Syria in the Gunsights

NewsMax ^ | Monday, April 26, 2004 | Jack Wheeler

[ThermoNuclearWarrior]

Syria in the Gunsights

Jack Wheeler

Monday, April 26, 2004

The argument for taking out the government of Syria is growing by the day. The only things holding back the Marines from seizing downtown Damascus and imprisoning Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad as a war criminal are (a) the lack of manpower to prevent the place from collapsing into anarchic chaos before a transitional government can be set up, and (b) the literally hysterical objections of the State Department. Consider these justifications, any one of which would be reason alone to rid Syria of the al-Assad pestilence:

Syria has a 600-mile border with Iraq. Al-Assad is orchestrating the insertion of thousands of Al Qaeda, Hizbollah, and other Jihadi terrorists into Iraq, arming them, and letting them come back to Syria and resupply. It is these foreign terrorists that are primarily responsible for the atrocities in Fallujah and elsewhere, killing US and Coalition soldiers as well as innocent Iraqis.

As arms inspector David Kay has noted, Saddam’s “missing WMD” were shipped to Syria before the war began. Starting in January 2004, Al-Assad began flying shipments of WMD components to Sudan to hide them in warehouses in Khartoum, the Sudanese capital. Afraid of the US response, Sudan’s leader Omar Bashir is now having second thoughts, and is ordering that Syria take back its Scud-C and Scud-D ballistic missiles and chemical weapons components.

On April 17, Jordanian police seized an amount of WMD chemicals being carried into Jordan from Syria by Al Qaeda terrorists. Three booby-trapped pickups were loaded with explosives and VX poison gas containers. Jordan’s King Abdullah and his intelligence chief General Kheir publicly announced that if the terrorists had succeeded in their confessed plan to detonate the VX in Amman near the American Embassy, over 20,000 people would have been massacred.

The evidence is becoming overwhelming that the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad provided the hiding place for Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction, that it has begun providing them to Al Qaeda terrorists, and that it is waging a proxy guerrilla war upon the U.S. and the Coalition military in Iraq.

Sanctions, such as those authorized by Congress last December in the Syrian Accountability Act, and other forms of political and economic pressure, are very rapidly becoming far-too-little-far-too-late solutions, and very dangerously so.

Twenty thousand human beings were almost slaughtered in Jordan this month. Whatever anarchic chaos occurs in Syria after a B2 strike obliterates the Presidential Palace in Damascus, it is preferable to al-Assad-backed terrorists succeeding in their next VX attempt.

Syria is leaving President Bush with little else than the military option. The sooner he exercises that option, the more lives will be saved, American, Jordanian, and Iraqi.

Jack Wheeler is the Publisher and Editor of To The Point at www.tothepointnews.com.

© 2004, To The Point, Inc.

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2004/4/23/143043.shtml

[ThermoNuclearWarrior]

We need threaten Syria with a massive Nuclear strike. We should use the powerful weapons we have when it will save American lives. Why should we invade and occupy that POS nation while getting attacked by countless homicide bombers? Let's seriously start looking at using our Nuclear weapons when dealing with Syria and Iran. It would save American lives. Syria and Iran are both causing American deaths and they should be dealt with now. To hell with the UN, the Arab/Muslim world, and the liberal socialist. Let's do what we have too.

[judicial meanz]

This is just a guess, but I imagine that we will end up going into Syria whether we want to or not, and whether we like it or not.

They just keep upping the ante on us and claiming innocence through the back channels.

[oneoftheothers]

If Iran ever gets a Nuclear weapon while the mullah's are still in power, there will be Nuclear weapons pointed at Tehran.

[Licensed-To-Carry]

In my opinion, President Bush is waiting for after the election, when he is elected again, all scores will be settled. Things that must happen with the entire Middle East will be started and they will be forced to continue after the Bush term is completed.

President Bush is a visonary that will only be appreciated 100 years from now.

[MamaLucci]

The Syrian's appear to be safe in the knowledge that their fellow travelers in the US democrat party have made it politically untenable for the President to take military action against them.....they may soon join a long list of foes that have underestimated George W. Bush at their own peril.

[Anti-Bubba182]

"..On April 17, Jordanian police seized an amount of WMD chemicals being carried into Jordan from Syria by Al Qaeda terrorists. Three booby-trapped pickups were loaded with explosives and VX poison gas containers..."

Allow me to scream BS here! Nowhere in any publication other than WND is VX poison gas mentioned. WND got the VX item from a radio report from John Loftus who was speculating. WND then quoted Loftus and now this author is basically doing the same thing. One person starts a rumor or "fact" and others join in start quoting each other. When it doesn't pan out, they claim coverup. When VX is mentioned generally in other sources and the DOD or other credible sources say VX then I will believe it.

This type of "reporting" is why I take anything from WND with a grain of salt.

[KriegerGeist]

"If Iran ever gets a Nuclear weapon while the mullah's are still in power, there will be Nuclear weapons pointed at Tehran."

Israel will take it upon themselves (with or without our permission) to take out any Iranian nuke threat (because they believe the threat will be directly towards them). They have done it before and they will do it again

[No Blue States]

"Twenty thousand human beings were almost slaughtered in Jordan this month. Whatever anarchic chaos occurs in Syria after a B2 strike obliterates the Presidential Palace in Damascus, it is preferable to al-Assad-backed terrorists succeeding in their next VX attempt. "

Thats a very strong point.

One lesson of 9-11 is to not wait till its too late.

[dsc]

What about this:

"Jordan’s King Abdullah and his intelligence chief General Kheir publicly announced that if the terrorists had succeeded in their confessed plan to detonate the VX in Amman near the American Embassy, over 20,000 people would have been massacred."

Was such a publc statement made?

[JLAGRAYFOX]

I am loathe to agree with you, but I think you are right on the money. I do not believe the USA can negotiate with these non-humans called Arab Muslims. We are going to have to resort to our nuclear weapons if the USA is to survive. I think both Syria and Iran need to be destroyed right now! Anything less than that will set the stage for mass killings of Americans, military and civilian alike and the total destruction of the American economy. It is really up to GW Bush! If he does not take action before November and John Kerry wins the Presidency, this country is finished. The Arabs lie in wait for that fateful day. I cannot believe that a majority of Americans do not see the peril and danger we are in. Our nation has reached a very sad state very quickly when it can't see the forest for the trees! A good first step to try to avoid a severe nuclear elimination would be some serious butt beating right in Iraq. A few Iraqi cities holy or otherwise turned into glass would send a powerful message to the enemy. But. alas, it appears we don't have the will!

[Dark Wing]

ping

[dsc]

"the literally hysterical objections of the State Department"

The US State Department is the best argument for building a Gulag that I have ever seen.

That place is rotten from the ground up and from the top down.

[Mr. Mojo]

........the literally hysterical objections of the State Department.

Oh man, those Arabists would throw an epic hissy fit. .....it would be beautiful to watch.

[No Blue States]

"Was such a publc statement made?"

Would such a public statement be made? (tin foil)

[texasflower]

Yes

[John Lenin]

How are we going to take action against anyone ? We have every troops stationed somewhere. You people are all dreamming.

[Right Angler]

I always felt the second phase of Iraqi Freedom should have been called Operation NASCAR. We should have turned left and floored it.

[dsc]

"Would such a public statement be made? (tin foil)"

We don't have to depend on "would," do we? Either it was made or it wasn't.

[lonevoice]

Here's another one...

It is these foreign terrorists that are primarily responsible for the atrocities in Fallujah and elsewhere, killing US and Coalition soldiers as well as innocent Iraqis.

I've read reports from our troops, as well as from embedded reporters, that the majority of the islamofascists attacking Coalition Forces in Fallujah are Iraqi-homegrown, with a very small minority of imported psychos from Syria.

[dsc]

"Yes"

So, Jordan did make such a statement? I'll look on the web for it.