Congress: MH17 Crash Is ‘Act of Terror,’ and Putin May Be to Blame

Daily Beast ^ | 07.17.14 | Josh Rogin/Tim Mak

[GonzoII]

The reported downing of a Malaysian airliner over eastern Ukraine that resulted in the deaths of 295 passengers was an “act of terror” and an “act of war,” according to the top Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs and Senate Armed Services Committee.

“The shooting down, if it’s true, of a passenger airliner is an act of terror,” New York Rep. Eliot Engel, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told The Daily Beast. “It’s no different from the acts of terror Iran has been perpetrating for many years… The world community should get together and decide on a solidified response.”

Engel said there was no doubt in his mind that Russian President Vladimir Putin was encouraging and supporting the Ukrainian separatists who stand accused of shooting down the Boeing 777, Flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lampur. According to Engel, that means Putin could have at least indirect responsibility for this as well as the other incidents, including the downing of a Ukrainian military transport plane earlier this week.

[SoFloFreeper]

Perhaps.

Or, perhaps the weakness of the West may be to blame. Exhibit A gave a shout out to Beau Biden yesterday.

[RC one]

“The shooting down, if it’s true, of a passenger airliner is an act of terror “It’s no different from the acts of terror Iran has been perpetrating for many years" New York Rep. Eliot Engel, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Now there's a comment guaranteed to come back and bite you in the arse.

[Norm Lenhart]

When this particular group tells me water is wet, I tend to question it even though I know water to be wet. Could Putin be behind it? Yup. Is he capable? Yup. Does it make sense? Nope. Especially when so many in ‘congress’ want so badly to have an external non muslim target to pile all the worlds evils on.

I dunno what the truth is. But I do know I don’t trust our elected officials to tell it.

[MacMattico]

The two reasons I could think of for Russia doing this: 1) They thought it was a large Ukrainian transport or, and more importantly (2) Putin knows the West will do nothing, but the FAA did just declare (reported on Fox) Ukrainian airspace off limits. That will hurt Ukraine immensely if it applies to the whole country.

[DB]

It appears that Putin gave a powerful weapon to people who weren't being closely supervised and this is the result. Do I think the result was Putin's plan, no. His plan was to escalate things on the border to further his agenda, not escalate things internationally. So I think his plan blew up in his face for a change.

[ConservativeDude]

seems to me that by definition, it is an act of terror.

I’d be extremely cautious about calling it an act of war...which necessitates a response by the US against a state.

but I have no difficulty in saying that the terrorists should be quietly, systematically and thoroughly destroyed.

[dforest]

Damn Norm, I totally agree with you on this one.

[kearnyirish2]

“I dunno what the truth is. But I do know I don’t trust our elected officials to tell it.”

Same here, but I expect the media will run with this story until something else comes along to distract the American public. I’m not downplaying the significance of the loss of life, but I don’t remember such a stir created when an airliner was shot down in Africa twenty years ago with one or two African presidents on board. The West ignored it, and over the next few months 800,000 Rwandans were killed...

[csvset]

Remember Iran Air Flight 655? Was that an act of war or terrorism? Hmmmm ?

[cripplecreek]

Or, perhaps the weakness of the West may be to blame.

And the fact that we're doing the same sort of crap all across the arab world. We started a raging fire all across the mideast by arming the worst possible players right in Russia's back yard.

Meanwhile, we're still ignoring our own backyard while Russian influence there grows.

I think we would see a very different world today if Bush were still president. He was far from perfect but he did recognize threats and try to head them off ahead of time. Rather than trying to do anything diplomatic, Obama was cowering under the desk in the Oval Office mewling about gay rights in Russia during the Olympics. Bush would have been in Sochi sitting with Putin working on diplomatic solutions to the Ukraine situation.

[freedomfiter2]

Yeah, Putin has so much to gain from this.

[sten]

or perhaps someone that desperately needed a distraction from an ill planned invasion of his own country...

[Norm Lenhart]

I just find it damn peculiar that every time the powers that be get their fat deeply in the fire lately, something happens externally to invoke a ‘rally round the flag’ response.

History is full of this scenario. And it never ends well for anyone. Americans think it can’t happen here, but it is happening whether they want to admit it or not.

Just to be clear to everyone, I don’t think Vlad is some innocent bystander. I could easily see the scenario above where some scheme got way away from it’s original intent. But I don’t see this as him doing it on purpose. Far too early in the game for that kind of thing. Far to easy to cause a united front against him.

But I am more likely to believe anything coming out of Russia or anywhere else easier than I believe anything coming out of DC. Not because I am some kind of communist wannabee that hates America, but because DC has given us all no reason to believe what they say in ANY case.

You cant trust a Dem/lib since lying is their default and you can’t trust the GOP because “Cochran and Co.’ proved what their words are worth.

[Fire_on_High]

I’m sure they’ll find some way to turn it around and crush what’s left of free Ukraine instead, for merely being the weaker opponent.

[dforest]

That is pretty much my feeling Norm. Something just seems “not right” about this whole episode. I have no love for Putin, but at this moment, our biggest threat is in DC.

I couldn’t rally around the Obama admin no matter what. Their antics are what makes Obama have no more credibility than Putin. No reason to believe any person in the Obama admin. No reason to believe Putin.

That is a sorry state. To make it even worse, we already have that senile tool McCain on the hot track to start some war. He thinks that is where he shines. He never met a war he didn’t like.