James Robbins reminds us that back in January, President Obama referred to ISIS as “jayvee,” as in, “junior varsity.”
In the 2012 campaign, Obama spoke not only of killing Osama bin Laden; he also said that Al Qaeda had been “decimated.” I pointed out that the flag of Al Qaeda is now flying in Falluja, in Iraq, and among various rebel factions in Syria; Al Qaeda has asserted a presence in parts of Africa, too.
“The analogy we use around here sometimes, and I think is accurate, is if a jayvee team puts on Lakers uniforms that doesn’t make them Kobe Bryant,” Obama said, resorting to an uncharacteristically flip analogy.
The group President Obama dismissed as ”jayvee” now “controls a volume of resources and territory unmatched in the history of extremist organizations,” makes $3 million per day selling oil on the black market, are battling for control of Iraq’s largest dam and the power supply for the city of Mosul, are spreading into Lebanon, are threatening to starve or slaughter “at least 40,000 members of the Yazidi sect,”, is organizing protests in the Netherlands and is stepping up its recruitment of Westerners.