Posted on 05/22/2013 1:40:06 AM PDT by BarnacleCenturion
WASHINGTON - A Senate panel voted Tuesday to provide weapons to rebels battling the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the first time lawmakers have endorsed the aggressive U.S. military step of arming the opposition.
...
"The greatest humanitarian crisis in the world is unfolding in and around Syria," said Sen. Robert Menendez (D., N.J.), the committee chief. ". . . The United States must play a role in tipping the scales toward opposition groups and working to build a free and democratic Syria."
Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee, the panel's top Republican, implicitly criticized the Obama administration as he joined Menendez in embracing the measure. "Much of the policy on Syria has been done on an ad hoc basis," Corker said. Opposing the legislation were Sens. Rand Paul (R., Ky.), a potential presidential candidate, and Democratic Sens. Tom Udall of New Mexico and Chris Murphy of Connecticut.
"It's impossible to know who are friends are," Paul said. His arguments put him at odds with another potential White House candidate - Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, who backed the legislation.
(Excerpt) Read more at philly.com ...
Can someone tell me if it was illegal to arm the libyan Rebels if not approved by Congress but approved by Obama?
CIA has often armed rebels without Congressional approval.
So other than a PR disaster - would it have been illegal.
this pixes me off
Syrian rebel defends eating dead soldier’s organ as revenge ...
Video: Syrian rebel cuts out soldier’s heart, eats it - CNN.com
BACKED by U.S.A. (taxes) money, weapons and support.
This will not end well..God forgive us.
just saying
Can’t help but ask is this not part of the O Administrative cover-up of Benghazi? Smells like what was pulled to cover-up the Court Martial of Michael G.New -the Constitutional issue NEVER resolved —and IFOR became Forever Force,for the sake of Islam and our Dhimmi Govt.
Eh, the same groups that bomb us every once an a while?
Idiots.
If Menendez is involved, he's getting paid for his involvement. This jackoff isn't just corrupt, he's NJ Democrat corrupt.
Terrific. Another crisis. Quick, throw money at it. Then be sure to spend more of it carting those “refugees” over here so they can plot our downfall in the comfort the Late Great USA. We have got to be the stupidest nation on the planet, currently.
If you’d like to be on or off, please FR mail me.
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Sounds like Assad is on top anyway, hope we know who we're giving them to.
Syrian "opposition" = Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda = Our enemy that we have been at war with for years.
Senate panel voting to give aid and comfort to our enemy = Treason.
Will there be universal background checks and registration of the weapons, or is that only for American citizens trying to exercise their Constitutional Rights...??
“. . . The United States must play a role in tipping the scales toward opposition groups and working to build a free and democratic Syria.”
You would really have to have a hole in your head to believe something like this. Not one of these groups support anything like freedom or democracy.
“It’s impossible to know who are friends are,”
How about no friends there.
Also, bad grammer.
The Bush antiwar movement is gone. Now war is peace if you label it with the word humanitarian.
My first thought.
...or put another way: Harry Reid and the Democrats want to arm Al Qaeda.
This is crazy. We should stay the hell out of this mess.
5.56mm
Is this retroactive approval for gun running out of Benghazi?
Maybe the Senate can approve universal wiretapping of the media? Heck, why not throw in approval of profiling at the IRS?
Do we have any of our military fighting there?
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