Obama's politically lethal credibility problem

The nation is quickly losing faith in the president's ability to fight ISIS. And that will hardly be the end of it.

President Obama
(Image credit: (Joe Raedle/Getty Images))

President Obama has a very clear credibility problem on ISIS, Iraq, and Syria. And he's in danger of extending his credibility deficit to every aspect of his presidency.

The credibility issue on ISIS goes back months, and arguably years. In 2011, Obama claimed credit for keeping his 2008 campaign pledge by pulling all American troops out of Iraq, even though military and intelligence advisers warned that the "zero option" could destabilize the country and allow for a resurgence of terrorism. Instead, Obama pronounced Iraq a "strong and stable ally" while claiming to have "ended the war in Iraq."

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Edward Morrissey

Edward Morrissey has been writing about politics since 2003 in his blog, Captain's Quarters, and now writes for HotAir.com. His columns have appeared in the Washington Post, the New York Post, The New York Sun, the Washington Times, and other newspapers. Morrissey has a daily Internet talk show on politics and culture at Hot Air. Since 2004, Morrissey has had a weekend talk radio show in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area and often fills in as a guest on Salem Radio Network's nationally-syndicated shows. He lives in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota with his wife, son and daughter-in-law, and his two granddaughters. Morrissey's new book, GOING RED, will be published by Crown Forum on April 5, 2016.