Obama's "impenetrable narrative," and the Paris presser.

Our colleague David Habakkuk remarked here that LTG Flynn and the DIA encountered in Obama's Borgist administration an "impenetrable narrative."  This narrative and the smug self-assurance behind the narrative were on display at Obama's pre-departure press conference at Paris on 1 December, 2015.

Things he said and what he looked like:

Syria.  Paraphrasing - "I have been convinced for the LAST FIVE YEARS that Assad must go, must be removed from office."  Well, pilgrims, five years ago was BEFORE the Syrian Civil War.  Did he simply misspeak?  Did he mean four years?  Or, was this a Freudian slip in which he really admitted that he had decided to get rid of Assad BEFORE the civil war began?  If he really did mean five years then the accusation that the US, Saudi Arabia and Israel promoted the revolt in the context of "The Arab Spring" gains weight in the debate over the origins of the civil war.

Jihadi groups in the Syrian National Congress (SNC).  Paraphrasing - "Some of these groups are not people we have much in common with and we know that the transition post-Assad will be 'messy' but these groups are important to some other countries in our coalition..."  Can there be any doubt that he was referring to Sultan Tayyip's Turkey, Wahhabi Saudi Arabia and Wahhabi Qatar?  Do he and his Borgist crew not understand that these Islamist forces seek a Syria in which their varied visions of a Sunni Islamic future are triumphant and in which religious minorities are reduced to dhimmitude.  Is this what the emperor of us all thinks is a desirable outcome in Syria?

Russia.  Paraphrasing - "They will 'come around' to our view about Syria and accept that what we want must be."  Once again, pilgrims, I see nothing in anything the Russians are doing that indicates they are going to "come around."

The War.  Paraphrasing - "Nothing the Russians have done since they began their operations in Syria has changed the situation.  They will eventually understand that a military solution in Syria is not possible."  SWMBO listened to that and remarked that this man knows nothing of war.  I agree.

 US Politics. Paraphrasing - "I rely on the wisdom of the American people to insure the election of a Democrat as my successor."  Remarkable.  In 75 years I have not seen an American president inject party into discourse on foreign soil and at an international meeting.  Remarkable.

Turkey. Paraphrasing.  "I am assured that Turkey will seal its border against movement of IS oil, people and supplies."  Sultan Tayyip must believe that he has already died and gone to heaven.

His attitude.  His imperial majesty displayed the now familiar petulant disdain for all who dared question him.  The atmosphere was the kind of thing one sees in meetings in which a teacher tries to contain his patronizing of students.  His reference to the UK as "the Brits" was painful to hear.  pl

Comments

[different clue]

Brunswick,

I found Professor Landis's "Syria Comment" blog so agonizingly micro-detailed that I couldn't bear to read very much of it. I suspect Syria Comment might be just the place to find that drill-down for every little group in Syria.

[different clue]

Thinking further about names for groups, perhaps the R + 6 might literally want to rename itself the Coalition Of Lawful Authority. That acronyms to COLA. COLA is sweet. COLA is tasty. COLA is warm and fuzzy ( actually cold and fizzy . . . but the point is the same). With a name like COLA, the R + 6 could begin to win friends and influence people.

[FB Ali]

This commentary on some of the things Obama said at his news conference is right on the mark. And worth reading.

He concludes by saying: "After watching Obama’s news conference, one perhaps can hope that he is just speaking out of multiple sides of his mouth as he is wont to do.........Or maybe President Obama has simply lost touch with reality – and with common human decency".

https://consortiumnews.com/2015/12/02/obama-ignores-russian-terror-victims/

[Ishmael Zechariah]

Tyler,
These creatures have advanced degrees but I would not call them "educated", let alone "highly educated". "Narrowly trained" might be apt. David Habakkuk calls them "fachidioten" which is very appropriate. It is damn hard to translate.
http://www.collinsdictionary.com/submission/1182/fachidiot
Ishmael Zechariah

[different clue]

Valissa,

It depends what you mean by achievements. He got his Obamacare bailout for Big Insura passed. He and his Attorney General Holder successfully prevented the prosecution of plausibly prosecutable FIRE sector operators long enough that the statute of limitations has run out on triability for their possible crimes. He successfully co-conspired with Speaker Boehner and the Republicans to make the Bush Tax Cuts permanent. He immunised and impunified all the CheneyBushAdmin War Criminals with his "look forward not back" policy. Those are all real achievements. They are bad achievements. But they are real. And they have given rise to the embryonice new word "obamacrime" which may well enter the language.

And they are part of what he expects to be paid hundreds of millions of dollars in return for after he leaves office.

Oh, and . . . he has set up his Obamatrade agreements just one short step to passage by an anti-American pro Free Trade Treason Congress. That too is very close to being an achievement.

[William R. Cumming]

What would be best or worse for the USA FP and IC communities, a NOBEL PEACE PRIZE for Putin or Snowden?

[Valissa]

different clue, I was referring to no significant achievements prior to being elected, which is what I think tv was also referring to.

[OIFVet]

Occam's Razor, dude. 'Nuff said. Anything else smacks of Kremlinology. I am having hard enough time getting over the Pentagon's diagnosis of Putin as "autistic"...

[annamaria]

This is not about hubris anymore. This is about a decay. https://theintercept.com/2015/12/04/u-s-first-shields-its-torturers-and-war-criminals-from-prosecution-now-officially-honors-them/?comments=1#comments
"...the Obama administration has moved from legally protecting Bush-era war criminals to honoring and gushing over them in public. Yesterday, the House of Representatives unveiled a marble bust of former Vice President Cheney, which — until a person of conscience vandalizes or destroys it — will reside in Emancipation Hall of the U.S. Capitol."
Cheering the bestest war profiteer and defacer of the US Constitution.
The US have become a beacon of what?

[different clue]

Ali,

Starting a serious third party would be a multi-decades effort, not for the short of attention span or the instant of gratification.

[different clue]

no one,

It would fit right in with Obama's " Bad Putin! Bad! Bad! Bad Putin!" narrative.