When will Hillary Clinton give up her candidacy ?

I think I started the "dears".

However, it not a given that Iraq caused ISIS or it wouldn't have popped up regardless.

Lash wrote:

Schlemiel, schlimazel...

Schlemiel - a stupid, awkward or unlucky person
Schlimazel - a consistently unlucky or accident prone person

I wasn't sure, so I looked 'em up!

The US has accused President Assad of responsibility for widespread atrocities and says he must go. But it agrees on the need for a negotiated settlement to end the war and the formation of a transitional administration.

The US supports Syria's main opposition alliance, the National Coalition, and provides limited military assistance to "moderate" rebels.

Since September 2014, the US has been conducting air strikes on IS and other jihadist groups in Syria as part of an international coalition against the jihadist group. But it has avoided attacks that might benefit Mr Assad's forces or intervening in battles between them and the rebels.

A programme to train and arm 5,000 Syrian rebels to take the fight to IS on the ground has suffered embarrassing setbacks, with few having even reached the frontline.

From what I heard the programme to recruit 5,000 rebels was a disaster with most deserting, joining IS, surrendering to IS and selling their weapons. Only 4 or 5 actually went on to fight Assad.

A $500m effort over the last two years by the United States to train Arab opposition forces in Syria failed. General Lloyd Austin, commander of US Central Command, told the Senate last month that it had resulted in only a handful of fighters actively battling the jihadi army. “We’re talking four or five,” Austin said.

Thousands of US forces are deployed in neighboring Iraq – where local forces are also fighting groups identifying themselves as Isis – in what the White House has described as a training and advisory role. The US troops lead and assist local fighters and help coordinate airstrikes against enemy positions. The Pentagon says the troops have rarely, if ever, participated directly in combat against Isis fighters. Last week a US soldier participating in a raid on a compound near the city of Kirkuk, Iraq, to free dozens of Iraqi prisoners from captivity was killed.

The change in approach in Syria coincides with Russian intervention against a variety of rebel groups fighting Assad and a decision to invite Iran to the Vienna peace talks.


Administration sources also told the Guardian that the US would be enhancing military assistance to Jordan and Lebanon to help their governments fight Isis.

No. I disagree with the NRA. Most organizations go too far, so I'm not a "joiner."

I merely have a gun and practice shooting in safe environment.

It's taken me a dozen years go not cringe at "sweetie".