Obama's leadership on the Islamic State is in a worse shambles than usual with this administration. Over the weekend the position went from 'IS as a regional menace', to 'an imminent international threat that requires war in Syria', and back again. This is not a strategy for dealing with IS.
Over the weekend Gen. Martin Dempsey did a shocking U-turn, saying ISIS is not currently plotting or planning attacks against the U.S. or Europe.
The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria cannot be defeated unless the United States or its partners take on the Sunni militants in Syria, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Martin E. Dempsey said last Thursday.
“This is an organization that has an apocalyptic end-of-days strategic vision that will eventually have to be defeated. Can they be defeated without addressing that part of the organization that resides in Syria? The answer is no.” (Source)
But on Monday Dempsey made a U-turn and said IS is no immediate threat. (Source)
Actually the idea to attack IS in Syria was a major departure from the awkward contradiction of supporting IS in Syria while fighting it in Iraq. The Obama regime now appears to have returned to that position. So what is going on?