The End of Obama's Half-Heartedness?

Obama has failed in his attempt to slip away from history and its viciousness. The arc has snapped back in his face. It will not let him alone. And so the president is going into the arc-bending business. He has announced his intention to “start going on some offense.” He promises a substantial campaign against ISIS in which the United States will really lead. Its objective is to “blunt,” “degrade,” “shrink,” and “defeat” the Islamic State. The campaign will also include military elements, though “this is not the equivalent of the Iraq war,” as if anybody is asking for the equivalent of the Iraq war. An international coalition has been formed. The president will at last speak to the American people about the urgency of the situation. The White House seems genuinely focused on a struggle toward which it had a genuine aversion.