Monday, April 25, 2011

Why not Syria




Well, French Fries aren't the best explanation.. But we aren't getting any good explanations anywhere, from anyone about Libya.. or Syria

What we are getting is indications the situation is not going the way the politicians planned  It does seem to be going the way military planners and Bob Gates, our Secretary of Defense anticipated. As hard as it is for some to believe, our generals seem to know more about war planning than our President, or Members of Congress

Last week Admiral Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs said the Libyan Civil War is likely to become a stalemate.. Several Senators, including Linsey Graham, and John McCain want us to get more involved.

Will involving US Predators in the fight help solve the problem and prevent a stalemate?  They could, they're a great tool for hunting down and killing specific  targets, but ven though not many people would cry if he got wasted, Gaddadfi isn't a legitimate target

Obama originally justified U.S. involvement on the grounds that it was needed to avert an imminent humanitarian crisis there, including the possibility that large numbers of civilians would be killed if Gaddadfi won.  What started out as a mission to create and enforce a No Fly Zone, quickly went to bombing ground troops, then the addition of Non-Leathal-Aid... (everything except guns, bullets and things that explode).  Now the Brits and French are talking about advisers and there is some muttering in DC about us helping on the ground... Something we were promised wouldn't happen.

If the situation isn't complicated enough, an almost idendical mess is developing in Syria.  From this mornings news:

Syrian troops sweep into Daraa, fire on protesters

DAMASCUS (AFP) – Thousands of Syrian troops backed by tanks swept into the flashpoint town of Daraa on Monday, firing on residents and leaving bodies lying in the streets, activists and witnesses said.

Rights activists also reported security force raids Monday in the towns of Douma and Al-Muadamiyah near Damascus.

One witness spoke of five people killed in Daraa when their car was raked by gunfire while activists reached by telephone said they were unable to count the number of dead and wounded as army snipers on rooftops were preventing people from leaving their houses.

"We saw with our own eyes, they were in a car that was riddled with bullets," the witness said, adding that he was on a rooftop and could hear intense gunfire reverberating across the town.

"The minarets of the mosques are appealing for help. The security forces are entering houses. There is a curfew and they fire on those who leave their homes. They even shot at water tanks on roofs to deprive people of water," he saidREAD THE REST

Sounds just like what we went after Gaddadfi to prevent in Libya, is happening in Syria.  Do we intervene?  If so, why, if not why not?  No one seems to know exactly how our intervention in Lybia was in our national interests.. Early on, President Obama said it was in the National Interest, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said it wasn't.

Our closest allie in the Mideast has a serious national interest in what happens in Syria.  One of the primary goals of the Syrian Government, since the Baath Party took power in 1963 has been the destruction of Israel.  The Syrian Goverment has been instrmental in keeping Hamas and Hezbollah supplied with missiles and mortar to use against Israel.  Is ending the flow of weapons to anti Israeli terrorists in America's best interests? 

Then again, if we can't figure out exactly what we're doing in Libya or how to do it, would we end up ot knowing what we're doing in Syria or how to do it?

What do you think?

Comments are open, feel free


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4 comments:

  1. barry does seem to pick and choose as to which human rights we will defend and which we will not. Is this similar to his rewarding unions and states that support him while punishing individuals and states that did not?

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  2. That's another thing strange about our strangest President.. He had some ties to Gaddafi.. None that I'm aware of to Syria...

    He has a history of punishing enemies.. but his sense of loyalty is questionable as well.. He'll trash old relationships in a heartbeat if they're no longer useful.. Rev, Wright, Bill Ayres, Kendrick Meeks and a big part of his progressive base to name a few.

    He sees the Unions as still helpful, or they are holding something over his head.

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  3. Maybe he thinks it doesn't matter, the U.S. is no longer a player. He has got the press to tell whatever story they need to and he's sticking to the best version.
    Just google "homeless" the last news story was 2008.
    Gas prices through the roof and the papers are talking about the fictional recovery.
    A year later and not one reporter has told us what caused the oil rig to explode, but that may come out soon since BP is suing the rig operators for billions claiming it was their fault.
    The kenyan has set it up so he is insulated from his own buffoonery, but not his ego. His self grandiosing narcissm will be his downfall. He must lose next election for his sake as well as humanity.

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  4. Yeah, Madpole, I'm at a point where taking the Impeachment Insurance settlement doesn't seem like a bad idea.. The grounds have been there.. the House would pass the articles, a few weeks of five dollar gas and the Senate might be a lot more willing than they are now.

    ReplyDelete

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