No boots on the ground, PERIOD

[Aerows]

I have noticed a few hanging around here that seem to think if you aren't bound and determined to send your family members and friends to die or come back forever changed fighting ISIS, aren't eager to see our tax dollars thrown away while we have people right in this country dying homeless on the street of hypothermia, well, you must be an ISIS supporter.

I have a question. Does our "ally", Saudi Arabia not have an army or the money to fund a war it obviously wants us to fight for them? Yes, they do. Let the Sauds feel the pain of lost loved ones for a change, and a drain on THEIR GDP.

We have children going to bed hungry here, homeless people in the midst of a horrible winter, and are probably a hair's breath away from another financial market crash worse than the previous one (remember, the last one was in 2008 - the historical 7 year^‡ spacing of them and soaring index says we are absolute RIPE for the picking again). Why on EARTH should we be engaging in another fight?

There are other countries on this damn planet. They need to step up to the damn plate for a change.

^‡ Example
^‡Another Example

[Cleita]

1. Something brought up by others.

Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey have pretty awesome military forces and since ISIS is a bigger threat to them than to us, why don't they put their boots on the ground? Actually, Israel and Iran could also contribute. So if they are unwilling to put their young people in danger and expect us to do it, I say no way. We can no longer contribute cannon fodder to the Middle East.

[Aerows]

2. I know

They have plenty of military forces to use. Why are we the ones expected to spill our loved one's blood and our tax dollars?

Fuck that. If KSA, Qatar and Turkey's armies (and Iran and Israel) get wiped out, then we will do something. Otherwise, we should treat this just like we are treating Boko Haram (which are probably worse than ISIS) and stay out of it.

[F4lconF16]

3. "just like we are treating Boko Haram (which are probably worse than ISIS)"

Yeah, but they're not eeeevil. They're just black, so no one cares, duh.

[Aerows]

5. We already have supply chains

in the ME, too, so it just makes good business sense for the MIC.

Although there is a huge grain of truth in there.

[F4lconF16]

8. I took that at face value, actually.

I don't know if that sarcasm tag is really all that appropriate; that "grain" of truth is more like a fat, stinky shit of truth in the proverbial punch bowl.

[Aerows]

9. Sadly

I can well imagine the spreadsheets and the profit projections .

[7962]

19. We're actually doing quite a bit against Boko Haram, its just not making the news

4 nations are already joining together to fight. Recent activity includes these stories
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/17/boko-haram-us-army_n_6702218.html
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/u-s-launches-africa-military-exercises-amid-boko-haram-threat/
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/18/us-nigeria-violence-idUSKBN0LM1EE20150218

But we can always do more

[F4lconF16]

20. Thank you for the links. nt

[GP6971]

30. My experience with the Saudi Army National Guard

Dates to the late 70s.........at that time they sucked. Today, after a lot of work and training they are a pretty elite force. And don't ever mess with the Turks.

This a regional conflict that needs to be handled regionally.

[Cleita]

31. I had an old boy friend back in 1970 who served on the DMZ in Korea when he

did his service. He also said no one messed with the Turks, who were part of the various nations policing that part of the world. They are the descendants of Genghis Khan.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

4. But...but...our other interventions have been ever so glorious and frutiful.

Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Congo, Honduras, Nicaragua, Angola, Iraq, Afghanistan, to name a few of ever victorious efforts to butt in.

[Aerows]

7. Exactly!

What could go wrong?

[MohRokTah]

6. I would support a small ground force acting in concert with a large coalition of troops from the ME

Get Turkey, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Egypt, etc. to put up a few hundred thousand troops and I'd have no problem with the US sending in some small special operations forces to do the really tough jobs (sorta like taking out Osama bin Laden).

Other than that, our air forces should suffice.

But only as a part of a much larger coalition. We cannot take the lead on this.

[Dragonfli]

12. Why? How does endless entanglement in the ME lead to a better America?

[malaise]

10. +1,000

NO NO NO!!

[KansDem]

13. "Does our 'ally', Saudi Arabia not have an army or the money to fund a war..."

Sorry, the Saudis can only finance a few nationals to fly airliners into tall buildings. Beyond that, who knows besides the Bush Family.

[Aerows]

14. Not to mention

Turkey and Qatar. Last I checked both had very strong armies.

[LeftyMom]

21. Turkey benefits from weakened and distracted Kurds.

They're trying to put off losing territory to an inevitable Kurdish state as long as they can.

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

15. It didn't work last time

and it won't work this time, just more of the same old shit.

[Lurks Often]

16. Too late, the boots are already on the ground there and more are on the way

Already there:
The USAF aircraft, pilots and maintenance personnel on the ground in Northern Iraq and either AF Security Police or US Army troops guarding them.
The troops that we have training the Iraqi military
US Special Ops aren't being mentioned, but they are almost certainly operating in Iraq and perhaps Syria.
Troops to guard the US Embassy and the Baghdad Airport, far more then is usually assigned to embassy security.

On the way:
The 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry, Ft. Carson, CO, which is a tank heavy brigade of approximately 4000 men and women and probably divisional support elements such as artillery and engineers as well as elements from the 43rd Sustainment Brigade.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4th_Infantry_Division_(United_States)#Current_structure

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/43rd_Sustainment_Brigade

Best guess as to the number of US military personnel in Iraq once the 3rd Armored BCT and it's elements get there is between 6500-7500 men and women.

[Aerows]

18. Here comes the mission creep

and the giant sucking sound of tax payer money disappearing.

[Fred Sanders]

22. Maybe it may occur to some that if Obama wanted combat troops he would not have gone to

Congress - asking them to RESTRICT his authority? With a time limit?

Who has ever done that before.

This is not "mission creep", whatever that is, it is mission definition, something completely lacking in Bush and company.

Do not be seduced by buzzword terminology.

[zeemike]

24. It is all slight of hand.

The devil is in the details.
But Obama does not make those decidions...they are made for him, and if the MIC wants a war they will damn well get it.
The military has lots of weapons siting around that need to be used up so the complex can supply them with more.

I know that sounds cynical but if you are not cynical by now you never will be.

[quakerboy]

17. But What If

[oldandhappy]

23. AMEN!!!

[Egnever]

25. Oh good lord. Saudi arabia has been fighting them.

The UAE, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain joined the coalition when attacks began in September. All have flown sorties against Isis targets

Just how do you think the Jordanian pilot that was burned to death in the cage got there?

[Aerows]

26. Good, they should continue to do so

and leave us out of it. .

[onecaliberal]

27. I agree the Saudis funded them to begin with

No more American troops.

[Aerows]

28. Exactly

and Turkey bought their black market oil. Why should we waste lives on a war that the Saudis want?

[carolinayellowdog]

33. Why should we waste lives on a war that the Saudis want?

Why did we, how could we, why will we again-- none of which have anything to do with should.

[Aerows]

34. Just because we could

Doesn't mean we should.

[99Forever]

29. Exactly.

If those living in the area aren't willing to take care of their own business, why the hell should anyone else, least of all us?

[Aerows]

36. The only people chomping at the bit for it

are the same ones that repeatedly cheerlead for the security state - coincidence?

[Enthusiast]

32. Kicked and recommended a whole bunch!

[bigwillq]

35. K and R