As of now, I am in control here, in the White House

White House Blames Bush for ISIS

Posted on by • 28 Comments

This is one from last week, which everyone missed. It’s an exchange in the White House briefing room between a reporter and White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest:

Q  Jeb Bush said yesterday that “ISIS didn’t exist when my brother was President.” He has a point, doesn’t he?

MR. EARNEST: No, I don’t think that he does. We’ve sort of been through the history here.

Q  ISIS didn’t exist when his brother was President.

MR. EARNEST: Well, again, I think that’s missing the point, actually. But I’ll allow others to critique his position.

Q  I mean, what about that, though? I mean, ISIS — the larger point there is that because the President decided to complete a full withdrawal from Iraq — and of course we can go back and debate the circumstances around that, but you didn’t have the status forces agreement with the Iraqi’s that you wanted to have and so forth — that that vacuum allowed ISIS to develop into the threat to this country and to that region that they are today. Isn’t there something to that?

MR. EARNEST: No, there’s not. Because, again, the outgrowth of — we know that ISIL was an outgrowth of al Qaeda in Iraq that did not exist prior to the fateful decision made by the previous administration to launch an invasion of that country. And that is also a relevant fact.

Gosh. Maybe Bush in turn should have blamed Woodrow Wilson for the way he helped redraw the map of the Middle East after World War I.

Share on FacebookTweet about this on TwitterShare on RedditShare on LinkedInEmail this to someone

Related Posts

  • Joshing in Earnest

    White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest came to the briefing room today equipped with a bit…

  • Video || Meet Josh Earnest

    Here's a little get-to-know you interview with President Obama's new press secretary by Politico's Mike…

  • Bush Tweets

    Former President George W. Bush has joined Facebook with a fan page and is also…

28 Responses to White House Blames Bush for ISIS

  1. Welcome back from the holiday–big story in WaPo on how the liberals, so long ashamed and submerged, are on the way back! And–of course, the usual tagging of the list of Republicans aspirants as clowns. The press is surely going to be “fair” this time out. Of course, ISIS is Bush’s fault–makes perfect sense to these people.

  3. I love the fact that the reporters are finally making an attempt to back them into a corner.

    I mean really, when does the element of common sense just raise it’s ugly head and take over ?
    Accountability be damned, blame it on somebody else, quickly, they are seeing through us !

    Seeing these lackeys squirm is refreshing.

    More squirming please.

    HaHaHa,…love it !

  4. This exchange is exactly why the public has no respect for today’s press – a juvenile exercise in who’s to blame.
    Maybe it was PresClinton’s fault for not doing something, maybe it was PresFord’s lack of understanding, who knows why these radicals came to power.
    The issue is today’s threat, not who caused it.
    The question should have been – what is MrObama doing about ISIS today?

    • The question should have been – what is MrObama doing about ISIS today?

      He is working hard to establish relationships with the foreign countries.
      The talks are ongoing, therefore I cannot comment on the proceedings.

      Remember the last scene in Raider’s of the Lost Arc,…..

  5. Same old, same old. Blame GWB for everything under the sun. Nice try, Josh.

    I’m still peeved over Obummer’s PATHETIC statement last week when he said, “I don’t think we’re losing” against ISIS. I’ve never heard such a lame, weak statement from a POTUS.

    On that note, Michael Goodwin’s column today is very good:

    http://nypost.com/2015/05/23/obamas-fecklessness-on-islamic-terror/

    The stirring speeches of yesteryear inspired us then, and still do. In times of grave danger, great leaders rallied their nations with appeals to duty and visions of victory.

    “With confidence in our armed forces, with the unbounding determination of our people, we will gain the inevitable triumph — so help us God,” FDR said after Pearl Harbor.

    “We shall not fail or falter; we shall not weaken or tire. Neither the sudden shock of battle nor the long-drawn trials of vigilance and exertion will wear us down. Give us the tools and we will finish the job,” Winston Churchill said in 1941.

    “I have full confidence in your courage and devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full victory!” Gen. Dwight Eisenhower said in his D-Day address to Allied troops.

    Then there is Barack Obama. After the Islamic State won major battles in Iraq and Syria last week, he said: “I don’t think we’re losing.”

    Oy, how the mighty have fallen.

    Commanders and commanders in chief always spoke of victory because nothing less was acceptable. When peace was not an option, triumph was the only reason to fight.

    Obama has put himself at odds not just with that history, but with the very concept of national leadership. Nowhere has his failing been as obvious as in the fight against Islamic terrorism.

    Beginning with his foolish refusal to concede the Islamic roots of Islamic terror, Obama’s uncertain course created the vacuum filled by the Islamic State. Brutally determined to build a modern caliphate, it now controls about half of Syria and, after seizing the major Iraqi city of Ramadi, controls a huge portion of that country as well.

    It was after those shocking gains that Obama made his bizarre observation about not losing. That seems to be good enough for him.

    You can read the rest at the link above.

  6. I’m still ticked off b/c he patted himself on the back yesterday at the Memorial by bragging that Afghanistan was a success and everyone has come home from the battlefield.
    He didn’t mention that there were 3x the casualties on his watch, or anything about the resurgence of the Taliban.
    Obama is delusional, as usual.

  7. And this leak has been all over the Net these days : ” Secret Pentagon Report: US created ISIS as a tool to overthrow Syrias President Assad” ( Judicial Watch, Zero Hedge ).
    If this is true I believe it happened under Obamas watch. Many wonder why it is so hard to defeat ISIS, why their occupied oilfields are never bombed, why they can continue to ship oil and make money. Well, someone must protect them.They are a useful tool.

      • Star, well, I must say that it looks more like the Saudis hatched them. So, maybe the Saudis installed and supervise and, well, Obama has nothing to say about it, he doesn´t really object.

        • So the Saudis with their planes bombing them–this is just a diversion. Yes, Bin Laden had high-level backing–he was high level in the Kingdom. Sorry–not buying it–I don’t think they have a clue how to get Assad out–but ISIS does not even have that as a priority. I guess we’ll see.

  9. We knew that was coming sooner or later. Bush is responsible for all the bad things in the world and Bumbles is the savior of mankind. (Yes, it was difficult to type that with a straight face!)

  10. The White House Administration’s complete lack of respect for the Press & the American people is aligned closely with thugs not respecting Police authority. I think I hear this quote: “Leave me alone – I didn’t do nothin’. It’s the man trying to put me down”.

  11. It goes beyond blaming Bush…frequently in his speeches and interviews, Barry acts as if someone else has been president since 2009…he blames the state of everything on the Republicans, “the system,” “corporate fat cats,” law enforcement or whatever other villain-of-the-day he comes up with. Zero accountability.

  12. I appreciate everyone’s comment!
    I still cannot understand why he (o) let so many Generals, and experienced military go.
    They have or slipping into our Country and they want to play the blame game, and leaving most citizens concerned for our future.
    He does not tell us that the best intelligence is working on these maniacs. He is not telling us we will succeed in keeping them from harming us.
    Just telling us about a blame game! As far as what joshi wants to sell, I am not buying it!

  13. As usual, the Obama Admin is blaming someone ELSE for the fine mess they’ve gotten themselves into. But this time they have a point, although they’re blaming the WRONG former President. It was Thomas Jefferson who began this whole mess with the Muslim States when he started The First Barbary War in 1801 to stop the State Sponsored Barbary Pirates from capturing United States ships and selling the crews as slaves unless lavish “Tribute” was paid (20% of the entire U.S. Government expenditures at the time). (Jefferson apparently neglected to attempt to find out what WE had done to CAUSE the pirates to engage in this behavior). SO, GET WITH IT, JOSH!!! It’s JEFFERSON’S fault!!

    • Great A.J..
      That beats what I was about to type: The blame can be real cute between two toddlers when the first learn the routine.
      However we correct, and teach them that routine will not work.

  15. Elias Noori Elias
    At 10: 24
    My dear
    I despair Noori despair people counsel Yazidi Cabinet Iraqi Government, “Iraqi national reconciliation, left Iraq before 8 months after my exposure to several attempted murders and kidnappings, I’m in Germany, I ask one interview White House officials in the German I could deliver my task to you.
    Respectfully and appreciation
    Elias Noori Elias Advisor/Yazdi people in Iraq.