Fox News contributor Brit Hume criticized President Obama for failing to ensure peaceful conditions in Iraq on Fox News Sunday. Hume said the president has "shrank" from that role and the "consequences are now becoming clear."
Recent reports have emerged indicating Al Qaeda aligned forces have taken over the city of Fallujah. U.S. Marines fought vigorously to secure the city in 2004, losing close to 100 lives in the process. The fall of Fallujah marks the largest incident of violence since President Obama withdrew U.S. forces from Iraq in 2011.
Hume sharply criticized the president for the misstep, arguing Obama has been derelict in his duty to ensure peace in Iraq by maintaining a U.S. military presence. Conservative columnist George Will rebutted Hume's assertion, asking how the initial peace achieved by the American military could be termed a success if circumstances on the ground proved to unravel in merely three years.
Hume replied success after a military campaign is fragile and requires leaving residual forces around the world, something the United States has done for many years. ""This was not the complete destruction of the nefarious forces in the Middle East which are numerous and to some extent connected. It was a fragile situation which is why a continued force is needed," Hume said.