Posted on 09/10/2014 6:01:58 PM PDT by mandaladon
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Struggling Syrian rebels that President Barack Obama once derided as "former doctors, farmers, pharmacists and so forth" now form a key pillar of the U.S. leader's strategy to beat back the militant insurgency known as Islamic State.
For over three years, Obama has kept the so-called moderate rebels at arm's length. While giving verbal and limited material support, he and his spokesmen often said publicly that adding more weaponry to the civil war would only make things worse.
Now Obama is taking a different tack as he sets out his strategy to defeat the Syrian-based Islamic State, which has declared a caliphate across a wide swath of Syria and Iraq.
He is offering enhanced support and training for the Syrian opposition as part of a plan that also involves U.S. air strikes on Islamic State positions in Syria.
Obama himself was the chief mover behind the shift in U.S. policy, said Syria analysts and U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
"It seems to me that he has actually changed his mind. All the indications are that he was the main constraint on a more robust Syria policy all along," Andrew Tabler, of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said of Obama.
Deciding to expand the American support underscores Obama's lack of good options in Syria, more than three years into a civil war that has killed nearly 200,000 people.
The White House has to find a way to destroy Islamic State without allying itself with Syrian President Bashar al Assad, whom Obama called on to leave power more than three years ago. Assad's forces are also battling the group.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Bammy = CAIR = Muzzie Broz = ISIS
The time to intervene was when the Free Syrian Officer’s Corps emerged. It would have been an easy coup with the defecting military units.
Obama instead chose to let the Islamist rot spread across the entire region.
Barry, ACTIONS will speak louder than your teleprompter’s words.
Meanwhile, straighten out your US flag pin; don’t have it slanted like it represents a nation going downhill (unless, of course, that was the message you were trying to convey).
He wants to arm the rebels who sold Steven Sotoloff like a piece of meat to ISIS.
He is not pro-America.
“He is offering enhanced support and training for the Syrian opposition as part of a plan that also involves U.S. air strikes on Islamic State positions in Syria.”
Same crap about arming the “moderate” rebels with the vague promise that another Muslim Brotherhood won’t arise and take over.
Obama is taking “a different tack”? Quite the contrary, this is more of the same. Our assistance to the “Syrian opposition” has enabled the Syria Free Army, components of which morphed into ISIS/ISIL/Islamic State.
Why is Obama so intent on overthrowing the Syrian government?
Why has Obama been so insistent that the Muslim Brotherhood be Egypt’s government - even through Egypt wants nothing to do with them?
Why has Obama stonewalled any investigation of Benghazi?
Operation Arab Spring has been run out of the State Department. It is Obama’s attempt to topple governments and install islamists - to establish a caliphate.
The “moderate” rebels can’t defeat Assad with our help, let alone by themselves and they sure as hell can’t defeat ISIS.
The way I see it, arming these so called moderates can only lead to ISIS in control of Syria and Lebanon soon after.
If we arm the “moderates” they will help ISIS defeat Assad and then ISIS will absorb or exterminate the moderates.
Arming the Syrain rebels was a crappy idea when McCain pushed it and it was a crappy idea when Hillary was running guns to the rebels through the CIA annex in Benghazi and its still a crappy idea. Assad is no worse that the crazy rebels who will instantly install the sharia and the Muslim Brotherhood will be running the show.
And tell me, how is that any different from NATO destroying Libyan infrastructure and bombing that once wealthy nation to rubble, it's carcass now being fought over by rival gangs of criminal fanatic muslims?
I wonder just how many idiot European countries will join the US in the destruction of Syria? Where will the minority Christians, safe under Assad, run to?
Somebody warn the Israelis. They’re about to get some rowdy new neighbors and Obama is driving the moving van.
Don’t you remember: Obama can never be wrong, he can never admit a mistake, and it’s all Bush and the Republicans’ fault because they’re racists homophobes that hate Mr. Obama and all minority peoples all over the world, especially all Muslims, Jews.
What shift? He funded and trained isis. He just wants more of the same. How would Syria end up any different than Libya? I'm no fan of Assad but he's way better than what Obama want's to put in his place.
baloney- hes funding future terrorists, it’s in their holy book
how many terrorist have been “former doctors pharmacists teachers and engineers”
the 911 hijackers were not uneducated peasants
Bill Ayers was a teacher
“If we arm the “moderates” they will help ISIS defeat Assad and then ISIS will absorb or exterminate the moderates.”
And Obama knows this. He WANTS an Islamic caliphate and has been trying to establish one since Libya.
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