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PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA has not decided how to respond to rampant Sunni militants grabbing swathes of Iraq, but is looking at every option short of sending US combat soldiers back to war.
Officials said last night that Obama had not ruled out any possible courses of action, including air strikes against ISIS fighters.
Signs also emerged of rising US pressure on Shiite Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who is being blamed in Washington for causing Iraq to splinter after discriminating against the minority Sunni community.
But there were no signs that renewed US military action was imminent in a war Obama had declared at an end in 2011, hoping to cement his political legacy.
“The only thing the president has ruled out is sending troops back into combat in Iraq, but he continues to consider other options,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said.
“Work is being done that will help us see with more clarity what the options available to the president are,” Carney added, when asked to clarify whether Obama had ruled out air strikes.
Secretary of State John Kerry reinforced the message in an interview with NBC television.
“Nothing is off the table. All options are still available to the president,” Kerry said, adding Obama was “very intensely vetting” his plan.
Obama’s other options include a possible drone campaign against ISIL forces, which have seized Iraqi cities including Tikrit and Mosul, or stepped up assistance and training to Iraqi government forces.
Squandered gains
One official said that, while there was rampant speculation in Washington about US responses to the seizures of vast swathes of territory in Iraq by ISIL, Obama ”has not made a decision.”
Vice President Joe Biden, traveling in South America, drove home the US message that Maliki needs to lead all Iraqis, not just Shiites.
He told the Iraqi leader in a telephone call that he must govern in an “inclusive manner, promote stability and unity among Iraq’s population, and address the legitimate needs of Iraq’s diverse communities,” a White House statement said.
Earlier, the top US military officer, General Martin Dempsey, blamed the Iraqi government for the deepening sectarian mire.
“There is very little that could have been done to overcome the degree to which the government of Iraq had failed its people,” the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
“That’s what has caused this problem,” Dempsey told lawmakers when asked if the United States could have taken action to counter the advance of Sunni militants.
A Wall Street Journal report said that Washington wanted Maliki out, believing that he would never preside over an inclusive Iraqi state.
US officials publicly say it is up to Iraqis to chose their leaders, but pledge to continually point out that governing in a non-sectarian way is a crucial qualification for office.
Earlier, Iraq had officially requested US air support against the rebels who have occupied some key cities during an eight-day offensive.
Obama met Democratic Congressional chiefs Senate Majority leader Harry Reid and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Republican party bosses, House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
The meeting took place against revived and fierce political debate, with Republicans saying Obama had squandered the gains of a bloody war that was essentially won when he pulled out all US troops nearly three years ago.
Democrats charge that former president George W. Bush blew the lid off Iraq’s bottled up sectarian stew by invading the country in 2003 and that Maliki threw away a chance for a stable future for Iraq wrought by US blood and treasure.
Before Boehner joined the talks, he asked for a “broader strategy for how we help keep the freedom that we paid dearly for the people of Iraq.”
Partisan clash
After the leaders emerged, McConnell underscored the partisan clash over Iraq.
“Unfortunately, Iraqi security forces are now less capable than when the president withdrew the entirety of our force without successfully negotiating a remaining US presence capable of preserving our gains and mentoring our partners,” McConnell said.
Pelosi said she was pleased Obama would not send troops back to Iraq and argued Obama would not need new authorization from Congress if he took military action in Iraq.
McConnell also later told reporters Obama believed he did not need new authorization from lawmakers to act.
The row over what to do about the current crisis in Iraq also drew in a venerable combatant: former vice president Dick Cheney, who penned a savage critique of Obama’s foreign policy on the Journal’s opinion page.
“Rarely has a US president been so wrong about so much at the expense of so many,” Cheney said in a column co-authored by daughter Liz Cheney, a former State Department official.
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I was hoping it wouldn’t be true about Bill but my hope is slowly fading.
Maybe he isn’t commenting so that trial by media can kick off and he can then claim that he has no chance of getting a fair trial?
Why is this not a race issue,? All the victims so.far are white, if it was a white male and the victims were black, the riots would be in full swing
Bernard – we do not know all the victims yet as it would seem there are more to come forward.
In all fairness, most women in the US are white, so if you’re going to go out and rape a load of random women, statistically speaking, they’ll probably be white.
This analysis is inexplicably omitted from most introductory stats courses.
Most U.S. Women are white? Where’d you get that statistic?
Without knowing the actual figures, there really isn’t any doubt that the majority of people (and therefore presumably women) in the US are white. And that stands even if you exclude hispanic white people (which I wouldn’t).
Brian- It’s only from Wikipedia, cause I’m not arsed getting a better source but whatevs. It mentions the US census.
“White Americans are the racial majority, with a 77.7% share of the U.S. population, according to the 2013 U.S. Census. Hispanic and Latino Americans amount to 17.1% of the population, making up the largest minority. African Americans are the largest racial minority, amounting to 13.2% of the population. The White, non-Hispanic or Latino population make up 62.6% of the nation’s total.”
I’m starting to get confused with my maths now actually, and I’m not sure that I’m right. =/ Too many numbers.
Not looking good Bill
Not looking good indeed
Ghost dad Janice,it was ghost dad.
Nor is Janice these days – ‘twould be like sleeping with Steven Tyler …
Was he too good to be true I wonder?.
He always looked so smug. Does this make him a rapist?. Janet Dickinson not too stable herself.
Only time will tell.
Of course Mary, I totally forgot that only well adjusted stable people get raped. People who are not too stable never do. And no looking smug does not make you a rapist.
“He always looked so smug. Does this make him a rapist?”
No – pretty sure it’s raping that makes someone a rapist.
“Janet Dickinson not too stable herself.”
Ah, of course! I forgot that only stable people get raped. Amazing point.
It’s hard to doubt that many victims and I can well believe it’s true but that’s for a court to decide, kinda weird though that in his previous comedy gigs he joked about drugging women to rape them, guess art imitates life or vice versa!
Stand up link for anyone who wants to listen to it
Bill Cosby – Spanish Fly: http://youtu.be/LAorIG6MZnc
The passage of time alone would have made that sound very off-colour, but wow – it REALLY sounds bad now. Ew.
It’s a bit like that time Rolf Harris turned out to have recorded a video of the song “My Body’s Nobody’s Body But Mine” with a bunch of kids. Only not _quite_ as ironic.
Janice Dickinson didn’t even know which one of her lovers was the father of her baby, that tells us all we need to know.
Does it? How so?
So it’s ok for her to be raped?
She’s a fame hungry tramp. See I’m a celebrity series one.
You say rape, I say surprise.
It certainly wasn’t series one of I’m a celebrity
Fact, have you got a riddle for us by any chance?
Disgusting comment fact. Shame on you.
She was a top model in the earlier years and she was on america’ s next top model as a judge .
Stop feeding the troll guys, FFS.
I always thought Lisa Bonet looked uncomfortable in his company on the Cosby Show ….
Do not look at Angel Heart Pontius – it will make you feel oh so old !
Quit talking dung will ya.
Alex Ferguson is next. Tick Tock.
Libellous to say the least. In a couple of years you’d get 5 years for that
he didn’t give an address – how many Mr. Ferguson’s on the Planet …loads of them !
@the truth – there is no libel any more
“there is no libel any more”
What on earth is that supposed to mean?
He’s the Jimmy saville of nbc .
I can remember that he was always a bit too touchy feely with that girl that played his daughter. From what I can remember she fits the profile of his type of victim.
As in she was female.
no young and innocent looking and over the top pretty
It is time for Bill to pay the bill.
Cosby not payin the bill he’s gonna go to jail!
Sheeeeee and I thought I was alone…….
Anyone who makes a show as terrible as the Cosby Show, is obviously a deviant of some sort. Terrible, terrible show.
@thetruth: What part of my comment is ‘libellous’? Why could I go to jail? I didn’t threaten anyone.
Are you offended? Go tell your mammy.
Your understanding of libel is comparable to your understanding of “Reply” buttons.
Zzźing well said zozzy
I like this new Zozzy guy.
I never knew another one my childhood Heroes masked in sleaze
Is this a riddle?
have your say