Bill:

Very well argued, especially your point about covert action. The problem is too big for just covert action perhaps. From what I read, the Kurds need ammo and heavy weapons. There aren't many ways to provide the quantities needed on the sly. Masses of weapons are masses of weapons.

The other problem is with waiting so people can see how bad IS really is. At best that is an extremely tricky matter of timing, you get it wrong and a lot of people die. The Yazidis are finding that out now. You get it wrong and too, the IS gets that much stronger through the process of terrifying people into inaction or acquiesence (sic). Once their morale is broken through terror it takes a whole lot to get it back to the point where they will act. Watching your son get his head cut off tends to induce inaction I think. By our waiting that terror induced catatonia grows deeper.

The other thing I think is rising up against IS is going to be far, far harder now than it was in 2006 and 2007 because the strongest tribe, the US military, isn't there anymore. They couldn't have done it then without the strongest tribe to back them up. And the longer we wait, the harder it will get.

I do not however advocate sending ground troops back in. Lots of money, weapons, guys like you to guide things, aircraft like the old Air Commandos, AC-130s, the 160th maybe, but only if we do it such a way as to not become the Shia air force. In any event back the Kurds and any Sunni tribes who want to fight. We should have plenty of guys like you who still know the sheiks by first name who can coordinate things.

Anyway, you argue your position well and I think we mostly disagree on timing. I think it is of the essence.