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AP: US close to OK on arming Syrian rebels
Associated Press
Published: 10.06.13, 08:07
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27 Talkbacks for this article
1. how convenient
(06.10.13)
What's a President caught breaking the law and violating the Constitution going to do? A nice little war should do just nicely.
2. When will the Americans ever learn...
Chris.B ,   Australia   (06.10.13)
the regime change plot has failed give it up already.Assad has won because the Syrian people would prefer his regime to crazed Sunni JIhadis simple.Lets see the first plan was to take out Hizbollah that failed.Second plan was to overthrow Assad that failed.Whats next attack Russia?
3. Brilliant Timing!
Ezra ,   San Diego   (06.10.13)
Just when the Russians are getting ready to off-load their missiles from cargo ships, let's arm the rebels and escalate the tensions. The perfect storm is brewing....Isaiah 17.
4. 100,000 + dead too late
Cipora Julianna Kohn   (06.10.13)
it is to be hoped that the weapons get into the hands of selected rebel fighters. there is a risk in arming the rebels, but the risk of allowing assad to win this genocidal war are too great. assad is allied with the shia terror entity. assad has helped al qaeda cross the borders of syria into iraq and wage terror war. assad has been arming the shia terror proxy hezbollah. if assad is allowed to win, it is a win for iran and russia. that cannot be allowed to happen.
5. worst president in history
JL   (06.10.13)
6. Obama & Kerry want to bury their heads in the sand
zionist forever   (06.10.13)
Obama has this strange idea that there are rebel groups that can be trusted, He is ignoring the fact that the rebels answer only to themselves & Obama can't control the use of those weapons once delivered. What happens if a trustworthy rebel is killed by Hezbollah or an Al Quaida affiliated group? How will Obama & Kerry explain to the American public if they supply the rebels with anti aircraft missiles to and somebody uses them to shoot down an American passenger jet or an Israeli fighter provoking a full scale warwar between Israel and Lebanon or Syria? What will Obama have to say if Al Quaida get hold of American anti tank missiles and then they find their way to Afghanistan and are used against American armoured vehicles killing soldiers? This is a civil war and it should be for the locals to fight it our between themselves and eventually accept a government even if it is Assad. Arming the rebels risks turning this from a Syrian civil war to a regional one.
7. Not a Good Idea - Nenetheless
Mark of Lewiston ,   USA   (06.10.13)
Capitulating to McCain is not a good idea. But if Rebels are to be armed, it should be done with the Powell Doctrine in mind. Abrams, Bradleys, Stingers and anything else needed to win decisively and overwhelmingly and almost instantly.
8. oh thank you , Obama!!!
Salma ,   Ramallah   (06.10.13)
the Syrian rebels need weapons to liberate occupied Golan from "Israel"..it's their next step.
9. Even Salma gets it!
OMG   (06.10.13)
10. Just keep US troops out of that sand pit
Cameron ,   USA   (06.10.13)
Obama's overriding #1 priority. Let the Arabs & Israelis take charge of this Syrian crap storm. Their house, their responsibility.
11. Assad is desperate .And
Anat ,   Israel /uk   (06.10.13)
And Obama just talks but does not do the walk. Typical As for the Shia /Hezbollah + Syria's Alawi they follow hassan and are part & parcel of Shia.
12. To 10 ..Wrong best thing IS
Anat ,   Israel/uk   (06.10.13)
To let the rebels do the work,but ultimately it is Assad who will have to do the work Israel should keep out of it. No point in meddling with the fight They are doing a marvelous job that being : Killing each other that is what Arabs DO AND NO BEST ANYWAY.
13. Obama should be under impeachment
Dror ,   Haifa, Israel   (06.10.13)
Can anyone say wag the dog... War is the perfect distraction
14. But the US did that in Afganistan in the 80s...
Oren ,   Rishon Letzion   (06.10.13)
and what happedd eventually??? Al Qida was born and 11/9 you dont repeat your past mistakes ever
15. 7
Cipora Julianna Kohn   (06.10.13)
since there will be no us troops involved, the powell doctrine has no application. the rebels cannot win "instantly." the purpose of arming them would be to stave off continuing genocide and to prevent a decisive victory by the shia alliance backed by russia. according to some reports, iraqi troops have entered the conflict and al-malaki is supporting assad with arms and money. it is not in the national interest of the us or its allies that iran and its allies be allowed to win in syria.
16. Arming rebels? Seeing is believing
DT ,   TA Israel   (06.10.13)
(end)
17. Keep dithering....
Get Real ,   UK   (06.10.13)
Obama not coming across too well on this issue and not showing if the US does or does not support the rebels.Perhaps waiting for them to be virtually defeated leaving it too late and thus having a reason not to do anyrhing or to supply arms. #10 Best the West keeps out of it and it is certainly not Israel's responsibility. Israel should also keep out of the mess unless responding to attack.
18. arming
Eisenfeld ,   Israel   (06.10.13)
I`m sure his biggest regret is not had been the president when 9/11. He would arm Al- kaida; and the world now would be dominated by the islamists and their friends.
19. arming rebels
Dik ,   Spijkenisse, Holland   (06.10.13)
bad idea as these weapons will be used against Israel, for sure.
20. God in His Mercy
Roman   (06.10.13)
American guns are no more of any value to them so damp them on the rebels. Weapons created through hatred to kill and destroy what God created is of no value to them so throw them to the rebels because God in His Mercy raised to take charge of His own creation Amen.
21. 15 Cipora - Your Purpose
Mark of Lewiston ,   USA   (06.10.13)
What you describe may be your purpose. But you are not the current Decider. I don't like it. But perpetuating the slaughter is not in the US interest. This is an American decision. Not an Israeli decision. If Obama decides to aid rebels, it should be decisive and in American interests. By October is soon enough. Aid should be decisive and overwhelming.
22. 13 No Crime
Mark of Lewiston ,   USA   (06.10.13)
If there was a crime, Darrell Issa would have brought a charge. No crime, no evidence, no charge. No impeachment without a crime.
23. # 22 Plenty of crime....
Eaglebeak ,   Left Coast, USA   (06.10.13)
The Clintons had Janet Reno to protect them. Obama has Eric Holder.No charges mean nothing! If Obama and Holder can run guns to Mexican drug lords they can run them to anyone. Of course they don't want honest people to have them but much of the public is to stupid to question that or anything else. The mainstream media is controlled so they won't report or question things. Hillary Clinton spent hours in Vince Fosters office destroying evidence when his office was a crime scene. No charges mean absolutely nothing.
24. 21 Mark
Cipora Julianna Kohn   (06.10.13)
i am certainly not the "Decider." i am not a former community organizer catapulted into the role of a us president. by the way, you are not a "Decider" either. however, i do agree with you that aid should be decisive and overwhelming. so obama should stop the dithering and vacillating. in the meantime, selected rebel groups should be armed.
25. To: No. 21
Sarah B ,   U.S.A. / Israel   (06.10.13)
How do you propose to keep the arms out of the hands of the extreme Islamist groups? You cannot. Do you remember when the United States armed the mujahiddin in Afghanistan? Do you remember who ended up with those arms? The Taliban. The United States is still unable to extricate itself from Afghanistan, and the Taliban has gained control of much of the country. Keep in mind that Israel has a very strong vested interest in what goes on in Syria; it borders Israel. Obviously, whether or not to arm the Syrian insurgents is a decision to be made in Washington D.C. But whether or not Israel will allow those arms to reach the Syrian insurgents is very definitely a decision to be made in Jerusalem. Just so you understand.
26. 25 McCain can See
Mark of Lewiston ,   USA   (06.11.13)
McCain gets vibes and can see who is good and who isn't. Lindsey Graham has some other method - mind reading maybe. I have no mind reading ability like them, but Obama may rely on them or Jordanians and Turks. The US is sovereign and can make its own decisions. We declared independence in 1776.
27. To: No. 26
Sarah B ,   U.S.A. / Israel   (06.11.13)
You're babbling, now. Do you have a clue as to the amount of chemical, biological and neurological weapons that are stored in Syria? Here's a news flash: Israel may be a target for those -- and if they are ever used against Israel, Syria will be instantly turned into a giant, smoking crater -- but the target-in-chief, Mark, is the United States. The more powerful of the insurgent groups in Syria are backed by al Qaeda. Do you think they have forgotten bin Laden? What do you think would be the result of sarin gas turned loose in the New York City subway? How about weaponized respiratory anthrax released in the Mall of America? What about smallpox released in Times Square? The United States administration has not thought this through. Clearly, neither have you. And yes, I know that the United States declared independence in 1776. How very fortunate indeed that you are bounded by two very large oceans and a long border with a very friendly border with Canada, albeit a more problematic one with Mexico. How even more fortunate that you have not had to fight six wars to ensure your sovereignty. Israel does not have the luxury of two oceans and a friendly neighbor to the north. We have terrorist jihadis for neighbors. Israel has had to fight six wars to ensure its sovereignty. Obama is leading the United States down a dark path. The Syrian insurgents have no fondness for Israel, but I assure you that the United States remains target no. 1. The insurgents and al Qaeda know what Israel is capable of, and are not anxious to tangle with Israel except for the occasional laughable rhetoric. They have a very healthy -- and viable -- fear of what Israel can, and will, bring to bear against them. They have nothing but contempt for the United States. And the United States is a much softer target. There are already al Qaeda cells operating left, right and center throughout the United States. You should take a trip to Michigan, where the hatred of the United States -- from people who were given refuge and a home and a future -- is palpable. Do you really think your Declaration of Independence will help you with them? Do you the enemy within even knows that there is a Declaration of Independence, signed in 1776, which articulates the very rights which they enjoy but wish to deny the good citizens of the United States (except them, of course)? Not likely.
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