Editor's note: The following column originally appeared on the website of the Erick Erickson Show.



ISIS did not exist when George W. Bush left the White House. ISIS did not exist in the first few years of Barack Obama’s time in the White House. ISIS only became a thing when the White House, out of pride and arrogance, decided it was better to placate the left by withdrawing all troops from Iraq rather than help the Iraqis maintain their stability.

A young boy has died, washed up on the shores of Europe. His picture has shocked the world and his death is direct result of Barack Obama fleeing the Middle East, tail tucked between his leg, so he could pridefully say he ended a war he never wanted.

The boy is dead because Barack Obama chose to abdicate American leadership in the world.

The boy is dead because Barack Obama chose to abdicate American leadership in the world.

To be sure, the direct blame lies with those who failed to see the boy to safety. And blame lies with ISIS for creating a situation where people had to flee.

But none of that would have happened if Barack Obama had kept Americans in Iraq to see the country through to stability. We know, from Iraqi leaders and American personnel, that they all knew Iraq would destabilize without us there. We know that Barack Obama and his Administration worked very hard to create a situation where he could say we had to leave Iraq.

That little boy would not have died had Barack Obama stood strong in Iraq. Crisis and war were all predicted when Barack Obama decided to flee Iraq. All the predictions came true and the humanitarian crisis is a direct result of what he did.

That dead child is Barack Obama’s fault.