adopted a position of willful ignorance regarding the nature and magnitude of the jihad threat. It is no wonder that they didn’t see the Islamic State coming.
“Obama: Bad Intelligence Behind ISIS Underestimation,” Breitbart TV, August 9, 2014 (thanks to Paul):
Saturday from the White House South Lawn, President Barack Obama blamed “intelligence estimates” for not anticipating the speed in which ISIS would capture large sections of Iraq.
The president,who has been under harsh media criticism for likening ISIS to an Al-Qaeda JV basketball team in January said, “There is no doubt that their advance their movement over the last several of months has been more rapid than the intelligence estimates and I think the the expectation of policy makers both in and outside of Iraq.”
The president also made clear no troops would go into Iraq during this operation of humanitarian aid and military airstrikes on ISIS.
Twostellas says
Well, when you are getting your intelligence regarding Islam and Jihad from the Muslim Brotherhood and Valerie Jarret…
John C. Barile says
. . . You’re bound to mistake the LA Lakers for the JV team.
bc says
for not anticipating the speed in which ISIS would capture large sections of Iraq.
That is what he actually said. He does not have a crystal ball and nobody could forecast that the Iragi army would lay down their weapons take off their uniforms and run away. Israel which is much closer tot he front line and has excellent intellegnce did not see it coming either.
The constant lambasting of BO gets tedious, what we need is constructive comment on how to deal with surging IS
annie says
Huh? I could have. We all knew what would happen here. And I mean KNEW. Does Pol Pot ring a bell? Thought not.
Angemon says
*deep breath*
*exhale*
Gee, if only the intelligence services could find people who spent decades studying islam, the middle east, arabic, or what muslim leaders in the middle east say in arabic… You know, people who could explain to the intelligence services why muslims could side with ISIS not because of poverty or rage but because of religious motivation…
So, what’s going to happen to the purveyors of bad intelligence? Will we see someone’s head roll for this failure? Words can not express my contempt for Obama right now.
John C. Barile says
People like Walid Phares, Raymond Ibrahim, Daniel Pipes, or Robert Spencer, among others.
Atticus says
You are absolutely right but also the administration under George W. Bush ignored that threat and said that Islam is peace!
http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2001/09/20010917-11.html
Also previous presidents and even other western statesmen ignore basic things about Islam and its impact on politics and society.
I hope you do remember that George W. Bush had the intention to install democracy in Iraq, just like in Germany after WW II!
Angemon says
Atticus posted:
“You are absolutely right but also the administration under George W. Bush ignored that threat and said that Islam is peace!
http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2001/09/20010917-11.html
Also previous presidents and even other western statesmen ignore basic things about Islam and its impact on politics and society.
I hope you do remember that George W. Bush had the intention to install democracy in Iraq, just like in Germany after WW II!”
Yep, Dubya was ignorant of islam. But it was the Obama administration who scrubbed all mentions of islam from counter-terrorism training materials and “re-educated” agents who were trained with the “islamophobic” manuals, it’s the Obama administration who is working with Muslim Brotherhood operatives (well, allegedly, since apparently no one wants to investigate that), it was Obama who called ISIS”an Al-Qaeda JV basketball team”, and it’s Obama who is now complaining about “bad intelligence”. And there’s no one in his administration falling on their sword and taking one for the team – the person, or persons, responsible for supplying the “bad intel” should show their faces, take the blame and quit. But I don’t see that happening so they’ll probably continue to work as usual, even though they’re incompetent at best or traitors at worst.
Light_V_Dark says
I always liked George Orwell..
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/g/george_orwell.html
Beagle says
Blah, blah, blah…
Just keep bombing the IS. Not to create a democratic and free Middle East, but because I can’t think of a more deserving group of people, maybe ever. Tamerlane, Hitler, Stalin, Mao, and Genghis Khan were before my time.
John C. Barile says
As was Pol Pot.
John C. Barile says
All right then, Pol Pot was in our time.
Beagle says
Barely my time. I was in my Khartoon period.
CJ says
obama blames bad intel for underestimation of Islamic State..As always blaming other for HIS FAILURES…He just can’t admit he’s a total disgrace to our country and a all out FAILURE.. obama is the blame for everything that is happening in the Iraq..Instead of stopping ISIS when they started beheading innocent people,he let it escalate..Yes,it’s all obamas FAULT..Iran,Syria,Iraq,Israel,IRS,Benghazi,VA,Fast and Furious,EPA,obama care,and all the illegal immigrants flooding our country the he planed to get his amnesty bill…ALL obamas FAULT!!!
Jay Boo says
Note:
Kay Hagan ad
Kate Hagan is liberal not moderate and North Carolina voters know it.
eib says
Do not trust the Muslim or apostate Westerner about the intentions of the Ummah.
Betrayal and ambush is the way of Mohammed.
Deceit is the intent of all communication.
Obama and his stooge Brennan had no business protecting this nation or the West.
They are part of a large and destructive betrayal and ambush.
Brothers under the skin, and certainly brothers in hell.
tpellow says
The military and ideological intelligence on Islamic jihadists , their motivation and aims, has been, and continues to be consistently much better at the websites of ‘Jihadwatch’ and ‘Atlas Shrugs,’ by Robert Spencer and Pamela Geller respectively- but these two writers are banned from entering the U.K!
Silvia says
Maybe the Problem is that Osama won’t let any Intel agency call Muslim terror – Muslim terror!?!!!
When you can’t even define the enemy or acknowledge it, YOU CAN”T FIGHT IT!
bc says
Does anybody remember appeasement in the 30s, UK PM Chamberlain saying
“Herr Hitler has assured me that he has no further claims on territory in Europe”.
At least the jihadists of the ‘caliphate’ and Muslims in general, are open about their intentions, they do have claims on the whole world and are attracting hundreds of would be jihadists from around the world to build an army to do it. Of course they are delusional but they have what Hitler did not, a fifth column of millions of Muslims in EU, Australia and USA. Imagine if Hitler had had that many loyal Nazis in the countries he aimed to conquer, ready to create mayhem, with the internet and easy access to propaganda and information on bomb making? He managed to do a pretty efficient job without such assistance. When are the Western leaders going to wake up?
The horrors of WW1 paralysed the thinking of the Western leaders. The losses in recent wars have been miniscule by comparison. As with the Nazis,we needed to confront and resist when they were relatively weak. The same needs to be done with the ‘caliphate’
John C. Barile says
Yes. Robert Spencer, among others.
Barack took umbrage at G.W.Bush’s evocation of Neville Chamberlain and “appeasement” while addressing the Israeli Knesset back in 2008. BHO’s pushback–as if Bush was speaking directly about himwas quite telling. Barack genuinely believes in just such appeasement.
Bikinis not Burkas says
Here is the answer if the world would only pull together:-
luciano says
This is the ‘no fault’ president! Nothing is ever his fault. You know that Dollar Bill that used to reside in the oval office? The Buck Stops Here? I wonder what ever happened to I!!!!
Angemon says
luciano posted:
“This is the ‘no fault’ president! Nothing is ever his fault. You know that Dollar Bill that used to reside in the oval office? The Buck Stops Here? I wonder what ever happened to I!!!!”
Apparently, “the buck stops here” was replaced:
darmanad says
What should the US policy in the Mideast be?
Except for supporting Israel, should it be to abandon the area and let the chips fall where they may? What do you JW readers believe?
Myxlplik says
Darmanad,
I’m less concerned with our foreign policy, than I am with our immigration policy regarding Islamic populations.
All foreign policy decisions would be in this context, that in regards to Islamic populations by Islamic doctrine the best state of affairs is a sort of Cold War.
I would not abandon the Middle East. The concept of restricting immigration of non-Muslims from Islamic countries should be repealed, the logic for trying to maintain these ancient cultures is gone as the full weight of the Islamic imperative to to comit genocide and ethic cleansing comes to bear and accelerates. I would trade with geographical regions in the Islamic World which respect the IDHR.
At this point I must say I’m really more concerned with what is happening in the West in regards to Islamization, we should focus on that. Losing the Islamic World to barbarism as long as we can control our borders is really a best case scenario at this point.
Nancy Caffee says
I am surprised he did say he was unaware of the problem until he saw it in the news! He seems to be unaware of most things.
Light_V_Dark says
If you excuse EVIL…I HAVE SOME BAD NEWS FOR YOU..
http://americansfortruth.com/uploads/2007/10/sisters-holy-redeemer.jpg
I report on EVIL, and stick with it, instead of moving on dot org..
Godlessness Is The ULTIMATE MADNESS..This Little-Gay-British guy probably has 10 to 15 points on me in the IQ Department.
http://downloadpolitics.com/entry.php?643-We-Need-More-GODLESS-GAY-FEM-HYSTERIA#comments
Light_V_Dark says
If you excuse EVIL…I HAVE SOME BAD NEWS FOR YOU..
http://americansfortruth.com/uploads/2007/10/sisters-holy-redeemer.jpg
I report on EVIL, and stick with it, instead of moving on dot org..
Godlessness Is The ULTIMATE MADNESS..This Little-Gay-British guy probably has 10 to 15 points on me in the IQ Department.
http://downloadpolitics.com/entry.php?643-We-Need-More-GODLESS-GAY-FEM-HYSTERIA#comments
Light_V_Dark says
If it’s PURE EVIL—WE’RE WORSE…
http://clashdaily.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Screen-Shot-2013-05-12-at-4.44.12-PM-300×200.png
http://clashdaily.com/2013/05/the-cost-of-islamic-incest/#comment-896801787
http://moonbattery.com/?p=48806 The Men(sic) Who Mate With Goats¿¿
Anon says
Bumper sticker:
“Obama knew”
nlrcop says
ARE we ever going to quit blaming GWB and try to fix the problem today, whack apparently BO is not able to do
Uncle Vladdi says
In public, Obama asserted that he wouldn’t help the Iraqis against ISIS, because “They’d have to learn to defend themselves without us eventually anyway” and so also that “They’ll have to come up with a political solution!” (to being besieged by an army-sized gang of heavily-armed murderous criminals)!
And now he’s asserting he didn’t know what he was doing and saying?!
Unbelievable. Literally.
Scott Sherrell says
The only “intelligence failure” in existence is the unintelligent failure that is Barack Obama’s own retarted brain.