Most Americans think that U.S. ground troops will be deployed in the fight against ISIS. Wall Street Journal.

Americans don't believe Obama when he says no ground combat troops. Wall Street Journal/EPA

Most Americans do not believe President Obama when it comes to the deployment of U.S. ground troops against ISIS. Wall Street Journal. A new poll finds that 72% of Americans think that ground units will be used against ISIS eventually while only 20% believe the president. President Obama has repeatedly claimed that he has no desire to deploy U.S. combat troops to Iraq or Syria. 45% of Americans actually support the use of ground troops in a combat role if it is the best way to defeat ISIS, while 37% would not. America does have some forces on the ground in Iraq but they are, in theory at least, non-combat support troops and not front line infantry units. 

My Comment:

That first number doesn't surprise me at all. Our last two presidents have been experts at getting us involved in conflicts. Obama especially has gotten us involved with so many conflicts, though for the most part they did not involve the use of ground troops. And Obama doesn't have a whole lot of credibility when it comes to foreign policy and terrorism anymore. 

The second number, 45% of Americans supporting ground troops, is, on the surface, very shocking. Just a couple of years ago, a war with Syria was roundly rejected by the American public. The perception was that we were war weary and desperately wanted peace for once. That was certainly part of it, but I always thought the main reason the war was so universally rejected was because there was no good reason for it. Nobody was ever able to answer the question "what is America's interest in this war"?

Things have changed now. The genocide of Christians and Yezidi, the utter destruction of the Iraqi Army, the defilement of temples and cultural relics, and the execution of completely innocent journalists and aid workers, all of it adds up to a huge threat, not just to America but to the world. ISIS is the kind of evil that stands out even in a part of the world downing in it. You can argue if the cause is justified or if it is a wise move to fight yet another war of choice, but you can't argue that there isn't a case for war this time around. 

What's my personal feeling on the issue? I'm conflicted. I want peace as much as the next person, but ISIS is a cancer. If it isn't destroyed it will spread. If the recent attack in Oklahoma really was inspired by ISIS it has already spread to America. There is not other force in the world that is both willing and able to defeat ISIS. Airstrikes won't be enough. Still, it would be nice if just for once Europe and the other Middle East nations would put up tens of thousands of their own troops instead of the token forces we have all grown to expect.