Krauthammer’s Take: News of Attempted Foley Rescue a ‘Political Reaction to Horrific Event’

https://youtube.com/watch?v=N5WfD49bYfk

The news that the Obama administration sent Special Forces into Syria earlier this summer to rescue American hostages, including journalist James Foley, who was killed by Islamic State militants this week, is conveniently timed, says Charles Krauthammer. “This is a political reaction to a horrific event. The administration is trying to say, ‘We’re not just standing by and watching.’ . . . It is the usual instinct of this administration to think first of the politics.”

“The other way you could interpret this,” offered Krauthammer, “is to say, it is a message to the bad guys that we tried, we didn’t succeed, but we’re coming after you.” But this would hardly be effective, the panelist argued. “The major response, and the proper response — the one ISIS would worry about the most — is not a rescue mission, it’s the continuation of the air strikes. So it’s encouraging that we redoubled the air strikes today.”