With the American public overwhelmingly opposed to U.S. military intervention in the Syrian civil war, U.S. President Barack Obama is grasping for a way out of the crisis that will enable his administration to save face.
He may have found one, too – a Russian proposal stipulating the transfer of Syria’s cache of chemical weapons to international monitors. Syria has reportedly agreed to the deal, as have several of America’s key allies. Obama has said he is desperate willing to discuss the deal with the United Nations.
Meanwhile Obama’s Secretary of State John Kerry has issued an ultimatum to the regime of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad: Turn over his entire stockpile of chemical weapons within a week or face attack.
Really? From who, exactly? It’s clear at this point a congressional resolution authorizing military force against Syria is doomed to fail in the U.S. House of Representatives – meaning Kerry’s threat is idle. Sort of like Obama’s whole “red line.”
The United States has lost all credibility in this situation … a process that began months ago when we started putting arms into the hands of terrorist groups affiliated with our longtime nemesis al-Qaeda.
Anyway … when would this proposed “weapons transfer” take place? No one knows. How will we know it has taken place? No one knows. How will it be enforced? Yeah … your guess is as good as ours.
This is all so painfully transparent …
The all-powerful American war gods were rebuked (with good reason) and now must find a way to extricate themselves from this debacle.
Free advice? Don’t get in debacles in the first place.
34 comments
Yo Will, you’re smart so what do you think about this?
http://cdn.storyleak.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/yahoo-news-syria-chemical-attack.png
I think the most telling response to the whole debacle is that of the rebels.
They are demanding airstrikes now in response to the proposal that Assad’s gov’t hand over its chemical stockpile…lol
They want everyone else to fight their war for them…even more…they know that if Assad’s regime does that then there would be effectively no way for them to use chemical weapons themselves without looking like “bad guys”.
As if beheading priests, eating Assad’s troops organs on camera, executing them on camera, & prosecuting native Christian Syrians isn’t enough to call them “bad guys”…lol
It’s amazing to think we’ve been supporting them via MRE’s for a year and possibly giving them training…aside from the presence of Al Qaeda within their ranks.
What a ginormous mess.
Btw, I could make a good case for Putin deserving a Nobel Peace prize way over Obama if this whole deal works.
Mr. President:
In 2009 you were GIVEN a Nobel Peace Prize with the statement that it was “for your extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples”.
Mr. President:
How do you reconcile that 2009 statement with your foolish attitude that
murdering President Assad is more important to you than offering the humanitarian aid for the two million Syrian refugees, and for which you are silent?
Mr. President:
How do you reconcile that 2009 statement with your actions and comments coming from your moral weaknesses and frailties
which have lessened America’s standing in the international community?
MUST SEE! THIS Is Who The Sociopaths Who Run Our Government Want Us To Help In Syria!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfHSPLW63Gg
Glen Beck?? really? I thought he was off building his utopia in Texas. Now lets watch a Faux News clip.
Laugh off the source if you want to. I’m not a big fan of Glen Beck either.
It doesn’t change the fact that the sociopaths who run our government want to come to the aide of psychopaths who literally rip out and eat the hearts of their opponents.
Do you want the tax dollars and military representing our country to go to the aide of such people? I certainly don’t.
Yet we are no longer allowed to refer to Indians as Indians. Not dot-head Stop-A-Minit Indians, cowboy and indians. You know, the ones who used to remove the scalp of women and children before burning them at the stake. Now we must address them as Native Americans and our government mails them a check each month for reparations and give them a monopoly on gambling.
Woo woo woo wooo. Woo woo woo woo. Sometimes I wonder if these posters spent the last 15 years playing video games or if that public screwal system education is finally brimming to the surface.
What’s your point?
I think what the dude is saying is that in a nation where a politician is disgraced while in office for sexting pictures of his dick to strangers can actually garner enough support to make a long-shot run for the grandest mayoral office in the land…stay with me here….in a country where WE THE USA dropped a couple of nukes on another country …can’t say oh long ago because we are still debating slavery in this same country…that
someone is truly moved to a decision by a rebel in a foreign land that we have no business in is being in, who took it upon himself to eat the heart of his enemy…..something that has been glofified by the likes of Rambo movies, etc for decades…….is the epitome of THE POT CALLING THE KETTLE BLACK. Barbarians – don’t know, perhaps the Rebel fighting for freedom in his own land was simply starving and needed a quick snack. Wouldn’t be the first time. And that good sir is the point.
(That’s ma’am not sir….) These things are done in our name by the sociopaths populating our entrenched political class because we have lost control of our political system. If we remain apathetic and turn a blind eye to what they do and support in our name, then this will never change. Many of the movies put out by Hollywood are designed to keep us asleep and apathetic. Many of these so-called ‘rebels’, especially the most gruesome ones like the guy in the video, are not in their own land. They are Al-Qaida affiliates from places like Saudi Arabia. Why were certain elites within our political class so eager to drag us into a war to support them?
Dick – just for the record, the white man started that whole scalping thing.
I watched the clip, it isn’t that bad. It proves a good point, that the people we are supporting by intervening don’t at all appear to be people that deserve to be supported.
I did not need to watch a Glenn Beck diatribe to know that. We have always been willing to support dictators and terrorist, whenever it was in our interest or perceived interest to do so. Most of the time it comes back to bite us in the ass. But I do not look for that to change regardless of who is in power. Certainly not as long as there are war profits to be made and natural resources to pillage by large corporations, like Halliburton and Exxon.
It will change if enough of us look at it head on, no matter who is showing it to us, call it as it is, refuse to accept it, and call out those in our government who attempting to do this in our name. There’s no time like the present to make a change for the future.
Let me get this straight. We threaten Syria with military action. Syria gives up its chemical weapons in order to avoid military action by the US. We won, Right? So why are you bitching?
How do you know this was not a hope all along?
Because the State Department immediately tried to walk back Kerry’s silly “offer” until Obama seized upon it as a potential (albeit meaningless) way out.
Since I was opposed to bombing Syria, I am happy with this compromise. You can call it whatever you like. Of course the devil is in the details, but right now it looks a bargain to me.
I agree the devil is in the details, which is why the linked writer calls it, “the Worst Day in Western Diplomatic History”.
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/charlescrawford/100235250/syria-chemical-weapons-and-the-worst-day-in-western-diplomatic-history/
How did “we won” ? Won what? What did we win? What do we have to lose? What do we have at stake?
Make a compelling case for any of those answers and get them up to Obama because he is going to need them this evening.
It’s one thing to organize a poverty stricken neighborhood in Chicago or a group of wanderlust hippies riding out college to avoid the draft. Entirely another task to organize a community of nations and Barry has fallen way short this time.
Perhaps McCain and Graham can save the day for him.
Well we won as far as I am concerned, because we got what we wanted and did not have to kill anyone to do it. Beyond that I am not going to debate what we have to gain or lose in the Middle East. People with far more brain power than you, disagree on that.
Just like when you see a bunch of “demonstrators” in the middle of the work day, shouting, chanting, burning shit in effigy, firing weapons in the air, don’t these folks have jobs? Oh, these must be the off shift workers. Someone has to pay for their ammo & rifles, food, lodging, signs printed in English, whatever. Just find them and you’ll find the instigators and possibly the motive. Now, who would support something like that? We got no business over there other than gas & oil.
Rebel checks have Saudi’s names on them…
This is getting old…Who’s tired of OBAMA’S LIES???
Putin just owned Obama — all the while making it seem like he was helping him out. Putin wants to keep the status quo due Russia’s economic and strategic ties (a warm-weather port), so he didn’t want a US assault that could lead to further conflict and displace al-Assad’s government. So he brokered this “deal” when Obama was floundering.
Putin’s dick swings wider, and is showing Lil’ Barry he’s still in the schoolyard…….
I just have the feeling that Putin and crew would not let US have their way in Syria. Too much is at stake.
I am a patriot, but we should deal with these countries, not bomb them.
Same with Saddam and Kaddafi (sp, sorry), we know they were no worse on civil liberties than we are, but we stood on the stump of moral righteousness and bombed the crap out of them and murdered them when we were guilty of the same, or worse. (Think drones & civilians) If you’re taking the high holy ground, go after “dum young soon”, (NK leader) who just executed his girlfriend and her immediate family, then sent the rest of the family to labor camps. WTF?
Sorry, someone is driving all of this and it is obvious that Kerry, Big O, Graham, McCain are all just talking heads. They are “owned” big time. It wouldn’t matter what proof anyone had, they would make sure that bombing is the only way with Iran as the ultimate goal.
I remember back in ’72 we had a huge contingent of Iranians in the shipyard because we GAVE them US WWII destroyers and we were rebuilding them in our shipyards for them. All of a sudden, the Shah was deposed and they left within a day, or so. Crazy days started then, they have kept coming since then. Who is behind all of this?
Call me a conspiracy theorist if you like. None of this shit happens without a plan.
If Big O does not bomb, he will be dealt with like Billary, scandals will ensue and he will lose all credibility. Not that it matters now. Hill will take the next election. God, I hope I’m wrong.
Many differing opinions on this subject. Here are two more excepts from my letters to DC, mailed last Friday—-I may be right, and I could be wrong, but I’m sincere…..
You, as our elected Representatives by the citizens of America, must be the voice of reason for us and must convince the President that he is wrong and must not be
given a free hand with this situation. The President speaks only of war – a war of unknown and indefinable consequences with a risk too great and retaliation most
surely a certainty– while he remains silent on providing any humanitarian aid or assistance for the two million Syrian refugees.
President Obama, together with Secretary of State Kerry and Defense Secretary Hagel, in creating
their Triumvirate of Folly, are prepared for this course of action solely because of their egomaniacal attitude for lies and deceptions, and feverishly dictated by selfish interests.
We’re not getting into another war, we’re just changing campgrounds. Like leaving Ocean Lakes and heading over to Apache. We must stay in the Middle East for the oil – protect the Arabs – get a better price on oil. That simple.
Every time we move our Presidents promise an exit date. They usually come back around election time and get a lease extension and then the clock runs out and it’s hey boys, pack’er up we’re out of time. If the CIA and the politicians have done their part it’s okey dokey, Pirateland here we come. Simple enough?
We must stay in the Middle East for the oil – protect the Arabs – get a better price on oil.
You are half right. The object is not cheaper oil for us (you and me); the object is actually to keep oil prices high enough for the Saudis, the American oil producers, the European oil producers, the Russian oil producers etc to profit (some,like the Saudis, quite handsomely.). Or to put a positive spin on it, higher oil prices help “us” become “energy independent”.
Think about it, our foreign policy and military have been used, at least since the 1980s, to keep major oil producers “offline”. Iran, Iraq, Libya, etc. Liberals think it’s “Blood for (cheap) oil”. Many conservatives think the same thing (though they seldom admit it), although they don’t necessarily see it as a bad thing….. Both are wrong.
You and me and the rest of the world’s consumers don’t really count.
Unless oil prices get so high as to cause worldwide recession/depression. Oops!
I read an article the other day that said the real reason we were after Syria was to cut off Russia from selling gas to EU. I we could run a pipeline from Qatar to EU through Syria it would effectively cut off Russia. US would benefit since we could also sell our plentiful gas to EU.
Should read, “if we could run…”
“We” who, kemosabe?
Probably a lot of truth in that article. The Afghanistan war was mostly about constructing a pipeline from from a “‘stan”, through a “‘stan”, to a “‘stan”.
The Russian oil companies are definitely in competition, rather than collusion, with the Western oil companies. Both, however, have a vested interest in higher oil /gas prices.
“Obama is grasping for a way out of the crisis.”
Shifty would have used GASPING …..