By John Mariotti.
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”Most Americans are hesitant to engage in military conflicts that cost American lives, in faraway places, against amorphous and ideological enemies, that present the risk of far greater entanglements. But, however you frame the issue, ISIS and it brutal march through the Middle East must be stopped. That fact is inescapable.There is little doubt or disagreement about the brutal evil of ISIS. There is also little confidence in the coalition of mostly Middle Eastern, and ground forces that are confronting ISIS. The engagement of Jordanian forces is a positive step. Egypt’s move against ISIS forces in Libya is a welcome signal. A much greater stand by Turkey would be welcomed even more.Ironically, what is holding all of them back is the lack of confidence in the direction, commitment and policy of the USA and its leader, Barack Obama’s crippling uncertainty. US military leadership is concerned about starting an unwinnable, and to some extent, and impossible war to fight. Many Americans view Obama as a Muslim sympathizer because he adamantly refuses to use the accurate term “radical Islam” to describe the enemy. They rightfully see his repeated denials of the need for ground troops in the Middle East to combat ISIS as another deception.Imagine that ISIS (or ISIL as Obama insists on calling it) launched an attack on the White House, using missiles, rocket-propelled grenades, or worse yet, chemical weapons. They have all of these, and there are believed to be large ISIS sleeper cells in the USA. Imagine how differently Barack Obama would behave and act if he and his family and their home” were under attack by these ruthless and brutal “radical Islam” fighters.Obama’s disdain for American allies (particularly Israel) has been portrayed openly by his continued use of the acronym ISIL instead of ISIS. The L in ISIL stands for Levant, which includes Israel, a huge difference, in how to describe the terrorist organization’s targeted countries in the Middle East.Leaders must set clear direction, and engage the people under their leadership in creating the plans and executing them. Then the leader must make sure the resources are available and the progress (or lack thereof) is measured, and adjustments made. These fundamentals of leadership totally escape Barack Obama.[Disclosure: I co-authored Hope is NOT a Strategy: Leadership Lessons from the Obama Presidency, in 2012, which chronicles many such Obama leadership flaws and failures. 1) Someone else to blame—if/when things go wrong, and
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Obama’s dilemma: “What do I do now?”—And his second term as president—cannot end too soon. Are you sick of hearing speeches that say little and accomplish even less. I sure am, and so are America’s allies … and its military!
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America and its people and allies will suffer, because he will never learn and he will never change, and he will do everything in his power to protect this travesty he considers his legacy. What a tragedy for America; what failure as a leader Americans have chosen—twice!
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2) An excuse—and someone to blame—if he doesn’t get his way. (With Congress or whomever else is involved).
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His attempts to involve Congress in the ISIS decision were intended to provide Obama with at least two of his favorite cop-outs & scapegoats:
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Since that book was written all of the failures cited have continued, gotten worse or been repeated in other areas. Nothing is more difficult to deal with than a most serious flaw, Barack Obama’s crippling uncertainty. It seems to emerge and taint in every important issue of his presidency.]
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However, another Burke quote is perhaps even more relevant:
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And there is little doubt about the apt comparisons to ISIS and Nazi growth in the 20th century, the Vietnam (“unwinnable”) War, and the Afghanistan and Iraq “wars” (also “wars that could not be won”). The latter instances were due largely to uncertainty about the mission—and politically motivated mismanagement of how–or if–to fight in the conflict. (E.g., Restrictive and constantly shifting rules of engagement.)
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It was Edmund Burke who said, “Those who don’t know history are destined to repeat it”
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He continues doing it all over again, and often to the US military, showing indecision in his “jump but don’t land” policies and then telegraphing his incomplete/incompetent plans (e.g., on how to stop the evil onslaught of ISIS). It’s hard “to fight an enemy Obama won’t name,” as one general put it. It’s even harder to fight an enemy “with one hand tied behind your back” and a leader who doesn’t even want you to “really fight” –and isn’t sure what to do next when you aren’t winning.
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During the seven years of his presidency, Barack Obama’s crippling uncertainty has continued to create massive doubts about what he and his administration will do next—in domestic policy/energy policy, in foreign policy, in regulation and especially with executive orders. This uncertainty has paralyzed the business community, inhibited investment and slowed economic growth. You could call it “Obama’s dilemma: what do I do now?”
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Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
