Even MSNBC host and frequent Obama apologist Ed Schultz expressed skepticism over President Obama’s mixed messages on confronting Islamic terror group ISIS, claiming he’s “not sure we’re getting the straight talk” and urging the White House to “get some bullet points,” at least.
On Friday, Schultz broke down President Obama’s many statements on ISIS and compared them to those of his cabinet members. He was specifically perplexed by competing assertions that the White House both “ruling anything out” and won’t put any “boots on the ground” in Iraq or Syria.
“The question is, are we getting mixed messages this evening?” Schultz asked, referencing Kerry’s claim that no boots on the ground is a “red line” for a burgeoning anti-ISIS coalition.
“What does that mean?” he asked. “Does that mean that nobody in the room wants to put boots on the ground? Or does that mean that if we have to we will put boots on the ground?”
“I’m not trying to manufacture a controversy here, but I have to be somewhat critical,” Schultz continued. “I’m not sure we’re getting the straight talk on exactly how far we’re going to go.”
“Why don’t we just say, ‘We’ll do whatever it takes to defeat ISIS?'” he asked. “Right now it’s airstrikes — there’s been 100, there may be a lot more. ‘We’ll do whatever it takes!’ Does that mean boots on the ground? ‘We’ll do whatever it takes!'”
“Get some bullet points, don’t be confusing, and don’t say, ‘Nobody at this table wants to put boots on the ground!'” Schultz advised. “Because that tells me, well, I don’t know how good this coalition is!”