Jen Psaki: Obama's Strategy In Iraq, Which Is In All Ways Perfect, May Need to be Adjusted

The White House had previously sworn on the Bible that their strategy was perfect and flawless.

Now they continue to make that same point -- but Jen Psaki acknowledges we may have to "adjust" the perfect plan.

The White House has altered its language in defending their strategy against the Islamic State, finally admitting that they must "adapt" its strategy.

Jen Psaki, White House communications director, dismissed Sec. Ash Carter's comment that Iraqi soldiers "showed no will to fight," directly contradicting the vice president’s words. The allegation undermines the White House strategy to equip and train Iraqi soldiers so that U.S. involvement can remain minimal.

"They've taken on this fight; they're continuing to, but we need to adapt our strategy too and adapt to the type of equipment that we’re providing as time goes on and as ISIS adapts," Psaki said Wednesday morning on CNN.

In total, Psaki mentioned "adapting" six times in a four-minute interview, despite downplaying losses by claiming the fight against IS will have "good days and bad days."

When do we have the good ones? Video of the hapless babbling fool Jen Psaki at the link.

In addition, you will be happy to know that the Obama White House is taking the fall of Ramadi with an increased sense of urgency.

Previously, the White House had called the sacking of the capital of the Anbar Province a "tactical setback."

Today, it acknowledges that the setback was more serious than that.

Why, they even go so far as to call it, using a passive-voice-style double-negative construction, a "not unsubstantial setback."

"I think there are a variety of contributors to what happened in Ramadi," press secretary Josh Earnest said when asked about Defense Secretary Ashton Carter’s contention that the Iraqi army showed no "will to fight" and essentially ran from Ramadi. "The first is that there -- the Iraqi security forces, who were fighting in Ramadi, and have been fighting in Ramadi for a year and a half, didn’t have the benefit of the training of the United States and our coalition partners. There were clearly, as the Iraqis have indicated, some military command and planning problems that occurred. And we saw a pretty effective tactic used by ISIL. And all of that led to a not unsubstantial setback in Ramadi."

Obama is a not uncatastrophic president.

Let's talk about this "lack of a will to fight" comment.

While there may be merit to it -- I'll need more than the Obama Administration's spin of events before saying -- it has to be noted that the Obama Team's first, best, and only response to any failure is to claim that it's someone else's fault.

The only thing this Administration actually does is shift blame.

Now, we could talk about why American planes are only making thirteen airstrikes a day in Iraq and Syria. (For comparison, we made 800 per day in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and more than 1300 per day in Desert Storm.)

We could ask, if the US is only bringing air power to this fight, why we are bringing so damned little of it-- almost as if Obama wants to be seen as if he's "trying something," but in fact is set upon losing the war (as usual).

Such talk would bother Obama, who has maintained, since he came into office, that he has not made a single mistake, except for failing sometimes to communicate how awesome his decisions and policies are. (No really -- the press was always asking Bush if he made mistakes. They've only asked Obama a couple of times, and Obama always says no, not one mistake, but he allows his communications may be better.)

So the Iraq forces just lost a major town, and the US forces were doing, basically, doodly-squat while it happened.

So of course Team Obama must go into overdrive insulting the Iraqis.

Andrew McLean writes:

Toxic Nation: After Ramadi, USA Shows Itself to be the Worst Kind of Friend

These remarks constitute the latest evolution of administration talking points on our failing campaign against the Islamic State. Shortly before Ramadi fell, U.S. officials were complaining to the press that its coverage of the war was biased against American efforts. In particular, the officials wanted television news to stop recycling old B-roll footage of IS from 2014, showing the fighters moving in mass formations of vehicles. The argument was that because our bombing campaign was so successful, IS could not and did not operate "in broad daylight" like that anymore.

The only wars this administration cares about are publicity wars.

....

With Carter's questioning of the courage of the Iraqi forces, the administration’s spin has evolved from "everything is going great," to "this is not a big deal," to "it's not our fault--it's those cowardly Iraqis who can't get it done."

...

We refuse to share any risk with our Iraqi partners, and then call them cowards in public when they fail. As a strategic matter, who will want to fight alongside us in the future after a display as pathetic as this?

....

[I]t is a strange sort of strategy that is based on an expectation that, "over time," we will have any friends left, if our leaders continue to find it politically expedient to belittle allies after sending them out to die alone. The only thing being degraded in the campaign against the Islamic State is American prestige.

Everything is Awesome Update: The Obama Administration Theme, suggested by Bob's House of Flannel Shirts.

posted by Ace at 04:56 PM

| Access Comments