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Posted on 09/03/2013 3:58:13 PM PDT by ClaytonP
Syria's butcher Bashir Assad could end up toppling British Prime Minister David Cameron and not the other way around, while also giving Russia a big boost back on to the Great Power stage and green lighting Tehran's most ambitious and sparky plans in its mountain tunnel complexes.
Along the way he has exposed President Obama as feckless and fearful. The president and his team are scrambling to remind lawmakers of what the Commander-in-Chief ought to have long ago argued to the country: When the good guys blink, the bad guys notice.
Lots and lots of blinking. Most of the people who could be expected to step up and support significant punishment of Assad, while noting the importance of any president following through on presidential threats, have been out of sight.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., is happy to tell you we have no interests in any of this, and kudos to him for his honesty. Will that play in the 2016 primaries beyond 10 percent of the GOP? If it does, the party of Ronald Reagan is dead, and former Ohio Sen. Bob Taft will finally get his due.
It’s doubtful that Govs. Chris Christie of New Jersey, John Kasich of Ohio, Rick Perry of Texas and Scott Walker of Wisconsin see it Rand's way, or Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida or John Thune of South Dakota, but none have yet dared to make the sort of statements of policy and purpose on Syria that get noticed.
Three of the governors have re-election campaigns, which excuse them to some extent from blunt talk about tough choices, but Rubio, Thune and Perry have a lot of opportunity right now to stand for Reagan's robust commitment to international stability, American greatness, and a refusal to be intimidated by Russia, much less by smaller states with big plans.
Rep. Tom Cotton, a combat veteran of both Afghanistan and Iraq, was blunt and bold, calling for military retaliation against Assad before any other major figure in American politics had done so.
"Rangers lead the way" is the proud statement of that community, and Cotton was and remains at least in spirit an Army Ranger. He is providing an example for the presently cowed national-security Republicans.
Here is the problem: The small-government folks applaud Paul, and the rule-of-law conservatives share much of his agenda of concern over the president and his administration's epic lawlessness and arrogance, but there is a significant difference between a president's ability to act unilaterally at home and abroad.
These commonalities cannot obscure the huge chasm between a Taft Republican and an Eisenhower Republican when it comes to the world and the military's strength.
Last month, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel suggested the U.S. could have to make do with eight or nine carriers, and the response from the GOP was ... silence. Admiral Mahan is getting kicked to the curb along with all memory of the '30s.
The nonsense about "war weariness" is a Manhattan-Beltway media elite trope, a familiar dodge to get the blame off of their beloved Barack and back on Bush, despite the fact that W's free states of Iraq and Afghanistan are doing well compared to Obama's experiments in Egypt and Libya.
American leadership and military prowess isn't perfect, and leadership isn't easy and is never free from errors. Fecklessness, by contrast, is always disastrous.
The side-by-side comparisons of the world as Bush left it in January 2009 and as it is now in September 2013 make the case for American strength. Now, when will the GOP's front bench gather the courage to say so?
Hugh thinks we should arm rebels while disarming Americans.
Go get stuffed, Hugh Jass.
well then, hewitt and co are pro-al queda republicans...so there.
So anytime we don’t support jumping into a war, regardless of whether there is a national security interest, a defined strategy, or reliable pro-American allies, we are 1930s isolationists?
Maybe Hugh can tell us how we are supposed to keep Assad’s WMDs from getting into jihadist hands once his command and control system is “degraded”? Maybe Hugh can tell us how he knows who the “good guys” are supposed to be (assuming there are any), and how we are to make sure that every depot is taken by them, and not the “bad guys”? Do we have any assurance they would destroy them? Are we supposed to just trust Obama to work it out as we go along?
Hugh’s a good guy, but this is one of his dumbest columns ever.
The Neo-Cons last stand.
That’s funny.
I spent 25 years in the US Air Force. I spent 1/3 of my career based overseas, and spent a 10 year stretch where I was in Saudi or Turkey for nearly 6 months of each year. I’m not an isolationist.
However, I see nothing in the Syria mess that has any basis for US involvement. Nothing. Why should we back someone who hates us? So we can do an Afghanistan repeat come 2023?
"When the good guys blink, the bad guys notice."
Uh, WE are the "bad guys" in this case, Hughey baby. Your President is an ASS. As is anyone who supports this painfully obvious charade. Now go collect your 30 pieces of silver for writing this crappy propaganda.
I wonder how the sales of his book, “A Mormon in the White House” are doing.
He was talking up Romney for two years straight and was already celebrating a landslide victory days before the election.
You’re right!
Who is this Huge Nitwitt, and why should I care?
If you think you have an answer, I’m still really NOT interested.
Nobody is talking about war with Syria. Obozo made it real clear that whatever it is he has planned will have no effect on the Assad regime and will not involve US personnel in Syria. That’s a Democrat’s view of “consequences.” It appears he wants to launch some cruise missiles and smoke some camels.
Romneybot idiot. I wish we could do the last 75 years over.
Refuse to arm AL Qaeda?
ISOLATIONIST!
Try an AP or other news source search (preferably overseas) on Iraq. Thousands have been slaughtered this year. Turmoil -- as many predicted once we pulled out.
Adding fuel to the fire was the July jail break which resulted in hundreds of Al Quaeda supporters being released back into the civilian population. You can start here.
U.S. troop deaths in Afghanistan have nearly tripled in the Obama years, compared to all other Bush years combined link here,not to mention the ever escalating civilian deaths.
For all our blood, money, and grief, these two countries are no better off than the day we stepped foot on in them.
It's time we take care of our own.
Please ping me with any Southern California related articles. Thank you!
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I am not against US strength being exhibited. When we have a national interest.
Which side is pro-America over there in Syria? What dog do we have in that fight?
None. None is the answer.
So stay out of it.
They just don't want to admit that they all knew that Sadddam’s WMDs were shipped out of Iraq to Syria before the war and the “Bush lied, people died” mantra was a cynical lie that President Bush refused to refute for reasons unknown to the American public.
Attempts by the US military to destroy these WMDs may result in them being inadvertently (or intentionally) unleashed on the Syrian civilian population and the resulting deaths could make the previous body count look insignificant by comparison.
The morons running the show need to make a real case the American people why we need to attack Syria.
So far they have not even tried to do so and it looks as though they are simply lying to the country to start a war that they are collectively too incompetent to follow through on once they get us entangled.
second that
Hey Screwy Hughey !
Where’s in the national interest US going to war ?
This Californian demonstrates why it’s in such a sad state. Yesterdays broadcast he did a great interview with ABC’s John (?) Tapper and his teriffic book about combat in Afganistan. Where Tapper goes through the effect political decisions has on combat and the wars outcome.
Hewitt asked key questions about the circumstances Tapper wrote about but can’t get it though his head the only reason we’re getting involved here is because our fearless leader shot his mouth off.
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