Former Gov. Brian Schweitzer (D-Montana) has had been thinking of running for prez in ’16.
Having called Dianne Feinstein a whore and Eric Cantor gay, I think we can safely say Schweitzer won’t be the next Dem nominee or the country’s next president.
As expected, Kevin McCarthy of California has been elected to replace Eric “Crushed” Cantor as House Majority Leader.
Steve Scalise of Louisiana has been elected House Majority Whip.
President Obama announced that he will send up to 300 advisers/trainers to Iraq to help the government in its struggle against ISIS militants.
We will also have continued surveillance and intelligence gathering. The President did not announce any air strikes at this point, but left the door open for such strikes in the future.
He said that he would continue to consult with Congress, but did not say that he would seek authorization if he decides to do air strikes.
He reiterated the need for the Iraqis to unite and form a more inclusive government, saying that the solution ultimately must be political, not military.
Not that I blame him, but President Obama definitely is slow walking if/how we will get involved in Iraq again.
As ISIS takes the fight to Baquba, just forty-five minutes from Baghdad, Obama is planning to meet with Congressional leaders (Boehner, Pelosi, Reid, McConnell) tomorrow afternoon. So not exactly urgent…
Aside from protecting our embassy personnel, the Prez really doesn’t seem eager to join the fray.
Especially if you’re President Obama, and “some people” are conservative politicians or Fox News commentators.
Having bashed Obama for not capturing those responsible for the Benghazi attack on 9/11/12 that left Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans dead, the right is now beating up on him because he’s captured the ringleader, Ahmed Abu Khattala. They don’t like the “timing.”
Special Forces planned and practiced the raid on Khattala’s compound for a year, and now he is heading to the U. S. for trial in a civilian court.
But instead of celebrating the news, the right is dismissing it as an effort to distract from Obama’s other problems and to promote Hillary’s book tour!
I was reading about ISIS capturing a bunch of air force cadets who were fleeing their base outside Takrit, and letting the Sunni ones go, but keeping (killing?) the Shiite ones. And I was wondering how the hell they know who is Sunni and who is Shiite in a mixed setting like that.
I found a Slate article from 2006 by Daniel Engber that says it’s not that easy to tell. Some surnames are usually one or the other, but there’s been a lot of inter-marriage, so you can’t be sure. He says some first names are traditionally one or the other — Ali, Hassan, and Hussein are Shiite, while Omar, Abu Bakr, and Yazid are Sunni. But if a guy’s named Mohammed, you got nothing.
ISIS has now taken Tal Afar, a city northwest of Baghdad, near the Syrian border. Its defense had been led by one of Maliki’s top generals…
As we wonder whether the U. S. will join with Iran on Iraq, we face the threshold question of whether the Pentagon will join with the State Department.
Secretary of State John Kerry says that “We’re open to discussions” on military cooperation with Iran.
But at the Defense Department, not so much. A spokesman there says, “There are no plans to consult with Iran on military actions inside Iraq. We are not planning to engage in military-to-military discussions with Iran.”
UPDATE — The White House is with the Pentagon on this one, saying there will be no military coordination with Iran. So that seems to be an, um, “red line” for the Administration.
Yet another terrible thing Iran has done — it’s caused Senators Lindsey “Butters” Graham and John McCain to split.
After Butters said we should work with Iran to stop ISIS in Iraq, McCain says that would be “the height of folly.”
Not yet clear who gets custody of their daughter, Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire.
All is not lost, though — they both agree we should bomb ISIS. And then bomb Iran. But I guess Butters would wait a decent interval….
Sen. Lindsey “Butters” Graham (R-SC) says we should work with Iran on the ISIS threat to Iraq: “We’re going to probably need their help to hold Baghdad.”
Butters advocating an alliance with Iran? What next — is he going to come out?
Embattled Farmers 