How would arming rebels in Syria have stopped ISIS?

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McCain wants an apology because he claims to have been right (and Obama wrong) in wanting to arm Syrian rebel groups. I don't get it. Wasn't ISIS a Syrian rebel group?

Wasn't the concern that we would be arming Al Qaeda affiliates?

And while we are at it, if we left 3K troops in Iraq, how would that have prevented the rise of ISIS?

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Propaganda is very difficult to keep up with.

McCain's strongest point is that Obama's precipitate withdrawal from Iraq created the opportunity for ISIL to rise in Iraq.

Do you dispute that, had US military forces remained in Iraq, ISIL would not have conquered most of Iraq?

McCain's weaker point is that arming some rebel faction in Syria would have destroyed ISIL. But, how can you logically bash McCain alone for this idea when Obama just last night said that the USA was going to plan to arm some rebel faction in Syria ?

If "moderate" rebel groups made up a majority of the rebels in the beginning of the war, before hardline islamists poured in from outside Syria, and we had armed them early and sufficiently, perhaps they could have defeated Assad and competing rebels. I have no idea if this was possible, but as it wasn't seriously attempted, one can't simply dismiss it.

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Do you dispute that, had US military forces remained in Iraq, ISIL would not have conquered most of Iraq?

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Depends on the number. McCain seemed to be saying that it was possible to leave 3K. And it would have been a group for advising and training, not really boots on the ground. I think such a small force would have been an attractive target for ISIS.

It would be McCain's stronger point, but I am not completely sold on it... I think that we would have needed a larger force including "boots" and that would have been costly in so many ways.

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McCain's weaker point is that arming some rebel faction in Syria would have destroyed ISIL. But, how can you logically bash McCain alone for this idea when Obama just last night said that the USA was going to plan to arm some rebel faction in Syria ?

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That is the one part of Obama's new plan that I am not in agreement with. I don't think it was the best idea a few years ago, and I don't think it is today either.