The verdict is already in-Americans SOUNDLY reject more military adventurism in Iraq
Washington, D.C. needs to understand that the United States of America citizenry, after the debacles in Libya, Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan will no longer tolerate ANY military adventurism anywhere in the world period end of story the end!
First, when military authorization was given for adventurism in Libya, look at Gallup's daily tracking of President Obama's approval ratings in 2011:
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/data/popularity.php
04/08/2011 04/10/2011 45 46 9
04/07/2011 04/09/2011 45 46 9
04/06/2011 04/08/2011 44 47 9
04/05/2011 04/07/2011 45 47 8
04/04/2011 04/06/2011 45 47 8
04/03/2011 04/05/2011 45 45 10
04/02/2011 04/04/2011 46 45 9
04/01/2011 04/03/2011 46 45 9
03/31/2011 04/02/2011 46 46 8
03/30/2011 04/01/2011 46 45 9
03/29/2011 03/31/2011 47 44 9
03/28/2011 03/30/2011 49 43 8
03/27/2011 03/29/2011 49 44 7
03/26/2011 03/28/2011 48 45 7
03/25/2011 03/27/2011 45 48 7
03/24/2011 03/26/2011 46 46 8
03/23/2011 03/25/2011 47 46 7
03/22/2011 03/24/2011 46 46 8
03/21/2011 03/23/2011 45 46 9
03/20/2011 03/22/2011 45 46 9
03/19/2011 03/21/2011 44 46 10
03/18/2011 03/20/2011 46 44 10
03/17/2011 03/19/2011 46 45 9
03/16/2011 03/18/2011 49 43 8
03/15/2011 03/17/2011 51 42 7
Before we began our military adventure in Libya, President Obama was at 51% approval and riding high. He PLUNGED in the days and weeks after as shown above. Libya began Saturday, March. 19, 2011.
When talk of military adventurism in Syria surfaced, review the below:
09/14/2013 09/16/2013 45 46 9
09/13/2013 09/15/2013 45 45 10
09/12/2013 09/14/2013 44 46 10
09/11/2013 09/13/2013 44 46 10
09/10/2013 09/12/2013 45 47 8
09/09/2013 09/11/2013 44 47 9
09/08/2013 09/10/2013 45 47 8
09/07/2013 09/09/2013 43 48 9
09/06/2013 09/08/2013 43 48 9
09/05/2013 09/07/2013 42 48 10
09/04/2013 09/06/2013 43 48 9
09/03/2013 09/05/2013 43 49 8
09/02/2013 09/04/2013 45 48 7
09/01/2013 09/03/2013 43 49 8
08/31/2013 09/02/2013 44 47 9
08/30/2013 09/01/2013 43 48 9
08/29/2013 08/31/2013 45 48 7
08/28/2013 08/30/2013 45 47 8
08/27/2013 08/29/2013 46 47 7
08/26/2013 08/28/2013 45 47 8
08/25/2013 08/27/2013 44 48 8
08/24/2013 08/26/2013 42 49 9
08/23/2013 08/25/2013 45 47 8
08/22/2013 08/24/2013 47 46 7
08/21/2013 08/23/2013 49 43 8
08/20/2013 08/22/2013 48 44 8
48% approval-dropped 6 points to 42% during the push for Syrian action.
Just 2 days ago, the day that this Iraq war talk began, President Obama had been surging in Rasmussen up to 48% approval. I remember thinking that the Republicans cutting and running on the border immigration issue had helped the President by passing a joke of a bill may have been a turning point and given us an excellent fall campaign issue to push for comprehensive immigration reform including a path to citizenship, dreamers, etc.
Where is he today, you may ask?
RCP Average 7/24 - 8/8 -- 41.1 54.1 -13.0
Rasmussen Reports 8/6 - 8/8 1500 LV 44 55 -11
Gallup has him at 44% but I have watched Gallup since the day 44 was inaugurated. Gallup ALWAYS follows Rasmussen trends. Rasmussen has actually been favorable for the President's approval ratings since their 2012 Romney cheerleading debacle. So, for 44 to be already down at 44% approval since the Iraq decision is very bad. Its not just 1 daily tracking poll that has shown this pattern. It happened after Libya, happened during the Syria debacle and is happening again now. So, I am not freaking over 1 single poll.
My primary concern is having the best possible political environment for Democrats in Nov. 2014 and for our nominee in the 2016 cycle. You would think that advisers like Jarrett, Podesta and Biden would get that a military adventure in Iraq would kill us in the midterms like Iraq was the primary driving force along with Katrina and the Mark Foley scandal secondarily for the GOP getting crushed in 2006.
President Obama needs to end this military adventure in Iraq now before we face a bloodbath in November.
What should he do instead? He should pivot to announcing his executive orders on immigration reform and the border refugee crisis since the GOP house is incapable of passing even basic legislation and trumpet the 4% GDP growth rate in Q2 along with unemployment down to 6.2% among other things.
Surely, he knows that following the dictates and whims of John Mccain, someone he defeated like a drum in 2008, and Lindsey Graham, is a recipe for political defeat since he exploited Mccain's insanity to win in the first place!
Now, I was horrified at what is happening to the Christian minority and the Yazzidis in Iraq. In fact, you know what, before I saw these poll numbers, I even supported the President's military action in Iraq. However, the President's top priority is to listen to the American people for one and he is also charged, as the leader of our political party, with leaving us in good shape for 2014 and 2016.
President Obama needs to understand that America is sick of war anywhere for whatever reason and will not tolerate it. This military adventure in Iraq also runs the risk of allowing the eventual GOP nominee in 2016 to paint the Dems as the party of war and the GOP as the party of peace. We all know that it is bullshit but don't put it underneath the GOP nominee to run that way for a second especially if the eventual nominee is from the libertarian wing of the party!
Stay the hell out of Gaza, Ukraine, Syria, Libya, Iraq, Iran and focus domestically. Hell, if he hadn't attacked Libya in 2011, there would have been no Bhengazi and the Republicans would have had zero talking points whatsoever in the 2012 fall campaign! That is the path towards 2014 and 2016 victory.
This present path is the path towards 1968. I'll just leave it at that. Flame away. Call me callous but I don't think its wrong to want the President to follow a path that is most advantageous for us to win in 2014 and 2016. Its hardly callous either listening to the will of the American people.