Beware Of Turkey

Me thinks Turkey with their Islamist leader may be another can or worms for the United States and the region.  Another ally of sorts who has mixed allegiances due to mixed needs.

It was questioned why Turkey said no to our use of air bases within their borders while the air strikes against ISIL were being formulated.  It was thought perhaps because the newly re-elected Erdogan explained the leanings of his countrymen.  Not a comforting thought for the rest of the region.

Then he was given some slack when it became known that ISIL held a sizable group of Turks that were captured when ISIL over ran Mosul. Ah, that explains it.  Concern for the hostages.  Don't affiliate in any manner with the Great Satan.

Then duel headlines this morning sent a chill through me.  One was that some 60,000 Kurds were fleeing over the border to the relative safety of Turkey.  The other  was that the hostages have been released.  The reports are that it was some well executed rescue mission but I can't help but wonder.  We couldn't extract two and the Turks rescued forty nine?

Okay, our commander-in-chief, who has no military experience what so ever, meddles in everything military and that may have had something to our bungled mission. Still, the language of the reports are suspect when on one hand it was credited to a well executed rescue mission and on the other it talks of their having been handed over.  The two aren't compatible. When the double talk stops I'll take another look at Turkey and their intentions but for now I don't see them as an ally at all and putting aside Edogan's leanings, I don't blame them.

We can put 3000 of our military into Africa to fight Ebola which is not a threat to our national security at this point. Yes, it's a deadly disease in undeveloped countries, but it's a medical problem, not a military one.

Maybe the President doesn't think our troops are in danger there but I beg to differ.  If it migrates into our troops it will be as deadly to them just as much if their boots were on the ground fighting ISIL.  They actually may have a better chance fighting ISIL because it's what they've been trained to do and regardless what we're told, the movement is a threat more far reaching in the long run and certainly more difficult to detain.

Every day the world around us becomes more frightening with the Russians and Chinese buzzing our shores with war planes, the allies defying us at every turn and perhaps most of all the President insisting he personally signs off on every air strike planned for Syria.

Golf any one?