Hoist, Meet Petard.

It seems like the push for action and airstrikes in Iraq is running into a bit of an intelligence problem:

The Detroit News: CIA facing gaps in Iraq as it hunts for militants.

The CIA and other spy agencies are scrambling to close intelligence gaps as they seek ways to support possible military or covert action against the leaders of the al-Qaida-inspired militant group that has seized parts of Iraq and threatens Baghdad’s government.

The lack of clear intelligence appears to have shifted President Barack Obama’s immediate focus away from airstrikes in Iraq because officials said there are few obvious targets. However, officials said no final decisions had been made and suggested Obama ultimately could approve strikes if strong targets do become available.

Hmm, now why could this be?

Obama’s decision-making on airstrikes has been complicated by intelligence gaps that resulted from the U.S. military withdrawal from Iraq in late 2011, which left the country largely off-limits to American operatives. Intelligence agencies are now trying to close gaps and identify possible targets that include insurgent encampments, training camps, weapons caches and other stationary supplies, according to U.S. officials.

So in the rush to declare victory and leave, Obama deliberately failed to obtain a Status of Forces Agreement to keep troops in place and ripped up the very intelligence networks he needs now to act intelligently to provide air strikes requested by the Iraqi government.

Well, at least now we know what could possibly go wrong with that.