Krauthammer: Turkey Reluctance to Fight ISIS Tied to Obama Being 'Not Serious' About Mission

Krauthammer: Turkey Reluctance to Fight ISIS Tied to Obama Being 'Not Serious' About Mission

On Monday’s “Special Report” on the Fox News Channel, Washington Post columnist Charles Krauthammer offered his thoughts on why the nation of Turkey has been reluctant to join the fight against ISIS, despite the mixed messages coming from the Obama administration and the Turkish government that they had.

According to Krauthammer, it stems from the tone President Barack Obama has set about the war, which he said was “not serious.”

“[Susan Rice] went on to say in fact the Turks have agreed to allow us to use their bases, which of course would be crucial because it’s on the border with Syria,” Krauthammer said. “It would be near Kobani. It would allow us to watch many more air strikes more effectively. For her to say it and the Turks to deny it is a huge embarrassment. It’s the kind of mistake that an amateur would make and you wouldn’t do it in the middle of a war. This is really unbelievable that she could say that and then Turkey denies it. I don’t know how they’re going to explain it. Look, it seems to me that the Turks understand two things — A, that the Kurds in the end are a possible enemy, that are extremely reluctant, but B, Obama is simply not serious about this war. Why would you join a war when the leader of the coalition is not serious? This is a war, an operation he refuses to give even a name.”

Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor

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