James Jeffrey: “the U.S. will not tolerate, quote, 'an attack, period, and that any offensive is to us objectionable as a reckless…”

we would do everything short of military force to try to hold off a Turkish incursion or Turkish military action against them.

Well, first of all, we did not bring it. The Iraqis wanted it. And in the end, they have a constitutional democratic system.

what kind of message does that send and why would anybody want to be our allies in the future?

He has shown little willingness to be flexible on any issue, and at the moment may be concluding that it is better to sit on a pile of rubble with half his population and 60 percent of his country than to compromise.