Name:   copperline - Subject:   Speech Date:   12/7/2015 10:06:28 AM

I watched the speech and don't find anything there that is worthy of all this criticism.   The reality is that the situation in the Middle East is incredibly complex and dangerous, and easily could spin up into an even bigger & more devastating conflict.   It's not as simple as two sides squarely opposed to each other, it is fractured by multiple countries & religious groups with very different agendas... but all having a huge stake in the outcome.   Even within those groups there are critical fractures... not all Sunni's share Daesh' apocalyptic vision,  Turks fear Kurds, etc.    

Let's remember that the reason we did not invade & attack Assad (Syria) is because it was impossible to determine which of the opposition forces would be on our side & worthy of our support.   Let's remember that by dramatically taking out villains like Saddam Hussein and Gaddafi we created the space for Daesh to develop and flourish.    It's just that complicated.

My take on it is that we (that is, Americans) are easily convinced that there are simple, dramatic and forceful actions that can remedy any foreign crisis we choose to get involved with.  We get frustrated when the Commander in Chief can't come up with a catchy, unambiguous & simple pronouncement that leads to a happy ending for all.    We believe in our moral correctness and how easy it is to step into a foreign country with overwhelming military force, kill the bad guys and leave the situation better than we found it.    This is the fluff of US movies & TV, but we really believe it.   Bruce Willis would have had something to say last night that was profound, simple, and perfectly suited to immediately squashing the problem.   Rambo would be able to lead our troops to victory by sheer force of will and his inherent goodness as an American.   

So, no, I want the US to be cautious & methodical about the decisions we make.  I do not favor dramatic incursions into that part of the world without a clear long-term strategy not only for winning, but also for coming back home.   As a nation, we keep finding out that we can't "score a victory" in the Middle East as simply as it is done in the movies, but we keep talking ourselves into returning to try again.

Obama is also very correct in trying to avoid increasing hatred of Muslims in this country and around the world.   We need to be mindful that Daesh' aims to provoke an apocalyptic war between Islam and the rest of the world.... and not help them out.   He is right to remind us not to play into their hands.  

He is right when he asserts that Congress hasn't endorsed the military actions we are already taking.  People who complain about the over-reach of Executive Action should remember that.     He is also right to (again) point out that poor gun control laws in this country make it possible to buy assault rifles and armour piercing ammo.... neither of which can be justified for home protection, or dove hunting.