Defense Secretary Ash Carter pauses as he testifies during the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, July 7, about Counter-ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) Strategy. Carter and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Martin Dempsey face questions from members of the Senate panel about President Barack Obama’s strategy to defeat Islamic State militants. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Our laughable foreign policy is enough to make you cry:
The strategy of President Barack Obama’s administration for combating the Islamic State depends on training a large force of moderate Syrian rebels capable of defeating the militants on the ground. At least for now, the Islamic State can breathe easy: After months of work and millions of dollars spent, U.S. officials say they’ve only managed to bring in a grand total of 60 such fighters for training.
Defense Secretary Ash Carter surprised many lawmakers during a Senate hearing Tuesday when he shared the stunningly small figure, in part because defense officials had previously said that 90 fighters had passed through a rigorous vetting process and were being trained by American troops at a facility in Jordan. In his remarks Tuesday, Carter didn’t address the discrepancy.
Then again, given how immoderate Islamic “moderates” usually turn out to be, maybe this isn’t so bad.
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