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Obama Aide On Syria's Assad: 'If He Drops Sarin On His Own People, What’s That Got Do Do With Us?'
Weekly Standard ^

Posted on 05/05/2013 7:19:04 AM PDT by Sub-Driver

Obama Aide On Syria's Assad: 'If He Drops Sarin On His Own People, What’s That Got Do Do With Us?' Daniel Halper May 5, 2013 10:12 AM

President Barack Obama got ahead of himself and his advisers when he said that Syria using chemical weapons would cross a "red line," the New York Times reports.

“How can we attack another country unless it’s in self-defense and with no Security Council resolution?” an unnamed Obama administration official tells the paper. “If he drops sarin on his own people, what’s that got to do with us?”

But they concluded that drawing a firm line might deter Mr. Assad. In addition to secret messages relayed through Russia, Iran and other governments, they decided that the president would publicly address the matter.

Several officials said they recalled no discussion about the “red line” phrase but suspected that it came out of the election-year conversation about Iran and how far to allow its nuclear program to progress before being forced to take action. It was a concept that was “embedded in people’s prefrontal cortex,” one of the officials said.

While surprised at the president’s use of the term in regard to Syria on Aug. 20, advisers concluded that it had succeeded, at least for a while, since months passed with no chemical weapons attack.

But if the tough rhetoric "succeeded" for a time, it appears to have backfired in the long-run. Because Syria has now apparently used chemical weapons, and President Obama is not willing to do anything about it.

In fact, Obama is now downplaying any sort of response, even before settling on a specific response to Syrai crossing the red line.

“As a general rule, I don’t rule things out as commander in chief because circumstances change and you want to make sure that I always have the full power of the United States at our disposal to meet American national security interests,” Obama commented on Syria, while speaking at news conference in Costa Rica. Then, Obama went on to contradict himself.

“Having said that, I do not foresee a scenario in which boots on the ground in Syria, American boots on the ground in Syria, would not only be good for America, but also would be good for Syria,” the president said.


TOPICS: Breaking News; Foreign Affairs; Israel; News/Current Events; Russia; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: israel; russia; syria; syriaredline; syriawar; waronterror
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To: MinorityRepublican

I agree we have lost too many young men in these worthless wars


21 posted on 05/05/2013 8:10:46 AM PDT by mel (There are only 2 races decent and undecent people)
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To: OrioleFan
Leading from behind. REMF

REMF's and POG's far out rank any so called leaders of the behind!

They are never leaders and can never move into that slot.

They are the horses a$$ to the rest of the horse.

They react after the front of the horse made it's move.

And often they just shite.

22 posted on 05/05/2013 8:35:59 AM PDT by DUMBGRUNT (The best is the enemy of the good!)
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To: kingu

When I was much younger, I found this out by mixing ammonia and bleach when I was cleaning house.


23 posted on 05/05/2013 8:37:07 AM PDT by Rusty0604
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To: mel

So many lost and so many maimed, brain-damaged, horrible things — all in protracted wars-that-never-end, and only to satisfy the blood-thirst of the warmongers.


24 posted on 05/05/2013 8:39:07 AM PDT by Borax Queen
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To: MinorityRepublican

“President Obama is right on this. Why should we be involved in Syria?”

I agree. We shouldn’t be involved in foreign adventures unless there is some CLEAR U.S. economic or power interest, and then we should go in kick SERIOUS ass and then get the hell out.

Though given that almost every decision Obama has made as President has been antithetical to interests of working U.S. citizens and U.S. world power, he probably made the right decision for the wrong reasons.


25 posted on 05/05/2013 8:39:57 AM PDT by catnipman (Cat Nipman: Vote Republican in 2012 and only be called racist one more time!)
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To: Sub-Driver

Did Omoslem finally find a hellhole he won’t try to hand to the Mozz Bros?

Is that why he’s been shipping them weapons for a year?


26 posted on 05/05/2013 8:41:21 AM PDT by LyinLibs (If victims of islam were more "islamophobic," maybe they'd still be alive.)
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To: MinorityRepublican
I agree, we should not be involved...NOR should this F’ing guy be talking $hit like we are going to do something..more hollow bravado from the Man-Child.
27 posted on 05/05/2013 8:41:54 AM PDT by TheGunny
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To: catnipman

In retrospect, the invasion of Iraq to remove Saddam and his sons was probably right. Only after “mission accomplished” banner, we should had gotten the hell out and left the Ba’athist Army in charge of Iraq. The mess afterwards was not our problem.


28 posted on 05/05/2013 8:50:09 AM PDT by MinorityRepublican
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To: shove_it

29 posted on 05/05/2013 8:50:30 AM PDT by GrandJediMasterYoda (Someday our schools will teach the difference between "lose" and "loose")
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To: Sub-Driver
(April 2013) Obama commemorates anniversary of Rwandan genocide

President Obama commemorated the 19th anniversary of the genocide in Rwanda by expressing solidarity with the survivors and emphasizing the need to prevent such an event from happening again.

http://thehill.com/blogs/global-affairs/africa/292225-obama-commemorates-anniversary-of-rwandan-genocide

30 posted on 05/05/2013 8:53:31 AM PDT by PghBaldy (12/14 - 930am -rampage begins... 12/15 - 1030am - Obama's advance team scouts photo-op locations.)
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To: Sub-Driver

Meanwhile North Korea, Iran the Mexican Narco gangs, China and Russia are EAGERLY watching Fredo Obama fumble around with red line rhetoric.

There was a reason the Corleone’s NEVER put Fredo in charge.


31 posted on 05/05/2013 8:58:41 AM PDT by Le Chien Rouge
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To: Sub-Driver

Since there isn’t any good guys to protect in Syria, neither Assads forces or the rebel opposition, I say we should give them all sarin via airmail. They’ll be left thinking each side gassed the other. Problem solved!


32 posted on 05/05/2013 8:59:16 AM PDT by diverteach (If I find liberals in heaven after my death.....I WILL BE PISSED!!!)
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To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Berosus; bigheadfred; Bockscar; ColdOne; Convert from ECUSA; ...

Thanks Sub-Driver.
[zero] got ahead of himself and his advisers when he said that Syria using chemical weapons would cross a "red line," the New York Times reports. “How can we attack another country unless it’s in self-defense and with no Security Council resolution?” an unnamed Obama administration official tells the paper. “If he drops sarin on his own people, what’s that got to do with us?” But they concluded that drawing a firm line might deter Mr. Assad.... Several officials said they recalled no discussion about the “red line” phrase but suspected that it came out of the election-year conversation about Iran and how far to allow its nuclear program to progress... surprised at the president’s use of the term in regard to Syria on Aug. 20... But if the tough rhetoric "succeeded" for a time, it appears to have backfired in the long-run. Because Syria has now apparently used chemical weapons, and President Obama is not willing to do anything about it.

33 posted on 05/05/2013 8:59:51 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (Romney would have been worse, if you're a dumb ass.)
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To: Sub-Driver; TigersEye; Fred Nerks

Obama Aide On Syria’s Assad: ‘If He Drops Sarin On His Own People, What’s That Got Do Do With Us?’ Daniel Halper May 5, 2013 10:12 AM :>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

What it has to do with the left is very simple:

1) It likely proves that the WMD ingrediants and their containers were removed from Iraq to Syria prior to the Invasion of Iraq by the Coalition.The lefty dems, now Obama fascists said that there was no proof of WMD upon which the invasion was predicated, when in fact the majority of Sadam Husseins WMDs were trucked out of Iraq into Syria by the Russians and the French, who were involved in trading WMDs for oil.ITS TIME FOR THE LEFT TO EAT CROW ON THE ISSUE. Their attempt to rewrite history has failed.

2) What does it have to do with US? Well guess what it has to do with Israel, who are next on the Assad list of his defined vermin to be exterminated using WMDs!

Halper is a few bricks short of a load.Obama is so weak on these Syria/Libya issues that he looks like a tattered little guttersnip internationally. But he just keeps campaigning to redefine facts....until someone or something shuts him down.The bullet of reality will soon be catching up to him and his little pustulated, pestilantial, putrified running dogs like Halper.


34 posted on 05/05/2013 9:04:18 AM PDT by Candor7 (Obama fascism article:(http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/05/barack_obama_the_quintessentia_1.html))
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To: Sub-Driver

Typical liberal, Obama is. Talks a big aggressive game about “red lines” but doesn’t want to deal with it when his mouth is writing checks his ass can’t—or won’t—cash.

I have no problem at this point with letting Syria sort its business out without our intervention unless they try and pull Israel into it, but the signals coming out of Washington now are so inconsistent—big talk and no action—that we’re probably going to end up hip-deep in that tar pit before this is all over.

}:-)4


35 posted on 05/05/2013 9:08:49 AM PDT by Moose4 (SHALL. NOT. BE. INFRINGED.)
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To: MinorityRepublican

I don’t disagree. But Zero has been running smack about “red lines” and trying to actually sound like he’s got a pair of testicles (other than Michelle’s) for weeks now. All of a sudden, when the feces impact the rotary ventilator, he goes “Uh...LOOK! SQUIRREL!”

}:-)4


36 posted on 05/05/2013 9:10:37 AM PDT by Moose4 (SHALL. NOT. BE. INFRINGED.)
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To: Sub-Driver
Obama Aide On Syria's Assad: 'If He Drops Sarin On His Own People, What’s That Got Do Do With Us?'

I agree with that statement.

37 posted on 05/05/2013 9:11:40 AM PDT by plain talk
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To: MinorityRepublican

Too bad he didn’t feel the same about Libya.


38 posted on 05/05/2013 9:12:49 AM PDT by dfwgator
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To: Sub-Driver

In other words, ‘How dare you expect us to actually have guts.’


39 posted on 05/05/2013 9:20:54 AM PDT by AdaGray
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To: Sub-Driver

Just another reason other countries do not pay any attention to what this twerp has to say.


40 posted on 05/05/2013 9:32:10 AM PDT by Starstruck (Don't rest. We came close to the 2nd Amendment being field tested.)
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