Rongone wrote:

Not one of the current crop of presidential candidates has proposed a detailed outline of their plan to defeat ISIS. Suggesting that we carpet bomb them into oblivion, or somehow prevent Muslims from entering the country are not a viable strategies. Since they all lack the ability nor the authority to devise a reasonable plan, they resort to the reactive strategy of criticizing existing plans. As long as one has no responsibility for devising and implementing a military and political strategy to solve the problem, criticism is the easy way out.

Nor will they propose any details on how to defeat ISIS, just like with any other topic for the election.  Too afraid that if they get specific, other candidates will pick apart the idea and attack them.

To be honest, any detailed plan would be purely speculative, since they wouldn't have the national intelligence information that is needed to formulate an articulate plan that would have a chance to work.

Just Fred wrote:

Nor will they propose any details on how to defeat ISIS, just like with any other topic for the election.  Too afraid that if they get specific, other candidates will pick apart the idea and attack them.

To be honest, any detailed plan would be purely speculative, since they wouldn't have the national intelligence information that is needed to formulate an articulate plan that would have a chance to work.

So where does that leave us?
 

It leaves us with hoping the President we have for the next 13 months comes up with a plan that will start the process of defeating ISIS and making us safer.

Well, Donald Trump says he has a plan and it's terrific.  You'll see.   

Tarnation wrote:

Brady Bunch wrote:

To be honest, any detailed plan would be purely speculative, since they wouldn't have the national intelligence information that is needed to formulate an articulate plan that would have a chance to work.

Any detailed plan would be utterly foolish, like having a football team's  defensive coach hand his playbook to the other team's offensive coach.

We've been down that road with announcing our "timetable for withdraw" from Afghanistan and Iraq....and, frankly, that contributed greatly to the rise of ISIS.
 

OK . . . Then how do you protect/condone candidates that incessantly criticize the president's strategy for being non-specific or not 'robust' enough to defeat ISIS?

I maintain that, in order to successfully subdue, contain, or eradicate violent Islamic extremism, the Islamic countries around the world and specifically in the Mideast need to be active participants at the forefront of the battle. Without that participation and direct action, the actions taken by the U.S. and western nations will be looked upon as interlopers akin to crusaders of old. Crafting together a group of allies such as this requires keen strategic planning with high level diplomacy. The suggestion of some of the current crop of presidential candidates that we need to carpet bomb them into suppression, or that we need to completely ban any Muslims from entering our country, is nothing but political BS perpetrated by naive or just plain stupid individuals whose only goal is to appeal to people's preconceived fear and emotional response to isolated terrorist incidents. Those types of campaign trail sound bites are detrimental to problem resolution, and the people suggesting these irresponsible easy fix actions are nothing more than side show opportunists that, if elected, will lead this country down an irreversible path of destruction.
 

Brady Bunch - I agree with all you have said.