The response? Give us a war plan, and not just against ISIS, let's throw in Syria too. Money is apparently no object.
Breaking Defense.com reports: "US operations against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (or whatever we're calling it these days) have probably cost the country about $100 million so far, according to one of the top defense budget experts. It's difficult to come up with a precise estimate for what current operations in Iraq are costing--
Don't forget, as Glenn Greenwald didn't, before the current focus on ISIS, the US was bombarding Syria's Assad with calls that he step down amidst threats of overthrowing him.
"It was not even a year ago," he writes, "when we were bombarded with messaging that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is a Supreme Evil and Grave Threat, and that military action against his regime was both a moral and strategic imperative. Now the Obama administration and American political class is celebrating the one-year anniversary of the failed "Bomb Assad!" campaign by starting a new campaign to bomb those fighting against Assad -- the very same side the U.S. has been arming over the last two years."
Recall: that campaign was undercut when public opinion in the US turned against it. We negotiated instead, and accomplished something, eventually destroying Syria's stash of chemical weapons. Why emulate a success when you can make more mistakes?
That was then, and this is now. ISIS is the new boogieman. The next stage of our assault is underway as we can deduce from a build up of recent press reports:
Daily Beast: Obama Wants New ISIS War Plan, ASAP
President Obama wants to make a decision by the end of this week whether or not to expand his war against ISIS into Syria, report Josh Rogin and Eli Lake. However, nobody knows yet how we can do it, or what will happen next.
Syria and Isis committing war crimes, says UN
Alawites prepare as IS, Jabhat al-Nusra close in on regime areas
Drones a Step Toward Expanding War Into Syria
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
