Speaking from the South Lawn at the White House, President Obama spoke with the press about the situation in Iraq. He explained that "targeted air strikes" have "destroyed arms and equipment that ISIL terrorists could have used against Erbil" and that Kurdish forces, with help from the Iraqi government and the U.S., are defending themselves on the ground.
Obama stated that thousands of meals and thousands of gallons of water have been air-dropped to the tens of thousands of men, women, and children trapped on the city's mountain.
The president secured support from British Prime Minister David Cameron and France's President Francois Hollande and said they have "have agreed to join us in providing humanitarian assistance to Iraqi civilians." The U.N. is also stepping in to help provide food, water and shelter. Calls to other nations for their help will continue, Obama said.
Obama fielded a few questions from the press. One question asked for a predicted time frame for continuing air strikes in Iraq. The president could not offer a "particular timetable" but would only say that as Commander-in-Chief, it is his duty to protect U.S. personnel stationed in the region. He adds that the only timetable he is concerned with is the Iraqi government forming and finalizing itself. They have a president and a speaker, but lack a cabinet. The focus, according to Obama, is pushing for "Iraqis to get their government together."
"[W]e should have learned a lesson from our long and immensely costly incursion in Iraq," the president said. That is, he explains, that sure, America could come in, stop ISIS, and regain control of the area. But it wouldn't last without a firm Iraqi government.
Reluctantly, Obama admitted to underestimating ISIS saying, "I think that there is no doubt that their advance, their movement over the last several months has been more rapid than the intelligence estimates and I think the expectations of policymakers both in and outside of Iraq."
President Obama assured that the U.S. military is "operating within the budget constraints" currently in effect and aren't seeking additional funds.
It was the last question that brought out the inevitable Bush administration deflection:
Press: Mr. President, do you have any second thoughts about pulling all ground troops out of Iraq? And does it give you pause as the U.S. -- is it doing the same thing in Afghanistan?
Obama: What I just find interesting is the degree to which this issue keeps on coming up, as if this was my decision. Under the previous administration, we had turned over the country to a sovereign, democratically elected Iraqi government. In order for us to maintain troops in Iraq, we needed the invitation of the Iraqi government and we needed assurances that our personnel would be immune from prosecution if, for example, they were protecting themselves and ended up getting in a firefight with Iraqis, that they wouldn’t be hauled before an Iraqi judicial system.
And the Iraqi government, based on its political considerations, in part because Iraqis were tired of a U.S. occupation, declined to provide us those assurances. And on that basis, we left.
But enough of that, off to golf!
Image: AP
