They seriously need to lower those expectations

Why Obama Is Planning To Use Religion To Fight ISIS

By spending much of his speech talking about the need to shore up peaceful visions of Islam, Obama appears to be breathing life into a component of American foreign policy that often goes unrecognized; that the most effective weapon against terrorism in the name of God isn't just awe-inspiring weaponry and the repeated killing of terrorists, but also a system of robust support for alternative ideologies and peaceful practitioners. 

Or, as General Martin Dempsey told the Senate Armed Services Committee earlier this month: “ISIL will ultimately be defeated when their cloak of religious legitimacy is stripped away and the populations on which they have imposed themselves reject them.”

Call that Strategy A: attack the theological legitimacy of Islamofundamentalism.

Based on the example of Saudi Arabia I would have to say this about that (as Jack Kennedy used to put it): don't hold your breath. 

And when polls show some 90% of the world's Muslims agree that the ideology of ISIS and its political aspirations are theologically correct, I would not expect much from Strategy A even in parts of the Muslim world least theologically close to ISIS.

Too, apart from God's will there is always simple tribalism to worry about.

Muslims from around the world see it as the West vs. Islam or even the Rest vs. Islam.

Think of the Boston Bombers.

Hence Strategy B: insist we are only at war with violent theocratic extremists who have not only chosen war against us but against most of the Muslim world.

This is the other aspect of the propaganda war O and the West are fighting.

It's the other reason for the endless claims we are not at war with Islam but with crazed, heretical extremists who have chosen to attack us - not to mention large numbers of completely peaceable folk of the Muslim world.

And the same line of propaganda makes an important second point, that it is one thing to think somebody's approach theologically correct and quite another to be willing to see him in power, especially if he is trying to shoot his way to power, and especially if he is shooting at you to gain power over you.

Rouhani: Extremists Want To Destroy Civilization

On the other hand, ISIS is a cat's paw in the constant Sunni vs. Shia struggle, too.

Its radicalism is Sunni radicalism and they have been funded and encouraged all along by Saudi Arabia and states in the Gulf.

Hence the abundant willingness of the Shia leader, Iran, to denounce ISIS and demand regional cooperation against it.

Hence the refusal of Turkey, which could easily crush ISIS, to provide troops.

And the reluctance of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states to do much against their pet, ISIS.

A Basket of Snakes

Have I not said it lately?

US out of everywhere!