re: So Obama will send 3,000 troops to fight ebola, but 1,300 to fight

ISIS: See Sierra Leone Civil War 3/1995-11/1996 for the solution (albeit on a larger scale). Al Maliki asked for this problem when he wouldn't meet the terms of the proposed status of forces agreement. Any further military action should only be performed by the U.S. after Al Abadi meets the commitments of the SOF agreement, and pledges resources to pay for our engagement. We've spent too much blood and treasure there with no tangible, positive outcome.

Ebola: Sending troops to combat a disease in Africa? The motivation is understandable, as is the notion of residual good will thereafter (which never really happens), but unless and until African countries and European countries ante up their soldiers and medical resources (not just pledge, but put them on the ground), we should not put our soldiers in harms way. This should not be a unilateral mission.