A recent
Real Clear Politics article says fighting ISIS is another Cold War. This analysis is completely wrong. While the effort against Islamic terrorists
may take years, this is not the time to settle in for a long siege of ISIS. The
one thing that makes ISIS superior to other Islamic terrorists is that ISIS
controls territory and proclaims their territory the restored caliphate. But
unlike our Cold War opponents, ISIS is vulnerable because ISIS has an address
that's not protected by nuclear weapons. ISIS has almost no air defense other
than deploying civilian shields, which is a war crime. ISIS makes a million dollars
a day from oil sales. All ISIS military and economic activity takes place in
wide open desert. ISIS has just occupied Sirte, Libya, Muammar Gadaffi's home
town. ISIS is shipping in troops and supplies by sea. As long as the US allows
ISIS to hold territory, ISIS can claim divine intervention has given them
victory of the so-called super power crusader country.
This is not rocket science. Henry Kissinger's diplomacy
is not required. The way to stop ISIS is to destroy their assets, especially
any transportation assets.
There is no way ISIS should be able to move men and
supplies between Raqqa and Mosul over open desert roads against US air
dominance. There is no way ISIS should be able to move its oil from oil fields
to market by truck in the face of competent air attacks. There is no way ISIS
oil fields should still be in operation given what one well planned air attack
can do to a defenseless oil field. There is no way that ISIS should be able to
move men and supplies through the Mediterranean Sea to Sirte, Libya, without a
navy.
Even after budget sequesters, the US military can do
the job as long as the White House lets them do it. And that's the point. The
only reason we need patience is because the White House isn't trying to win and
maybe doesn't even want to win. The White House isn't allowing our pilots to do
the job. The White House is just trying to play out the clock to the end of the
term in January, 2017. Mr. Cannon is probably right that problems with Islamic
terrorists will continue for a long time. But there is no reason to slow walk
the destruction of ISIS.
Article I was reacting to:
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