President Barack Obama at the White House, September 18, 2015.
New York Times: Finger-Pointing, but Few Answers, After a Syria Solution Fails
WASHINGTON — By any measure, President Obama’s effort to train a Syrian opposition army to fight the Islamic State on the ground has been an abysmal failure. The military acknowledged this week that just four or five American-trained fighters are actually fighting.
But the White House says it is not to blame. The finger, it says, should be pointed not at Mr. Obama but at those who pressed him to attempt training Syrian rebels in the first place — a group that, in addition to congressional Republicans, happened to include former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.
At briefings this week after the disclosure of the paltry results, Josh Earnest, the White House press secretary, repeatedly noted that Mr. Obama always had been a skeptic of training Syrian rebels. The military was correct in concluding that “this was a more difficult endeavor than we assumed and that we need to make some changes to that program,” Mr. Earnest said. “But I think it’s also time for our critics to ‘fess up in this regard as well. They were wrong.”
Update: 'The devil made me do it': Obama's foreign policy just reached a new low -- Brett LoGiurato and Michael B Kelley, Business Insider
WNU Editor: A friend of mine told me after the first year of President Obama's Presidency that from his point of view President Obama is someone who prefers "doing" the role of the President instead of "being" the President. In the past I would have scoffed at such a suggestion .... but today .... its all about legacy and avoiding tough decisions. Does President Obama understand the concept of his responsibilities as commander in chief .... I would like to think so .... but this finger pointing is so "non-Presidential" . At some point you have to take ownership of your policy .... and if it is not working to then change it. This is a big story because it goes to the heart of how President Obama governs .... but unfortunately the main stream media continues to ignore it.
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