Sunni Radical Insurgency in Iraq. North of Country Overrun.

[NotNow]

The city of Mosul, and now Baiji and Tikri have fallen.  Mosul is the second largest city in Iraq.  A large chunk of the oil sector now lies within AQ territory.  Bagdad is becoming increasingly isolated. 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/insurgents-seize-iraqi-city-of-mosul-as-troops-flee/2014/06/10/21061e87-8fcd-4ed3-bc94-0e309af0a674_story.html

http://news.yahoo.com/sunni-insurgents-close-iraqs-biggest-oil-refinery-111013537.html

I am waiting to see the response of the Obama administration.  Of course, nothing (publicly) will happen until the news media picks up on the shakiness of the Maliki government.  Will US troops be asked to take the same ground a third time?

[ben says]

Go USA! Go USA! Go USA!

Best country on earth.

Bringing Al Qaeda to your country since 1979!

[finehoe]

I am waiting to see the response of the Obama administration. 

This is their response:  "The United States has been funneling tons of weapons into Iraq -- including sniper rifles, tank rounds and missiles -- to help the government fend off the militants' assaults, but the country's U.S.-trained military has not been able to dislodge them."

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/NEWS/usaedition/2014-06-11-Militants-seize-Iraqi-city-of-MosulUSABrd_ST_U.htm

[NotNow]

I am waiting to see the response of the Obama administration. 

This is their response:  "The United States has been funneling tons of weapons into Iraq -- including sniper rifles, tank rounds and missiles -- to help the government fend off the militants' assaults, but the country's U.S.-trained military has not been able to dislodge them."

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/NEWS/usaedition/2014-06-11-Militants-seize-Iraqi-city-of-MosulUSABrd_ST_U.htm

Many of those weapons belong to someone else now.   The Iraqi Army pulled a French retreat and left their uniforms and weapons.

[NotNow]

http://www.news4jax.com/news/500000-civilians-flee-iraq-fighting/26433318?item=0

This is the same group that our government is funding and supplying in Syria.

Bueller!, Beuller?

[BoldBoyOfTheSouth]

Americans don't really care what's happening in that part of the world anymore.

[NotNow]

I don't think that the American public is that stupid.  What makes you think so?

[NotNow]

Yep, no danger here:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/06/11/world/middleeast/isis-control-map.html?_r=0

[finehoe]

Sounds like you now agree with the rest of us that invading Iraq was a big mistake, NotNow.

[ben says]

Americans don't really care what's happening in that part of the world anymore.

Don't really care "anymore"?

Ha!

When did they care?

....

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

Americans don't really care what's happening in that part of the world anymore.

Don't really care "anymore"?

Ha!

When did they care?

....

When gas was creeping up near $4/g.

That leaves us just under 2 years to get another war conflict hysteria over oil supply.....  to get the political machine started.

[RMHoward]

Easy not to care about any of this except for the loss of American lives attempting to bring a sense of normalcy to that country.  When it happens in Pakistan (and it will), we will all care.  Pakistan does have nuclear weapons.

[NotNow]

Bold Boy and Ben Says...if you don't mind...how old were you when Hussein invaded Kuwait?  How about 9/11/01?   Just curious.

And FH, I was opposed to pulling completely out of Iraq.  It was obvious then that the country would fall to jihadist extremist.  Most Americans don't understand the conflict that we are involved in.  You are being told that the "war" is over.  I am afraid that you will find that it is not.

[finehoe]

I was opposed to pulling completely out of Iraq.  It was obvious then that the country would fall to jihadist extremist.  Most Americans don't understand the conflict that we are involved in.  You are being told that the "war" is over.  I am afraid that you will find that it is not.

So you are more in the John McCain camp:

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/john-mccains-100-years-in-iraq/

[NotNow]

No.  The Germany/Japan model will not work in the Middle East.  The "democracy experiment" will not work there except possibly in Egypt and Lebanon.  These are largely ancient societies, tribal or other loyalties in nature, with a strong social order that is not anxious to change.  To make the description as understandable as possible, America and its citizens are the equivalent of Jews in Germany to these groups.  Young people across that part of the world are being taught that America is the evil that causes all of the pain and poverty in their lives and that same evil debases their religion.  They are taught that criminality and murder against Americans is not only OK, but are rewarded in Heaven.

The Obama administration seems to be of the mind that the "war" is over.   I am waiting to hear what the other side says.