in truth, they're not seriously planning any kind of military operation against isis. they've been pushing for maliki to get out. it's almost a threat to the iraqi government, but there's not anything the iraqi government can really do about it.

i'm not sure how this media narrative came up. that's a job for a detective of some sort. maybe, some media outlets just jumped to the conclusion, without having a solid understanding of who is funding isis. whatever it is, the state department seems to be running with it.

but, taking it a step back, the idea of providing air support for these groups in syria served exceedingly unpopular, with media images of genocide floating around and headlines asking why the fuck we're supporting al qaeda, all of a sudden. they can't stand up and say they're supporting isis.

so, instead, they say they're sending a few hundred "military planners" to iraq, and talk tough about not taking options off the table. but, it's a smokescreen....

the american goal is to take maliki out because he's too close to iran. the saudis are organizing it, but we're in agreement with the objective.