ISIS claimed responsibility for both the attacks on Paris and the bombing of a Russian air liner and both France and Russia responded with attacks on ISIS targets in Syria. The United States supplied France with the intelligence on ISIS positions in Syria so those targets could be hit. France said they are now at war with ISIS. Russia's Putin said ISIS needs to be destroyed.
On another front, U.S. air power assisted Kurdish and Yazidi ground troops retake the city of Sinjar in northern Iraq from ISIS who had occupied the city for over a year. They also cut off the main road ISIS used to travel between Iraq and Syria for moving their military supplies. It was a major defeat for ISIS in a strategic location.
At home the attack on Paris woke up the republican chicken hawks to demand President Obama do more to fight ISIS and once again some want to see the President commit American ground troops in an active combat role. And once again the President has ruled that out and rightly holds the position that the best solution on the ground is middle east countries to do the combat on the ground with American and coalition air support and special operations supervision.
If France, Russia and other military powers in Europe stay tuned with U.S. air power ISIS can be defeated and the key to keeping ISIS and Al Queda out falls to the middle east countries and their people's determination to stay with the fight. Iraq and Syria are the big prize for ISIS and their success because both of those countries were destabilized. Iraq by the war and occupation over WMD that did not exist and Syria by their own civil war. A country that is destabilized is raw meat for terrorists.
President Obama kept America safe with out putting large numbers of American troops in harms way on the ground in the middle east and his policies should be supported by his opponents and the American people. He has made a commitment to fight terrorists and his administration has brought many of them to justice.
Some of the republican Presidential candidates are going off their rocker because of the terror attack in Paris. They are using that tragic act to spread fear again in America and attack the President. Their self proclaimed protector of America's national security has proved to be a fairy tale. Jeb Bush wants American combat troops on the ground in Iraq and Syria in an active combat role. That would ape what his brother George did in Iraq. Elections bring out the worse in republicans. Poor Jeb, he would do or say anything to get his poll numbers up. After all, he was once thought of as the favorite for the republican nomination.
Hang in there Mr. President and give the republicans hell like President Truman did so effectively.
This commentary written by Joe Lorio
