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Syria: Obama’s Own ‘Problem From Hell’
The American Interest ^ | 05-05-2013 | Walter Russell Mead

Posted on 05/05/2013 9:05:29 AM PDT by Kevin in California

The Syrian civil war exploded over the weekend, with mass murder and sectarian cleansing along the coast, Israeli airstrikes in Damascus, and confusion, frustration and paralysis in Washington to the point where the New York Times described President Obama as trapped “in a geopolitical box, his credibility at stake with frustratingly few good options.”


TOPICS: Israel; News/Current Events; Russia; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: israel; russia; syria; waronterror
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To: Kevin in California

Oh...give Carney a chance to spin Monday:

For the Obama Administration, Syria is simply a “pre-contingent, oversea contingency operation”.

After all, US advisors in Jordan might be considered...well...”grief conselors”.

Russian Special Forces in Syria are...shall we say...”mentoring”.

The Israeli air strike was just a “tangential encounter” with Syrian airspace.

The White House Press Corp will lap it up at the dog bowl.


21 posted on 05/05/2013 9:50:51 AM PDT by Fitzy_888 ("ownership society")
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To: Kevin in California

Maybe like Iran vs. Iraq in the ‘80’s, they’re busy killing each other, just make sure neither gets too far ahead.


22 posted on 05/05/2013 9:59:35 AM PDT by gusopol3
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To: Kevin in California

Obama is still too busy campaigning to worry about such tripe.


23 posted on 05/05/2013 10:04:33 AM PDT by nesnah
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To: Attention Surplus Disorder

So I guess you’re fine with Iran taking over Syria.


24 posted on 05/05/2013 10:19:23 AM PDT by what's up
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To: Kevin in California

There is nothing credible about this empty headed King playboy of America the great and holy King Obama.


25 posted on 05/05/2013 10:38:55 AM PDT by Logical me
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To: mardi59

A red line covered in blood is hard to see.


26 posted on 05/05/2013 10:47:49 AM PDT by Hardastarboard (Buck Off, Bronco Bama)
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To: Kevin in California

Everyone talks about Zero’s ‘line in the sand’ but few mention the no bluff line drawn by Putin. I believe Putin, long before Benghazi, told Zero to stay the hell out of meddling with al Quida in Syria. Putin well knows that Zero was a big player in all the Jihad chaos that has taken place in the Middle East and he is fed up with it. Benghazi was Putin’s wake up call to Zero - I TOLD YOU TO STOP IT OR ELSE. Zero now knows Syria is red hot and that he better not touch Syria.


27 posted on 05/05/2013 10:49:48 AM PDT by iontheball
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To: what's up

Iran is already in charge of Syria. There would be no change.


28 posted on 05/05/2013 11:27:54 AM PDT by Attention Surplus Disorder (This stuff we're going through now, this is nothing compared to the middle ages.)
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To: Kevin in California

Surprised Obama hasn’t praised the terrorist who did Chris Stevens up the ass for coming out as a homosexual. What has Obama done about Benghazi? Jailed a probably Christian filmmaker for an obscure unconstitutional sounding parole violation. Not being allowed to use the Internet could be a freedom of speech violation as well as interference with his right to work. Showed us already Obama’s line in the sand. Invade our embassy, rape the ambassador from behind, then murder him and Obama will do absolutely nothing. A red line or line in the sand meant something for the Bushs. Obama’s “line in the sand” is a joke. Did Obama ever stand up to a bully in his entire life?


29 posted on 05/05/2013 11:50:23 AM PDT by Freedom of Speech Wins
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To: dfwgator

If you set out to kill the king then you must kill the king.


30 posted on 05/05/2013 12:19:23 PM PDT by arthurus (Read Hazlitt's EconomTheiics In One Lesson ONLINE www.fee.org/library/books/economics-in-one-lesson)
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To: Attention Surplus Disorder

Iran has full say over wmd stockpiles, military forces and all gov’t institutions? Really? I’m sure that would be news to the Ba’ath party and Assad.


31 posted on 05/05/2013 12:27:40 PM PDT by what's up
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To: what's up

What you are or think you are sure of and what I am or think I am sure of in that part of the world amounts to nothing. There is no way our involvement in Syria would improve anything for us because we cannot predict the outcome, nor is there evidence of any hunger for anything resembling a democratically run state. Freedom, to them, is apostasy. That the government considers itself Ba’athist did not stop them from aligning with coalition forces against Saddam Hussein in the Gulf War I. No matter what conditions we would seek to impose, the proposition for us is to enforce it by force, and see it deteriorate to default Al Queda control as soon as we leave or draw down forces. Our forces over there are or would be just a magnet for resistance. Should Assad lose power, that would just accelerate things towards AQ or other Islamist control.

If we are primarily concerned with the proliferation of chemical weapons stockpiled by Syria, the Israelis are 50 times better on top of that situation than we will ever be, and our intelligence (particularly under 0bama) has proven it is as likely to turn against Israel as towards any given Arab state. Thus, Israel is probably reluctant to share same with us. Very understandably. I’d like to keep it that way, consider present circumstances. We don’t get Arab logic, they don’t get ours. What we do in the name of imposing or allowing “freedom” is what they hate. It runs counter to their religion. I’m perfectly happy to let Israel take of whatever business they see as pressing and allow Muslims to wipe out other Muslims to their heart’s content. It’s a human tragedy but one that we cannot control and certainly cannot benefit from policing.


32 posted on 05/05/2013 1:32:45 PM PDT by Attention Surplus Disorder (This stuff we're going through now, this is nothing compared to the middle ages.)
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To: Kevin in California

I think you guys are taking Mr. affirmative action leader out of context: what he was really saying is a line in the sand at the sand trap on hole 14.


33 posted on 05/05/2013 3:28:43 PM PDT by dearolddad (/i>)
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To: Attention Surplus Disorder
You seem to think freedom is the only consideration.

But as I said, a full-scale takeoever of Syria by Iran is a possibility and in that case we are talking about a national defense reason for involvement.

Sure, if you believe that Israel is Iran's only enemy you can try to leave the situation to them. However, it is naive to think that Iran won't continue to use their influence against us. And, if so,pre-emptive action on our part would be desirable, both to support Israel as the only democracy in the area and for our own interest and self-defense.

34 posted on 05/05/2013 4:36:35 PM PDT by what's up
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