The author walks through a market in Baghdad with Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno in 2007. Photo by Staff Sgt. Curt Cashour/U.S. Army

Emma Sky, Slate: How Obama Abandoned Iraq

Why the rise of ISIS and the fall of Iraq weren’t inevitable.

As hard as I try to move beyond Iraq, the country still sucks me back. Last June, I tried to cut off completely, heading off on horse back into the mountains of Kyrgyzstan. At one of the shepherds’ lodgings, I was surprised to find access to Wi-Fi. I connected my iPad to download my email and there in my inbox was an email from a U.S. general and a number of media requests for interviews. Mosul had been overrun by ISIS.

I could not stay away. I had to go back to see for myself what was happening. I had first gone to Iraq in 2003, when I responded to the British government’s request for volunteers to help rebuild the country after the fall of the regime and found myself responsible for Kirkuk, trying to diffuse tensions between the different Iraqis scrambling to control the province. During the surge and the drawdown of U.S. forces, I had served as the political adviser to Gen. Ray Odierno. I left with him in September 2010 but had been back to the country a couple of times every year since, unable to let go, unable to stop caring.

WNU Editor: The first thing that surprised me about this commentary/analysis is that it is in Slate .... a news source that has given President Obama "a pass" on many issues. But on this one ... they definitely do not. This is a brutal commentary/analysis on President Obama's policies in the region .... and one that should give everyone pause on what is happening in the region. Regardless of your political leanings or preferences .... this is a must read. As to what is my take .... I think the White House is in shock with what is happening .... and I am seeing a lot of self-denials .... both within the White House and among their media supporters. The only thing that is going for the administration is the American public's deep reluctance to get involved in another Middle Eastern war .... especially in a war that even the White House is reluctant to expand and get more involved in. But the situation is getting worse .... and whether it is now or later .... the White House will have to soon start making some very hard decisions.