Trump allies blast decision to withdraw troops from Syria

Yahoo News ^ | 10/7/19 | Dylan Stableford

[TangledUpInBlue]

Graham said that he and Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., plan to introduce “veto-proof” bipartisan sanctions that will call for Turkey’s suspension from NATO if it invades Syria and attacks Kurdish forces.

“This decision to abandon our Kurdish allies and turn Syria over to Russia, Iran, & Turkey will put every radical Islamist on steroids,” Graham added. “Shot in the arm to the bad guys. Devastating for the good guys.”

Nikki Haley, Trump’s former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, was unequivocal in her criticism. We must always have the backs of our allies, if we expect them to have our back. The Kurds were instrumental in our successful fight against ISIS in Syria. Leaving them to die is a big mistake. #TurkeyIsNotOurFriend

[ConservativeWarrior]

Another potential vacuum being created. I’m just saying, it’s worth listening to and contemplating.

---

Agreed that a vacuum invites problems. But it’s up to the Kurds to decide how it’s filled. If they don’t want to put their own lives on the line, they certainly have enough oil money to hire mercenaries.

[SunkenCiv]

‘Foreign Policy is in Shambles’: Colin Powell Unloads on Trump and the Republican Party
M | Oct 6th, 2019 | Charlie Nash
Posted on 10/7/2019, 12:17:51 PM by conservative98
https://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3784317/posts

Trumpism is winning, and that’s terrifying
CNN Politics | October 8, 2018 | Michael D’Antonio
Posted on 10/8/2018, 3:58:55 PM by 2ndDivisionVet
https://www.freerepublic.com/focus/backroom/3694769/posts

[snip] As former Secretary of State Colin Powell, a Republican, told CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, “We the people” has been replaced by “me the president.” [/snip]

[wiseprince]

30 days. That’s how this was sold to the people. You want a war, vote for it

[Starboard]

Thank you. That is more complete policy statement from a courageous president via Twitter than I have ever seen from any other president who are prone to pointless and evasive ramblings.

Trump is such a breath of fresh air.

[Tejas Rob]

>>but this doesn’t look good.<<

Looks awesome to me. Anyone who doesn’t like it can go join the Kurds and fight.

[Alberta's Child]

The founders of the country rightly viewed a standing army as a serious threat to liberty. That’s why the “Army” was originally comprised of state militia units that were called up by Congress in times of need.

When the American Revolution ended, George Washington went home and tended to his business. He didn’t do a 20+ year stint as a general, retire with a taxpayer-funded pension, and get a paid gig on Faux News as a “military expert” clamoring for U.S. military intervention all over the world.

[Rashputin]

". . . but this doesn't look good."

Syria, when we had no reason to be there in the first place?

The sort of "looks bad" you have in mind can't be worse than looking stupid for still being there.

[americas.best.days...]

As to Nicki Haleys response, sorry, cliche, about “having each others backs”, it’s just THEIR efforts just don’t quite match up to OUR efforts. By a lot.

[VanDeKoik]

Any of these guys are free to get off the comfy office chair to become mercenaries and go bang-bang all they want.

[Zhang Fei]

The Kurds do have one choice no one talks about - make their peace with Assad. That way, the Russian-run Syrian air defense network will extend over Kurdish territory. The Israelis are competent enough to run rings around the Russians. The Turks are not. They will pay a massive price if they have to invade Syrian Kurdistan without air cover.

[mass55th]

"Ask those ex-military friends of yours why the hell the U.S. was in Syria in the first place."

Obama sent them there. Graham needs to shut up, and hold hearings on Democrat corruption, their unwarranted attacks on the President, and their interference in our elections.

[Crucial]

I think you’re right. There’s no going back after establishing a professional standing army. But I will say this, that when we Americans put up our guns and allowed others to fight in our place, we gave up a good deal of our sovereignty as a people. It was quite enticing to just let others possibly die in our stead and concentrate on other less dangerous and more profitable pursuits.

[eddie willers]

I'm all for not being the world's police, but this doesn't look good.

I voted for Dubya because I was assured he wasn't like his daddy, but more like Reagan. He also stressed in the primaries that we were through with nation building.

OK...9-11 took part of the second promise away but I was weary of Powell's dubious list of reasons that was used as the casus belli

As well as George Tenet's slam dunk assurance.

I still tried to believe but when Bush gave the Medal of Freedom to not only Tenet but also to the abysmal Paul Bremer, my faith abandoned me.

I still voted for McCain and Romney, (with no enthusiasm at all) but held my nose and did my duty as people like George Will and Bill Kristol urged me to.

But when it came time for them to hold their noses and then refused, that was the end of the RINOs and the Bush type neocons for me. Forever.

Trump is again doing what hasn't been done, but I will withhold judgement. The way we had been doing it has been abysmal.

[vigilence]

Maybe my age is catching up with me but the questions I always ask myself when questions of troop deployments arise are “is this in the best interest of all Americans, does it serve a national interest” and “would I advise my son that potentially giving his life in support of this deployment was worth it”. Yes, the Kurds have been valuable allies during our deployments in the Middle East but they have splinter groups that reportedly support ISIS so they are not unified as American allies. My conclusion is let them fight it out and if it becomes a problem for us then we can respond. But these endless deployments sap our blood, treasure and resolve.

[Calli]

My thoughts, exactly!

[Williams]

Why do we assume that Turkey will succeed against the kurds?

[TangledUpInBlue]

Ok, that’s a reasoned and respectful response. A perfectly valid point of view.

[rrrod]

As a general rule I’m in favor of dead Turk/Russian/mussie scum...

[entropy12]

How much spare cash is sitting in the treasury to keep wars going in foreign lands? Has our 22 TRILLION = $22,000,000,000,000 debt still there on necks of US taxpayers?

Now if had $1 Trillion spare cash in our Treasury, I would be all for flexing our muscles and play policeman of the world. May be you don’t worry about debt in your own life. Or may be you do. If you do, start worrying about the national debt. Because it is a sword hanging on necks of our children and grand children. Debt does not disappear. It has to be paid back WITH INTEREST.

Or, as some say, we can inflate our way out of national debt. If inflation was the way to prosperity why are Argentina, Zimbabwe and the Third Reich do not or did not do well? Think about it.

[mmichaels1970]

30 days. That’s how this was sold to the people. You want a war, vote for it

Isn't congress always complaining that they have no say when it comes to these conflicts? If they're so upset, maybe they should vote to declare war on Syria?

If they have this big bipartisan disagreement with the president and all of this harsh criticism, it shouldn't be hard for ALL of them to go on the record and vote to declare war.