4.400 American dead, about 30.000 wounded, some $500 billion in net expense [the cost of the war less recent exports]; and the Great Man, the former Moslem, decides that for political gain to appease his demented base; that leaving Iraq to Iran is smart policy. Iran's economy is a disaster with declining oil production, a balance of payments deficit, and myriad social problems. The only way the Iranian can survive is to channel social instability outwards via aggression and terror; and to take-over the oil wealth of Iraq, the Gulf states and maybe even the Shia majority area of northern Arabia. Obama is not a very smart man, but even this crass political decision to throw away the gains of a war won in 2007, is simply astounding in its ignorance.

The Shia Crescent:

Ryan Mauro:

If Iran dominates Iraq, the regime (especially Ahmadinejad) will view it as the fulfillment of prophecy and a vindication of its End Times-based worldview, as expressed in its documentary, “The Coming is Upon Us.” Iraq plays a central role in Shiite Islamic prophecy. A senior Hezbollah official in Lebanon was not coy about what will follow a U.S. withdrawal from Iraq. A “Shiite crescent” will form, bringing together 100 million people against Israel. Hundreds of thousands of “martyrs” will die and Israel will use nuclear weapons, but the Jewish state will be destroyed. There were two things stopping this, he said: The U.S. presence in Iraq and the potential overthrow of Bashar Assad in Syria. The U.S. withdrawal removes these two barriers.

Obama could care less about Israel, geo-politics, or the Iraqi people now prey to a desperate Iran whose political-economy is imploding. He is indifferent to a Shia crescent. Maybe he secretly welcomes it. Who knows. The narcissist needs to appease his Marxist-One World base and secure funding for his campaign from the usual cadre of socialist donors. A 'god' for all of the world and a smart man, he certainly is not.