Posted on 02/05/2014 11:58:26 AM PST by jazusamo
Hell-bent on arming opposition forces in Syria—despite strong evidence that they’re run by Islamic terrorists—John McCain displayed behavior unbecoming of a United States Senator during a recent meeting with Syrian Christian leaders touring Capitol Hill.
The delegation of Syrian clergy came to Washington to raise awareness among lawmakers of the growing crisis among the region’s minority Christian community. Christians make up about 10% of the Syrian population and they are being targeted and ruthlessly murdered by radical elements of the rebel forces, according to the visiting church officials. They say the media and human rights groups in the west have been largely silent on the ordeal of the Christians in Syria.
A number of churches have been destroyed or burned, children were killed when rebels fired mortar rockets at an Armenian Christian school in Damascus and countless others have been abducted by Islamic fighters, the Syrian delegation reveals in a statement published by the research group, Westminster Institute, that brought them to Washington. Eleven nuns have also been abducted and are still in captivity and two bishops are still missing after getting kidnapped during a humanitarian mission.
But Senator McCain, an Arizona Republican, evidently doesn’t want to hear negative stories about the rebels he’s working to arm. So he stormed out of a closed-door meeting with the Syrian clergy officials last week. Held in the Senate Arms Services Committee meeting room, the reunion also included senators Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Joe Manchin of West Virginia. Graham is a Republican and the rest are Democrats.
McCain marched into the committee room yelling, according to a high-level source that attended the meeting, and quickly stormed out. “He was incredibly rude,” the source told Judicial Watch “because he didn’t think the Syrian church leaders should even be allowed in the room.” Following the shameful tantrum McCain reentered the room and sat briefly but refused to make eye contact with the participants, instead ignoring them by looking down at what appeared to be random papers.
The outburst was so embarrassing that Senator Graham, also an advocate of U.S. military intervention in Syria, apologized for McCain’s disturbing outburst. “Graham actually apologized to the group for McCain’s behavior,” according to the source, who sat through the entire meeting. “It was truly unbelievable.”
Not really, for those familiar with McCain’s history on this matter. The veteran lawmaker is enamored with a controversial young “Syria expert,” Elizabeth O’Bagy, who has managed to convince him as well as the president and secretary of state that Syrian rebels are mostly moderate and not terrorists. While persuading the U.S. of this, O’Bagy concealed that she was a political director for the Syrian Emergency Task Force (SETF), a group that advocates for Syria’s rebels from Washington D.C.
Before getting exposed by conservative media outlets, O’Bagy claimed to be an objective analyst at a Washington D.C. think-tank that studies military affairs when in fact she had a “reputation as the leading expert on the armed opposition in the Syrian revolution,” according to SETF. In September O’Bagy was abruptly fired from the think-tank for padding her resume and McCain graciously hired her. “Elizabeth is a talented researcher, and I have been very impressed by her knowledge and analysis in multiple briefings over the last year,” McCain said in a statement to the political news publication that broke the story in late September.
Besides the fact that a Syrian Islamist group is essentially steering U.S. policy, a number of domestic and international media outlets have confirmed that terrorists—mainly Al Qaeda—are running opposition forces in Syria. For instance the New York Times published a piece that reveals Islamist rebels—including the most extreme groups in the notorious Al Nusra Front, an Al Qaeda-aligned force—are running the show in Syria. “The Islamist character of the opposition reflects the main constituency of the rebellion,” the story says. “Nowhere in rebel-controlled Syria is there a secular fighting force to speak of.”
Incredibly, last month an international news agency reported that Congress secretly approved U.S. weapons flow to what officials describe as “moderate” Syrian rebel factions. The White House refused to comment on the back-door operation, but the story cites U.S. and European officials who say the weapons deliveries have been funded by the U.S. Congress, in votes behind closed doors, through the end of government fiscal year 2014.
“Graham actually apologized to the group for McCain’s behavior,”
Graham is up for election, and unlike McCain who apparently only has idiots for constituents - they keep reelecting this old bastard - Graham has Christians for constituents and he is facing a challenge.
If Linda Graham was serious about his apology, he/she would start distancing himself/herself from this maniac.
Uncle Scam is hell-bent on arming opposition forces in Syria BECAUSE they’re run by Islamic terrorists.
He’ll end up in an old folks’ home sitting in a rocker, angrily muttering to himself and everyone who walks by.
McCain reminds me of “Lord Denethor” from The Return of The King,
an unhinged “leader” who is secretly in league with The Enemy.
McCain is a disgusting pile of crap, well suited to be a supporter of Al-Qaeda and Democrats.
Sorry, I'm trying to find some silver lining here.
Actually, he is already way overdue at that old folks’ home.
Paging John McCain...
He is an embarrassment as are all leftists. When is he up for reelection and who will run against him in the primary?
Mclame was known as songbird in Nam. He is a traitor since the 60’s. No different than hanoi jane.
There's one finger I don't want on the nuke button. What a friggin' hothead!
The funny thing, is that like Obama, he can sound intelligent and reasonable in a short interview, but then he goes off and acts like an intemperate nut.
He’s nuttier than squirrel poop!
At this point, I have to ask “doesn’t McCain’s family have any decency?” He should be locked up somewhere where he can spend the rest of his days in la-la land and stop doing any more damage to humanity.
TurnTurban
I disagree. One clue to intelligence is an (often warped) sense of humor. These two are humorless crybabies when they don't get their way.
You ought publicly apologize profusely for the “Hanoi John” comment. If he joined satan himself, he ought never be labelled that name. My God, this man suffered there more than you will in hell probably.
Stick to the issues, I suggest, and not get personal even though it is tempting. He’s wrong, but he’s no traitor.
Why he’s so hot headed in this meeting I would guess is his entire policy and his votes would have to be halted, whats more, some secret mission is about to be jeopardized.
God is in control and will use all for good - we pray now.
I don’t know who but I sure wish AZ had another Ted Cruz to primary the nut.
Yep, that’s my Senator!!!!
Our State Republicans need to do more than censor him.
” - - - He’ll end up in an old folks’ home sitting in a rocker, angrily muttering to himself and everyone who walks by. - - - “
And just how will that be different from his being in the US Senate now?
LOL. I thought of that after I had posted.
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