David Webb: Obama’s policy in the Middle East is deadly

Is history repeating itself with bloody and costly battles by men and women now in and out of national uniform? 

I have just returned from Iwo Jima, where some of the greatest heroes of the greatest generation fought a pitched battle for 36 days and won. These are men today who fought as boys, some who lied about their age to achieve victory despite the heavy cost. There were 26,038 casualties on the American side, with 6,821 killed, and a reported 22,000 Japanese soldiers killed, although the exact number may never be known. 

{mosads}The sights of the battle are evident in the pictures and combat reels. The sounds of combat, weapons and dying men can never be forgotten for some. The smell of gunpowder, sulphur, blood and burning black sand combined is often recounted by these heroes as their strongest memory. The honor due these brothers in combat on both sides is now jointly given as our nations stand together as allies. 

Tsuruji Akikusa, a former signalman in the Japanese navy, was 17 at the time of the battle. After being captured and sent to Guam to recover from his injuries, he returned home to Japan during his own funeral. He told me through his translator that the story of Iwo Jima must be told accurately and peace must remain the legacy. 

So the question of whether history is repeating with a similar battle for freedom on a different battlefield bears examination. The policy of the Obama administration is the starting point. A good question, what is it?

Here are curious and contradictory aspects. In Yemen, President Obama claimed victory in the war on terror but left the fight against the Iranian-backed Shiite rebels as the country degrades into civil war. The duly elected government, such as it is, has fled or gone absent in large part. 

In Iraq, the U.S. is supporting Iranian Shiite forces with air support against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in the battle for Tikrit. In Syria, we support the rebels against Bashar Assad — and his ally, Iran.

At the eleventh hour in Switzerland, the Obama administration through Secretary of State John Kerry is negotiating with a defiant and intractable Iran. That deal now appears to be pushed further to June, as agreement cannot be reached. This gives Iran more nuclear development time. Ask a simple question: How is plutonium used for peaceful nuclear power? A defecting Iranian journalist, Amir Hossein Motaghi, stated this past weekend that “The US negotiating team are mainly there to speak on Iran’s behalf.” A bad deal is a way forward to an impending Middle East nuclear arms race that will forever change the globe.

Arguably we can understand why the Middle East is confused. The Sunni-run states led by Saudi Arabia are building their own coalition rather than depending on the United States. I’m not against the idea of Shiite versus Sunni because both would expend their arsenals. They have not been beacons of modern society in many aspects, including women’s rights, gay rights, religious tolerance and more, but survival can drive them to act and help degrade ISIS.

These allies — of convenience or otherwise — believe the United States cannot be trusted against their real enemy: Shiite Iran. The Obama administration seems to be trying to play both sides against an undefined middle and confusing the enemy, our allies and Americans at home. This is an almost assured path to failure. 

Having examined these aspects and more while tracking the six-year foreign policy of this administration, it is clear there is no comprehensive strategy. At the world’s expense, Obama seems bound to have a nuclear arms deal with Iran that can’t be truly verified. Is this his desire for a legacy? Neville Chamberlain thought he had achieved peace with the pen, which is only mightier than the sword in a free society — not in a dictatorship. 

The world now is different. Warfare has evolved to more deadly levels. This radical Muslim enemy in all its evil glory is truly global, not held back by geographic boundaries. We must make the bold decision to fight them with total war, not half-measure rules of engagement. I for one do not want any American blood or treasure spilled where our military has one hand tied behind its back. Americans will die on the battlefield, but they should be given the ability to fight as we did on Iwo Jima. 

Thank you to all who have raised their hands willingly to fight for America, freedom and those around the world they do not even know. 

Webb is host of “The David Webb Show” on SiriusXM Patriot 125, a Fox News contributor and has appeared frequently on television as a commentator. Webb co-founded TeaParty365 in New York City and is a spokesman for the National Tea Party Federation. His column appears twice a month in The Hill.