By Sal Bommarito
The U.S. resumed bombing sorties. Strikes were made on oil facilities commandeered by ISIS. The wells were generating millions of dollars to support ISIS operations.
In the meantime, an ISIS affiliated organization beheaded Herve Gourdel, a Frenchman, in retribution for France airstrikes in Iraq. President Hollande indicated that the atrocity would not deter future airstrikes by French pilots.
The bombing of Khorasan supposedly decreased the chances of a significant terror attack in the U.S. and other western countries. Some say the more likely attacks will be by disgruntled “lone wolves” on a much smaller scale.
It has been reported that Iran may be collaborating with the U.S. Apparently, Iran was informed that the U.S. would be attacking Syria beforehand. Iran then informed the Syrian government so that they would not attempt to shoot down U.S. fighter jets.
The most important diplomatic event was Obama’s appearance at the U.N. The following is a list of significant comments the president made during the day.
-The president was generally apologetic.
-U.S. is not at war with Islam.
-Force is the only language that terrorists understand.
-The president was very sensitive towards Muslims.
-The Ferguson shooting was mentioned as a way to show the world that America has internal problems.
-The ISIS conflict will continue for a while.
-Climate change is just as critical as terror.
The president should not have been apologetic because the U.S. is doing most of the dirty work attacking ISIS. Arab countries should be thanking the U.S. for its leadership in fighting the terrorists.
Shaming America by bringing up Ferguson was a serious mistake. For one thing, the shooting is still being investigated. Second, the comparison of a one-man tragedy to a full scale terrorist invasion of two nations is absurd.
Interestingly, the president did not ask for U.N. approval of Syrian attacks. The Russians would have vetoed it in any case. This is related to the fact that no coalition members are flying missions in Syria.
Obama’s comments about Khorasan being an imminent threat to the U.S. might be a ploy to by-pass Congress. ISIS does not meet the criteria. The president may act unilaterally if national security is at risk.
The handling of the ISIS crisis is being criticized by many. However, the bombing raids are the right tactic. It would be better if the president stopped telegraphing future moves to the enemy.