On Last Week Tonight, John Oliver began by deciding whether to show us Justin Bieber’s ‘barely there’ photo – or to recap the week in Syria, he made the right choice. John covered the missile strikes by Russia – or the ‘alleged’ strikes, because Russia claims they didn’t aim for ISIS, instead bombing Iran.
Sadly, we’re in no position to be smug after the Pentagon charted a course to train five thousand rebel fighters each year, at a price tag of a half million dollars. You could say the program “fell short of its goal.” That’s what the Pentagon says. The man with the most unenviable job last week was General Lloyd Austin. Pressed to report exactly how many fighters remain, the General didn’t round them off, or hide under the desk. Austin replied; “a small number.” More accurately, he divulged, “four or five” are still in the fight.
John quipped; “that is not enough to destroy ISIS, that’s not enough to destroy a six foot party sub.”
You don’t know what kind of mad skills that group of four or five might have, after having a half million dollars worth of training! They could be super-soldiers, and/ or very skilled Poker players. It must have been difficult for the General to swallow his pride, and not divulge that those soldiers are the cream of the crop. It would be unwise to tip his hand and let ISIS know what and who they are truly up against.