I Don't Know

++I wish more pundits and Beltway types would say,"I don't know." The fog of war clouds the analysts and policy-makers alike.

++For instance,if ISIS is an existential threat and as Lindsey Graham says," we are all going to die", then shouldn't our response be proportionate to the threat? Shouldn't Congress come back into session to declare war? And what is the legal basis for us to bomb Syria? President Obama fudged our legal basis in Iraq but at least drew two claims: 1.) the humanitarian;2.) our national interests because huge numbers of Americans are in Baghdad and Erbil.

++President Obama leaped into another rationale during his UN speech. That is that ISIS is a threat to world order and is antithetical to all the values held up by the global community. Today, his talk to the nation was how America leads the world. The Economist sees him come reluctantly to this position and that it was about time and congratulated him on his adroit policy of creating a coalition that has the predominately Sunni theocrats involved. He has also brought Europe along with Belgium, Denmark, Holland joining the UK,France and Germany.

++There have been a slew of articles criticizing the President's strategy and carping at the coalition partners. The effect of his actions have not unified a country or silenced critics as the second invasion of Iraq had done. There is a silent stirring. No one can quite formulate a rational response.

++We have the fear-mongers. But consider this,after 9-11,we have had only a few botched terrorism plots and the Boston Marathon bombings. Intelligence officials say that the number of Americans with ISIS has been vastly overblown. We have our own Christian jihadists who want to invoke a holy war against ISIS. Ted Cruz just wants to bomb them without any thought to the politics on the ground. 

++With the media ramping up the war talk,do we not believe that the trillion plus we put into creating the Department of Homeland Security and the whole anti-terrorism apparatus works? Has all the effort to create Gulag airlines and all the inconveniences put into to make the average American's life miserable been a waste? Is the vast NSA spy apparatus which Edward Snowden revealed just a scam? I could see that. But I have to wonder how rapidly Americans have taken the war bait and thrown all these considerations out the window.

++In the last few days, Administration spokespeople have put a three-year time frame on the ISIS operation. But we know from the past that it could be perpetual. What is the end-game? How does that become self-evident? Is it just when we get tired? When General Marshall analyzed America's stomach for war, he basically said that the American people had a four year tolerance. This was before an all-volunteer military and charging wars to the national credit card.

++The Republicans are campaigning on their great terrorist hunting prowess, which puzzles me given their past. But they will debate the issue in the new Congress, not the lame duck session. And how much will President Obama give them? More austerity and cutting the safety net so he can have free reign on this fight. 

++What disturbs me is that it is rapidly becoming clear that the fight against ISIS will take up the rest of his term. That is a pity. He only got half a pivot to Asia.And he will face defensive action to defend what he has achieved. I just hope I make it to Medicare before the GOP dismantles Obamacare.

++Are we going to have a nuclear deal with Iran? Will Congress allow any such deal or are we going to retrace the steps of the past? Is Iran sacrificing Al Qaeda in Syria for a better deal? Cadres of Al Qaeda who were held in Iran for several years had been allowed to cross Iraq into Syria. It is clear that Tehran has allowed them to be targeted. Is Turkey reluctant to get involved in the Syrian conflict because of their relationship with Tehran?

++And what is America's interest in remaining so upfront in the Middle East when the economic interests at this stage are minimal? 

++As I began,"I don't know." This is no sense pretending to know because anything being said now is high-brow gossip.

++These are complex issues and fascinating when you get into the weeds to try and understand them. But one of the most important issues is how they impact on our constitutional order. And again,"I don't know".

++I would like to see the American public have some skin in the game. I would like to see a Financial Transaction Tax and luxury good tax to pay for these adventures. I would like to see a new type of draft--military or public service. Otherwise, what does your opinion really mean? The odds of you being a victim of a terrorist attack are practically nil.So what practical effect do you have on what is transpiring? Again," I don't know."