Don’t worry about those 1,600 boots on the ground in Iraq, Barack Obama says. They’re just advising, he says. “Well, they’re in harm’s way in the sense that any time they’re in war, it’s dangerous. So I don’t want to downplay the fact that they’re in a war environment and there are hostile forces on the other side,” he said, before adding the inevitable, “But…” He continued, “[T]here’s a difference between them advising and assisting Iraqis who are fighting versus a situation in which we got our Marines and our soldiers out there taking shots and shooting back.” And never mind the combat boots in the air flying sorties over Iraq and Syria.