Syria and Iraq Update - War on Terror 2

Telegraph: Reports " West waging a 'CNN war' in Syria as Isil makes gains in Iraq

While American air strikes on the Syrian border town of Kobane play out in front of the world’s media, Isil has made territorial gains in Iraq "

Lets Get Real:

The Kobane section of the WAR is made for TV, the Western reporters can report from Turkey on the air strategy of President Obama, the reporters can not report directly from the war field as they are under threat from ISIS or IS.  It can be argued and has been that IS has made Kobane a strategic important target, the West can not afford to lose it, it would hit Western morale that in a direct fight between IS and the West it lost to IS.   The fact that IS is gaining ground in Iraq is troubling, the Iraqi Army is not ready, the Syrian Free Army being trained by the US will take months, a period of time that the West does not have, thus the call for Western troops in Syria and Iraq.   The New War on Terror 2 is going to be a long WAR, the West just has to take it time, one day there will be Western ground troops, either under President Obama or his successor. 

2014 Mid Terms and POTUS - 2016 Election

Guardian: Reports on the problems faced by President Obama, " But this year there is more than the traditional six-year itch. Crises in Ukraine, Iraq and Syria; hysteria over Ebola; and an obstructionist Republican Congress that is on pace to pass the fewest number of laws in American history, "

Lets Get Real:

The problem is in part the above, but also the fact that President Obama is NO DEAL MAKER, in the shape of LBJ, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton, you must at least give the impression that you like the House and the Senate, if you want it all your own way then when you hit the skids in the polls there is no support to back you up.  President Obama was treated like the 2nd coming by some in the media, the problem is that he started to read his own press statements.   President Obama is a Chicago Pol, nothing more or less, the liberal press protected him, when they should have been scathing, only Fox News gave him a hard time, that's the only TV News that POTUS watches, he never mentions ABC, NBC, CBS or MSNBC, as they still treat him as secular God.  They are paternal racist in many respects.   Thus with POTUS at the bottom of the polls his fellow Democrats are looking after their own careers, after all Presidents only get two terms, their power wanes to nothing by the last years of their term.   Thus President Obama is out in many respects, the new play is 2016 and will any one on the Democratic side challenge Hillary Clinton for the nomination, IS there another Obama out there, there is still time for a new contender to the Crown. 

The END of the UK War in Afghanistan - Afghan War

MOD: Reports " UK Armed Forces end combat operations in Helmand, paving the way for the final transfer of security to the Afghan National Security Forces. "

Lets Get Real:

Thus some good news, the War in Afghanistan has finished for UK Forces, the cost of the War was " As at 26 April 2014, a total of 453 British forces personnel or MOD civilians have died while serving in Afghanistan since the start of operations in October 2001.

Of these, 404 were killed as a result of hostile action.

49 are known to have died either as a result of illness, non-combat injuries or accidents, or have not yet officially been assigned a cause of death pending the outcome of an investigation. The balance of these figures may change as inquests are concluded. "  The question that must be asked was the WAR worth it, in one respect yes, the Taliban and its ally Al Qaeda were removed from power and influence, the people of Afghanistan are free, there are schools for both genders in Afghanistan, the people of Afghanistan get to elect their own government.    Thus lets comes to the negative aspect, the Taliban and Al Qaeda are still in Afghanistan, they are a constant threat to the new Government in Kabul.   If we leave Afghanistan alone there is a great chance that the Taliban will take over and we will be right back to the same problems as pre 9/11.   This time the Allies have to stay and support the new regime in Kabul, the US is keeping ten thousand troops in Afghanistan, is it enough, who knows, its  a start, the UK and the US can be proud of its actions, but will it be a long term success, that is for the future. 

In The Forest of the Night - Doctor Who Review

Doctor Who News: Reports " 5.03 million viewers watched Doctor Who: In The Forest Of The Night, a share of 21.6% of the total TV audience, according to unofficial overnight figures.  "

Lets Get Real:

My school trips were never like this, yes London, No tree invasion, it would have been more fun if it had been, the Doctor Clara, Danny and his class were caught up in the latest adventure, London had been taken OVER by trees.   The episode was quite pivotal, Danny learned that Clara had not been telling him the truth, he found that she had left books to be marked. The decision by Clara to stay when the Doctor told her this was IT, the fate of mankind was to be taken up by the forest, was quite moving, the Guardian notes "  Here, there is all the brilliantly done doom-and-gloom, end-of-days, Clara-choosing-to-die-with-the-rest-of-humanity stuff. And then – D’oh! – the Doctor just remembers that actually there was no threat in the first place and the trees had sprung up to protect us from the solar flare. "   As a former Teacher this blog would advice Danny not to be act COOL, that is the last thing students want, they want structure, they want order, and NO TREE INVASION would help.  The Telegraph notes, " Peter Capaldi was a delight, too, in this episode; his irascibility with the kids feeling reminiscent of William Hartnell’s cantankerous Doctor. ".  An episode for ALL the family.   This blog is a bit of a fan of the 1st Doctor, the Original as he once said.