"Trump has done the right thing on Syria."

[BIGUN 1,317]

WASHINGTON — When it came time to make his case for the judgment of history, President Barack Obama had a ready rebuttal to one of the most cutting critiques of his time in office.

Although friends and foes alike faulted him for not following through on his threat to retaliate when Syria gassed its own people in 2013, Mr. Obama would counter that he had actually achieved a better result through an agreement with President Bashar al-Assad to surrender all of his chemical weapons.

After last week, even former Obama aides assume that he will have to rethink that passage in his memoir. More than 80 civilians were killed in what Western analysts called a sarin attack by Syrian forces — a chilling demonstration that the agreement did not succeed. In recent days, former aides have lamented what they considered one of the worst moments of the Obama presidency and privately conceded that his legacy would suffer.

“If the Syrian government carried out the attack and the agent was sarin, then clearly the 2013 agreement didn’t succeed in its objective of eliminating Bashar’s C.W.,” or chemical weapons, said Robert Einhorn, who was the State Department special adviser for nonproliferation and arms control under Mr. Obama before the agreement. “Either he didn’t declare all his C.W. and kept some hidden in reserve, or he illegally produced some sarin after his stock was eliminated — most likely the former.”

Other former advisers to Mr. Obama questioned the wisdom of negotiating with Mr. Assad and said last week’s attack illustrated the flaws in the agreement, which was brokered by President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia as a way to prevent the United States from using force.

“For me, this tragedy underscores the dangers of trying to do deals with dictators without a comprehensive, invasive and permanent inspection regime,” said Michael McFaul, who was Mr. Obama’s ambassador to Russia. “It also shows the limits of doing deals with Putin. Surely, the Russians must have known about these C.W.”

Putting the best face on it, former Obama advisers argued that it was still better to have removed 1,300 tons of chemical weapons from Syria even if Mr. Assad cheated and kept some, or later developed more. “Imagine what Syria would look like without that deal,” said Antony J. Blinken, a former deputy secretary of state. “It would be awash in chemical weapons which would fall into the hands of ISIS, Al Nusra or other groups.”

Still, the administration knew all along that it had probably not gotten all of the chemical weapons, and tried to get Russia to help press Syria, without success. “We always knew we had not gotten everything, that the Syrians had not been fully forthcoming in their declaration,” Mr. Blinken said.

Even before last week’s chemical attack, many veterans of Mr. Obama’s team considered his handling of Syria his biggest failing and expressed regret that their administration could not stop a civil war that has left more than 400,000 dead and millions displaced.

Many of them even praised President Trump for taking the very action that Mr. Obama refused to take four years ago, by ordering a cruise missile strike against Syria. “Donald Trump has done the right thing on Syria,” Anne-Marie Slaughter, the director of policy planning in Mr. Obama’s State Department, wrote on Twitter. “Finally!! After years of useless hand-wringing in the face of hideous atrocities.”

SOURCE: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/09/us/politics/obama-syria-chemical-weapons.html?_r=0

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[wmw999 2,451]

Sometimes the right thing to do changes with the circumstances and time. I'm not convinced that this was the right thing to do still, but imagine, please, the reaction if Obama had unilaterally bombed Syria, particularly with opinion against it enough that he couldn't get it through Congress.

I don't think that anything Trump does is automatically wrong, nor did I think that anything Obama did was automatically right. And I don't think there really are good answers for Syria.

Wendy P.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[BIGUN 1,317]

Well said, Wendy.


Keith

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[tonyhays 86]

What has Trump accomplished? Spending 60-85 million worth of hardware for a few potholes that didn't stop them from operating? Yep, sure showed them.

“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”

[normiss 801]

I'm really stuck trying to understand when a worse gas attack in 2013 was so wrong that congress wouldn't allow it, even saying it did require their approval and now this 180.
No congressional notification, although Russia received a notification.
No request of congressional approval, unlike 2013.
Half assed attack that accomplished next to nothing.

I'm not understanding this one at all after the fact.

It seems to send a message that we don't care that Assad and Russia are killing Syrian citizens unless they use chemicals.
Yet we still don't care enough to help you escape the insanity in Syria.

Good thing we Americans had a nation to run to when we all needed the USA. Shame we no longer feel any other humans are worthy of it.

Anyone catch how T's golf games went over the weekend?

[BIGUN 1,317]

In my opinion... it *MAY* do a few things. It *should* reinforce the norm there are limits in warfare. That weapons of mass destruction are unacceptable. It *should* also restrict the Assad regime on how it's fighting its war. And, it may perhaps provide some leverage for Syrian negotiations to begin about ending the war.

Outside of Syria, I think it does a couple of important things for the U.S. It reassures America's allies - those reliant on our security promises - that we won't just act in our own interest, but for the greater good.

Let's not forget when Qaddafi raised his ugly head - it took one direct missile strike for him to re-think his position. We didn't hear from him for years. And, that was a Clinton shot heard 'round the world. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Infinite_Reach

Finally, do a Google search on "Syrian Americans support Trumps airstrike." Across the nation, Syrian-Americans are applauding the attack. They simply want to go home and live in peace.

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[jakee 1,497]

BIGUN

And, that was a Clinton shot heard 'round the world. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Infinite_Reach

Oh yeah, it was heard all right.

"A mob in Jalalabad burned and looted the local UN office,[3] while an Italian UN official was killed in Kabul on August 21, allegedly in response to the strikes.[139] Thousands of anti-U.S. protesters took to the streets of Khartoum.[140] Al-Bashir led an anti-U.S. rally and warned of possible reciprocation,[137] and Martha Crenshaw notes that the strike "gained the regime some sympathy in the Arab world."[141] The Sudanese government expelled the British ambassador for Britain's support of the attacks, while protesters stormed the empty U.S. embassy.[80] Sudan also reportedly allowed two suspected accomplices to the embassy bombings to escape.[57] Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi declared his country's support for Sudan and led an anti-U.S. rally in Tripoli.[137] Zawahiri later equated the destruction of Al-Shifa with the September 11 attacks.[142]

Pakistan condemned the U.S. missile strikes as a violation of the territorial integrity of two Islamic countries,[137] and criticized the U.S. for allegedly violating Pakistani airspace.[143] Pakistanis protested the strikes in large demonstrations,[127] including a 300-strong rally in Islamabad,[143] where protesters burned a U.S. flag outside the U.S. Information Service center;[137] in Karachi, thousands burned effigies of Clinton.[3] The Pakistani government was enraged by the ISI and trainee casualties, the damage to ISI training camps, the short notice provided by the U.S., and the Americans' failure to inform Sharif of the strikes.[9] Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, and Iraq denounced the strikes as terrorism, while Iraq also denied producing chemical weapons in Sudan.[143][144] The Arab League, holding an emergency meeting in Cairo, unanimously demanded an independent investigation into the Al-Shifa facility; the League also condemned the attack on the plant as "an attack on Sudan's sovereignty".[128]"

Way to show 'em who's boss, Bill!

Do you want to have an ideagasm?

[normiss 801]

Qaddafi didn't rethink anything.
He lost his soul when we killed his child.
Think about that - especially if you have children.
Seems to result in one of two options, crushed spirit or engulfed in hatred.
Might help create some terrorism I think.

I don't understand how within 48 hours Trump admin does a complete flip on positions dealing with troublesome nations would reassure any nation of anything other than distrust.

If it was an emotional response, why are Syrian kids more deserving of less attacks than starving kids are of international aid, food, and support??

[BIGUN 1,317]

normiss

]... starving kids are of international aid, food, and support??

Like this? https://www.usaid.gov/what-we-do/agriculture-and-food-security/food-assistance/quick-facts

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[sonnyblu 0]

I'm tired of playing this game.

Fuck the politcs/politicians. The attack would've been good then, and it is good now. We need a hellava lot more if we're gonna rid the world of this shit once, for all.

It's 2017, and long overdue.

Bring it. . .

[billvon 2,995]

>We need a hellava lot more if we're gonna rid the world of this shit once, for all.

Yep. We need a final solution.

[Stumpy 284]

Probably would have been more effective if they hadn't told the Syrians about it in advance.

Never try to eat more than you can lift

[BIGUN 1,317]

sonnyblu

I'm tired of playing this game.

Fuck the politcs/politicians. The attack would've been good then, and it is good now. We need a hellava lot more if we're gonna rid the world of this shit once, for all.

It's 2017, and long overdue.

Bring it. . .

Like.

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[RonD1120 62]

billvon

>We need a hellava lot more if we're gonna rid the world of this shit once, for all.

Yep. We need a final solution.

Biblical prophecy in the making, standby for further developing events.

Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

[tkhayes 348]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_dates_predicted_for_apocalyptic_events

Add yours to the end of the list I guess....

[normiss 801]

They'll have another new one next year.
Better start tithing now!

[christelsabine 1]

RonD1120

***>We need a hellava lot more if we're gonna rid the world of this shit once, for all.

Yep. We need a final solution.

Biblical prophecy in the making, standby for further developing events.

And meanwhile, you're preparing for *promise6* ... (just in case) ... ?

dudeist skydiver # 3105

[RonD1120 62]

christelsabine

******>We need a hellava lot more if we're gonna rid the world of this shit once, for all.

Yep. We need a final solution.

Biblical prophecy in the making, standby for further developing events.

And meanwhile, you're preparing for *promise6* ... (just in case) ... ?

I don't know what that means.
FYI: My preparations are complete. I hope God blesses you as well.

Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

[jclalor 12]

RonD1120

***>We need a hellava lot more if we're gonna rid the world of this shit once, for all.

Yep. We need a final solution.

Biblical prophecy in the making, standby for further developing events.


Matthew 16:28

Nothing ever happened, they all tasted death.

[normiss 801]

Eat of my flesh and all that.

[sonnyblu 0]

RonD1120

My preparations are complete.

I'm just getting warmed up. . .

[headoverheels 333]

sonnyblu

***My preparations are complete.

I'm just getting warmed up. . .

Don't forget your purple blankets and Nikes.