NBC senior foreign correspondent Richard Engel told “Meet the Press” guest host Andrea Mitchell that President Barack Obama’s indecisiveness has created a “clear and present danger,” according to military officials. As a result, the United States may be forced into fighting for Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad.
This is the same Assad whose regime employed chemical weapons against its own people. And this is the same Assad against whom the president drew his “red line,” warning Syria against using chemical weapons.
The red line turned out to be more pink. It was all a bluff.
Engel told Mitchell that “military commanders” and “former officials” are “apoplectic” over the president’s indecisiveness. Obama’s inaction may now force him into switching sides in Syria, now that ISIS and other Islamic extremists are replacing the more moderate, secular Free Syrian Army rebels.
Ryan Crocker, former U.S. ambassador to Syria and Iraq, said stopping ISIS has become a matter of urgency for our own national security.
“If we think that we’re not in their sights, we’re delusional,” he said. “This is not ‘mission creep,’ this is establishing a vital mission for American security, and we need to do it–we need to do it yesterday.”
Engel wrapped it all up by telling Mitchell none of this should have come as a surprise.
“The build-up of ISIS in Iraq and Syria was incredibly predictable,” Engel concluded to Mitchell. “We reported about it. Reporters risked their lives going into Syria.” He added, unnecessarily, “Now we have a very serious situation.”
Watch the clip, via the Washington Free Beacon.
Actor James Woods tweeted his own take on the situation Sunday:
Obama continues his epic march up the 18th fairway, while ISIS sweeps across the heart of the Middle East. http://t.co/hhey5OCJDf
— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) August 31, 2014
Echoing Crocker’s concern–that this was no longer just a Middle East problem, but now an American one–one of Woods’ followers added this reply:
@RealJamesWoods And is at the doorstep of our southern border
— Mike Johnston (@Hawk_n_Bear) August 31, 2014
