What are our real options for assisting Iraq?

There are no real good options. Sad enough to say, we need to support the government with drone strikes. Keep these Marines that were just sent out there so they can secure the Embassy and whatever consulates that are deemed essential and make sure all the Iraqi security forces that are protecting our national interest [oil] are reinforced with supplies. If it has to come to manpower for the national interests, then so be it. But that should all that needs to be done. It was only a matter of time before the civil war there was bound to get out of control. But there are no really good options. You're just going to have to let this play until ISIS does something that will outrage the International community (IC) to act, and let's face it, what they're doing now, isn't that big of an outrage for the IC or for the US for that matter to send ground troops in.

The middle east needs to be broken up by factions and religious identity. As long as you have different religious and cultural sects "voting" in a common a election - and people willing to kill for religion or tribal affiliation - it will never work. These are people who recognize force, not paper ballots.

I think we have done enough with helping this country. However there are ecomonic situations we might have steak in this country. So if it gets to back the "option" would be to start with air strikes then if that don't work , we would have to secure the country again. The people in this country are lazy, they don't mine being ruled by a tyrant. Not sure if the US would want that to happen. Then Al Qaeda would have a country of their own.