Saturday, March 26, 2016

Stories Like This Depend On Reader's Short Memories

Here is another in a long line of "Bush is to blame for ISIS" stories:

Where did ISIS come from? The story starts here.

The "logic" seems to be that ISIS got its start because Bush did not allow former ruling party officials any role in the new Iraq:

Hashim and other analysts estimate that up to 60 percent of top leadership roles in ISIS are held by ex-Baathists.

But here is the problem with the story line: ISIS was formed in 1999, when GWB was governor of Texas.

Second, ISIS was insignificant until sometime in 2013. Look for yourself: Do a Google search with a time range ending at the start of 2013. You will find nothing related to the terrorist group. So if Bush is to blame for ISIS, how come they never did anything noticeable until 4 years after he left office?

The obvious truth is that yes, ISIS existed for a long time before they gained power (14 years). They only took off after Obama abandoned Iraq. Even Obama claimed in 2011 that:

"Iraq's not a perfect place. It has many challenges ahead. But we're leaving behind a sovereign, stable and self reliant Iraq with a representative government that was elected by its people. We're building a new partnership between our nations and we are ending a war not with a final battle but with a final march toward home. This is an extraordinary achievement,"

So, let me get this straight: Five years after Obama declares success in Iraq, it is Bush's fault everything is falling apart now?