The White House is now in full-fledged panic mode. Currently there are two letters to Obama warning him to not take action against Syria without congressional approval:
http://www.politico.com/story/2013/08/nancy-pelosi-barack-obama-syria-96065.html
Despite the challenges of acquiring lawmakers’ signatures during the August recess, two missives demanding a congressional debate have gained steam in recent days on Capitol Hill. One, spearheaded by Rep. Scott Rigell (R-Va.) and carrying the support of 140 House Republicans and Democrats, demands that the administration seek authorization from Congress before striking Syria. The other, drafted by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) and supported by 54 Democrats, urges Obama to come to Congress for approval of military action.
Obama is trying to drum up support from congress with a last minute conference call. He looks and acts desperate. This is insane. The only emergency here is the need for President Obama to wipe the egg off his face. Syria is not about to attack us or attack Israel. There is no imminent threat. There is no justification for an emergency response. But if we attack them, they just might do both.
The risks of launching cruise missiles at Syria are enormous. Let’s assume Assad does have large quantities of chemicals, including nerve gas. Let’s assume that he did gas his own people. Now let’s assume that he knows which military installations are most likely to be attacked with a cruise missile. All Assad has to do is move some of those chemicals to the targeted sites. Then if we launch a strike we are very likely to set off a catastrophic event. During the first Gulf war we attacked a facility in Iraq that had artillery rockets filled with Sarin. The place is so contaminated that even today, more than 20 years later; no one dares go near the place. (This story should also be a stark reminder to those people who don’t think Saddam had WMD. There is actually no doubt that he had them, the only question is where did they go? Syria???)
http://cns.miis.edu/stories/100304_iraq_cw_legacy.htm
Even Assad doesn’t have WMD in these locations; he certainly has captured rebel soldiers. It is hard to believe that we can launch cruise missile attacks without killing a lot of innocent people:
Would it surprise you to learn that there are reports that the military loyal to Assad has surrounded themselves with civilians? Would a military that is accused of using gas warfare on its own people hesitate to do this?
This is a brilliant plan. We are going to show our outrage at the death of innocent civilians by bombing Syria and killing more innocent civilians. It would be one thing if we were going to go in and clean up the swamp, but that is clearly not on the table.
In addition, the above is probably closer to the best case scenario than the worst case scenario. We know that Russia has Sunburn anti-ship missiles that appear to be very potent. We know that Iran has some of these missiles. Does Syria have them? We don’t know. Just imagine the response if Syria or even Iran, somehow manages to blow up one of our capital ships.
Our Incompetent in Chief is trying to gain a lot by risking a little, but instead he is risking a lot to gain virtually nothing. The latest theory is that Obama has to do something so that he won’t be mocked for doing nothing. I can’t imagine a worse reason for going to war. Is it any surprise that the most naïve and incompetent man ever to run for President of the United States is proving to be the most naïve and incompetent President of the United States? At a time when we need to believe in our government, the Obama administration is shocked to learn that if you consistently lie about things, eventually no one believes you anymore. The situation in Syria is a mess. We desperately need a skilled and courageous leader. Instead, we have Barack Obama.
TDM