On Saturday, the Obama Administration showed some lawmakers videos of what it "believes" is the aftermath of the Syrian government's chemical attack on its own citizens. The pictures of suffering and death are not pretty. Unfortunately, for the President, and for those that support his "belief" that the Syrian Government attacked its own citizens with chemical gas, these videos and pictures do nothing to prove who attacked whom.
If the pictures and videos are real, do we know where and when they were taken? The certainly don't tell us who attacked these people if they were indeed attacked. We don't even know who these people are just from these videos and pictures. Are they Syrians? Are they Iraqi Kurds captured on film many years ago after Saddam Hussein gassed them? We don't know from these videos what these people were exposed to that caused the "reported' sickness and death. For all we know these people were in the vicinity of an industrial chemical accident. The videos and pictures certainly don't tell us why they were attacked, or if they really were.
If you ask me [thank you for asking], President Obama has not proved a damn thing with his little video montage. It's pretty simple really, The President "believes" he has the complete story regarding the alleged Syrian gas attack that occurred on August 21, 2013. He can believe whatever he wants, but without a thorough investigation and answers to the 5 Ws, he really doesn't know a damn thing about what he claims to know. And that goes triple-double for US Secretary of State, John Kerry.
The 5 Ws? According to Wikipedia, The 5 Ws are questions whose answers are considered basic in information-gathering. They are often mentioned in journalism, research, and police investigations. They constitute a formula for getting the complete story on a subject. According to the principle of the Five Ws, a report can only be considered complete if it answers these questions starting with an interrogative word:
Who is it about? What happened?
When did it take place?
Where did it take place?
Why did it happen?
The questions I asked above are simple questions a skeptic would ask if faced with the Obama Administrations videos, and their claims of "this is proof Syrian President Assad gassed his own people". If I may digress for just a moment...didn't the Obama Administration use YouTube videos to try to explain away the murders of four Americans in Benghazi, Libya just one year ago? Would it surprise anybody to learn that events in Benghazi one year ago are tied to recent events? Is it any wonder then, that so few people, at home and abroad, believe this administration's video claims of "undeniable proof" that the Syrian Government launched a gas attack on civilians in a civil war?
Are we supposed to believe the President of The United States [ANY President] just because he says he "believes" his evidence is proof? The Obama Administration's video "evidence" is little more than hearsay really, it proves nothing simply because it can't answer any of my simple questions.
The President, has to date, not given any evidence to anyone that proves the Syrian Government is behind this alleged August 21, 2013 chemical gas attack. None! Why? Because he has none. And he has none because as each day passes, it becomes more clear to the international community and American citizens that IF there was a chemical gas attack in Syria, it was perpetrated by a rebel group(s) operating inside Syria that came from outside of Syria.
Perhaps the Obama Administration has
Syrian rebels have made use of the deadly nerve agent sarin in their war-torn country's conflict, UN human rights investigator Carla del Ponte has said.
"According to the testimonies we have gathered, the rebels have used chemical weapons, making use of sarin gas," del Ponte, a former war crimes prosecutor, said in an interview with Swiss radio late on Sunday.
"We still have to deepen our investigation, verify and confirm (the findings) through new witness testimony, but according to what we have established so far, it is at the moment opponents of the regime who are using sarin gas," she added.
Where was our brave and moral President back in May when this report came out? Chemical weapons were allegedly used by combatants in a civil war, and the President did....NOTHING!? Really? Who's side is he on?
The idea that the US Government would provide aid to a side that is allied with al-Qaeda,, is ludicrous.
From The New York Times:
The Syrian rebels posed casually, standing over their prisoners with firearms pointed down at the shirtless and terrified men.
The prisoners, seven in all, were captured Syrian soldiers. Five were trussed, their backs marked with red welts. They kept their faces pressed to the dirt as the rebels’ commander recited a bitter revolutionary verse.
“For fifty years, they are companions to corruption,” he said. “We swear to the Lord of the Throne, that this is our oath: We will take revenge.”
The moment the poem ended, the commander, known as “the Uncle,” fired a bullet into the back of the first prisoner’s head. His gunmen followed suit, promptly killing all the men at their feet.
This scene, documented in a video smuggled out of Syria a few days ago by a former rebel who grew disgusted by the killings, offers a dark insight into how many rebels have adopted some of the same brutal and ruthless tactics as the regime they are trying to overthrow.
As the United States debates whether to support the Obama administration’s proposal that Syrian forces should be attacked for using chemical weapons against civilians, this video, shot in the spring of 2012, joins a growing body of evidence of an increasingly criminal environment populated by gangs of highwaymen, kidnappers and killers.
The video also offers a reminder of the foreign policy puzzle the United States faces in finding rebel allies as some members of Congress, including Senator John McCain, press for more robust military support for the opposition.
In the more than two years this civil war has carried on, a large part of the Syrian opposition has formed a loose command structure that has found support from several Arab nations, and, to a more limited degree, the West. Other elements of the opposition have assumed an extremist cast, and openly allied with Al Qaeda.
Across much of Syria, where rebels with Western support live and fight, areas outside of government influence have evolved into a complex guerrilla and criminal landscape.Seriously. Who's side is Obama on? In a report released September 1, 2013 by Global Research, we may just get an answer to this simple, but necessary to ask, question.
That has raised the prospect that American military action could inadvertently strengthen Islamic extremists and criminals.
From Yossef Bodansky, for Global Research:
There is a growing volume of new evidence from numerous sources in the Middle East — mostly affiliated with the Syrian opposition and its sponsors and supporters — which makes a very strong case, based on solid circumstantial evidence, that the August 21, 2013, chemical strike in the Damascus suburbs was indeed a pre-meditated provocation by the Syrian opposition.
The extent of US foreknowledge of this provocation needs further investigation because available data puts the “horror” of the Barack Obama White House in a different and disturbing light.
On August 13-14, 2013, Western-sponsored opposition forces in Turkey started advance preparations for a major and irregular military surge. Initial meetings between senior opposition military commanders and representatives of Qatari, Turkish, and US Intelligence [“Mukhabarat Amriki”] took place at the converted Turkish military garrison in Antakya, Hatay Province, used as the command center and headquarters of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and their foreign sponsors. Very senior opposition commanders who had arrived from Istanbul briefed the regional commanders of an imminent escalation in the fighting due to “a war-changing development” which would, in turn, lead to a US-led bombing of Syria.
The opposition forces had to quickly prepare their forces for exploiting the US-led bombing in order to march on Damascus and topple the Bashar al-Assad Government, the senior commanders explained. The Qatari and Turkish intelligence officials assured the Syrian regional commanders that they would be provided with plenty of weapons for the coming offensive.
Indeed, unprecedented weapons distribution started in all opposition camps in Hatay Province on August 21-23, 2013. In the Reyhanli area alone, opposition forces received well in excess of 400 tons of weapons, mainly anti-aircraft weaponry from shoulder-fired missiles to ammunition for light-guns and machineguns. The weapons were distributed from store-houses controlled by Qatari and Turkish Intelligence under the tight supervision of US Intelligence.
These weapons were loaded on more than 20 trailer-trucks which crossed into northern Syria and distributed the weapons to several depots. Follow-up weapon shipments, also several hundred tons, took place over the weekend of August 24-25, 2013, and included mainly sophisticated anti-tank guided missiles and rockets. Opposition officials in Hatay said that these weapon shipments were “the biggest” they had received “since the beginning of the turmoil more than two years ago”. The deliveries from Hatay went to all the rebel forces operating in the Idlib-to-Aleppo area, including the al-Qaida affiliated jihadists (who constitute the largest rebel forces in the area).
Several senior officials from both the Syrian opposition and sponsoring Arab states stressed that these weapon deliveries were specifically in anticipation for exploiting the impact of imminent bombing of Syria by the US and the Western allies. The latest strategy formulation and coordination meetings took place on August 26, 2013. The political coordination meeting took place in Istanbul and was attended by US Amb. Robert Ford.
More important were the military and operational coordination meetings at the Antakya garrison. Senior Turkish, Qatari, and US Intelligence officials attended in addition to the Syrian senior (opposition) commanders. The Syrians were informed that bombing would start in a few days.
“The opposition was told in clear terms that action to deter further use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime could come as early as in the next few days,” a Syrian participant in the meeting said. Another Syrian participant said that he was convinced US bombing was scheduled to begin on Thursday, August 29, 2013. Several participants — both Syrian and Arab — stressed that the assurances of forthcoming bombing were most explicit even as formally Obama is still undecided.
The descriptions of these meetings raise the question of the extent of foreknowledge of US Intelligence, and therefore, the Obama White House. All the sources consulted — both Syrian and Arab — stressed that officials of the “Mukhabarat Amriki” actively participated in the meetings and briefings in Turkey. Therefore, at the very least, they should have known that the opposition leaders were anticipating “a war-changing development”: that is, a dramatic event which would provoke a US-led military intervention.See entire Global Research piece here: Did the White House Help Plan the Syrian Chemical Attack?
That's a damn good question...particularly when there appears to be mounting "evidence" that the Obama Administration's claims against the Syrian Government are false...if not outright lies.
Via USA Today:
Things aren't exactly warming up between the Obama administration and Vladimir Putin, even as President Obama arrived in St. Petersburg for the G-20 summit.
Putin called Obama Secretary of State John Kerry a liar over Kerry's testimony this week before Congress.
The question may be al-Qaeda's influence on the Syrian rebels, an issue Kerry has downplayed.
Speaking to his human rights council Wednesday, Putin said, "This was very unpleasant and surprising for me. We talk to them (the Americans), and we assume they are decent people, but he is lying and he knows that he is lying. This is sad."It would be difficult NOT to believe that intelligence is being manipulated to justify war against Syria. The Obama Administration has produced absolutely NO EVIDENCE that directly links the Syrian Government to a chemical gas attack.
Reuters notes
With the United States threatening to attack Syria, U.S. and allied intelligence services are still trying to work out who ordered the poison gas attack on rebel-held neighborhoods near Damascus.The Daily Caller reports:
No direct link to President Bashar al-Assad or his inner circle has been publicly demonstrated, and some U.S. sources say intelligence experts are not sure whether the Syrian leader knew of the attack before it was launched or was only informed about it afterward.
The Obama administration has selectively used intelligence to justify military strikes on Syria, formermilitary officers with access to the original intelligence reports say, in a manner that goes far beyond what critics charged the Bush administration of doing in the run-up to the 2003 Iraq war.
According to these officers, who served in top positions in the United States, Britain, France, Israel, and Jordan, a Syrian military communication intercepted by Israel’s famed Unit 8200 electronic intelligence outfit has been doctored so that it leads a reader to just the opposite conclusion reached by the original report.
_________
The doctored report was picked up on Israel’s Channel 2 TV on Aug. 24, then by Focus magazine in Germany, the Times of Israel, and eventually by The Cable in Washington, DC.
According to the doctored report, the chemical attack was carried out by the 155th Brigade of the 4th Armored Division of the Syrian Army, an elite unit commanded by Maher al-Assad, the president’s brother.
However, the original communication intercepted by Unit 8200 between a major in command of the rocket troops assigned to the 155th Brigade of the 4th Armored Division, and the general staff,shows just the opposite.
The general staff officer asked the major if he was responsible for the chemical weapons attack. From the tone of the conversation, it was clear that “the Syrian general staff were out of their minds with panic that an unauthorized strike had been launched by the 155th Brigade in express defiance of their instructions,” the former officers say.
According to the transcript of the original Unit 8200 report, the major “hotly denied firing any of his missiles” and invited the general staff to come and verify that all his weapons were present.
The report contains a note at the end that the major was interrogated by Syrian intelligence for three days, then returned to command of his unit. “All of his weapons were accounted for,” the report stated.Why would 12 very high-level former intelligence officials write the following memorandum to President Obama?:
___________
An Egyptian intelligence report describes a meeting in Turkey between military intelligence officials from Turkey and Qatar and Syrian rebels. One of the participants states, “there will be a game changing event on August 21st” that will “bring the U.S. into a bombing campaign”against the Syrian regime.
The chemical weapons strike on Moudhamiya, an area under rebel control, took place on August 21.“Egyptian military intelligence insists it was a combined Turkish/Qatar/rebel false flag operation,” said a source familiar with the report.
We regret to inform you that some of our former co-workers are telling us, categorically, that contrary to the claims of your administration, the most reliable intelligence shows that Bashar al-Assad was NOT responsible for the chemical incident that killed and injured Syrian civilians on August 21, and that British intelligence officials also know this. In writing this brief report, we choose to assume that you have not been fully informed because your advisers decided to afford you the opportunity for what is commonly known as “plausible denial.”The rebels themselves have even admitted responsibility for the chemical gas attack.
________
There is a growing body of evidence from numerous sources in the Middle East — mostly affiliated with the Syrian opposition and its supporters — providing a strong circumstantial case that the August 21 chemical incident was a pre-planned provocation by the Syrian opposition and its Saudi and Turkish supporters. The aim is reported to have been to create the kind of incident that would bring the United States into the war.
According to some reports, canisters containing chemical agent were brought into a suburb of Damascus, where they were then opened. Some people in the immediate vicinity died; others were injured.
We are unaware of any reliable evidence that a Syrian military rocket capable of carrying a chemical agent was fired into the area. In fact, we are aware of no reliable physical evidence to support the claim that this was a result of a strike by a Syrian military unit with expertise in chemical weapons.
In addition, we have learned that on August 13-14, 2013, Western-sponsored opposition forces in Turkey started advance preparations for a major, irregular military surge. Initial meetings between senior opposition military commanders and Qatari, Turkish and U.S. intelligence officials took place at the converted Turkish military garrison in Antakya, Hatay Province, now used as the command center and headquarters of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and their foreign sponsors.
Senior opposition commanders who came from Istanbul pre-briefed the regional commanders on animminent escalation in the fighting due to “a war-changing development,” which, in turn, would lead to a U.S.-led bombing of Syria.
At operations coordinating meetings at Antakya, attended by senior Turkish, Qatari and U.S. intelligence officials as well as senior commanders of the Syrian opposition, the Syrians were told that the bombing would start in a few days. Opposition leaders were ordered to prepare their forces quickly to exploit the U.S. bombing, march into Damascus, and remove the Bashar al-Assad government
The Qatari and Turkish intelligence officials assured the Syrian regional commanders that they would be provided with plenty of weapons for the coming offensive. And they were. A weapons distribution operation unprecedented in scope began in all opposition camps on August 21-23. The weapons were distributed from storehouses controlled by Qatari and Turkish intelligence under the tight supervision of U.S. intelligence officers.
The following Point-By-Point Rebuttal of U.S. Case for War In Syria is quite damning of the Obama Administrations claims to possess "undeniable evidence" that the Syrian Government was behind the chemical gas attack.
Is it any wonder that the World Politic AND the majority of American Citizens are so vehemently opposed to the Obama Administrations desire to "drop some targeted munitions on Syria". Who are they kidding? Are we supposed to believe that Syria, Russia, and Iran are just going to sit idly by while we launch cruise missiles at their friends in Syria? Really? Isn't that a bit naive?
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey has told Obama that a strike on Syria will end in involvement with Iran and Russia.
“The president has been told point blank that this could be the start of a military intervention that could take months or even a year until there is any resolution,” a source who has been following the debate said.
The sources said the biggest opponent of a military campaign against Syria has been the chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff, Gen. Martin Dempsey. They said Dempsey, who sought to maintain a low profile, has warned that the U.S. military was not ready for any sustained conflict against Syria that could involve two of its leading allies, Iran and Russia.
“Dempsey has been unusually blunt in his remarks with both Obama and Vice President Joe Biden,” the source said. “His assessment is that any U.S.
war against Assad will automatically involve his foreign allies, and that means Teheran and to a smaller extent, Moscow.” Source: World TribuneDo the President and the Secretary of State even understand the stakes of "doing the right thing", regardless of the US Citizens opinion?
In April, Dempsey said that the US military could force down Syria’s warplanes and disrupt its air defenses, but not without significant peril to US pilots, all for a negligible impact on dictator Bashar al-Assad.
“It’s not about: can we do it? It’s: should we do it, and what are the opportunity costs?” Dempsey testified to the Senate armed services committee in March 2012.
Dempsey’s nomination for a new term as chairman was even briefly delayed in the Senate last month after pro-war senators demanded fuller advice about Syria.
In response, Dempsey listed nearly every military option mooted, from limited strikes to full-blown US intervention, and found them fraught with risk and expense. He emphasized the difficulty of staying out of the Syrian civil war once Washington launches any military action.
“Once we take action, we should be prepared for what comes next,” Dempsey wrote to the committee on 19 July. “Deeper involvement is hard to avoid.”
Even the “limited stand-off strikes” of the sort the Obama administration is now considering would require “hundreds of aircraft, ships submarines and other enablers.” The impact on Assad would be felt “over time” in the form of a “significant degradation of regime capabilities,” but there is a risk that “the regime could withstand limited strikes by dispersing its assets.” Source: The GuardianIt's just an observation of a produce clerk, but from the information I have come across above, it looks like the Obama Administration doesn't have ANY proof of "who" was behind the August 21, 2013 chemical gas attack in Syria. They can't prove that the people in the videos are victims of a Syrian gas attack on August 21st.. To date he hasn't even proved "what" chemical gas, if any, was used in the alleged attack. The "where" and "when" of the incident appear to be known. Can the President tell us "why" the Syrian Government would gas the Syrian Rebels when by all reports they have been kicking the rebels asses.
In East Ghouta the suburbs east of the capital where the chemical attack took place, jihadi rebels are not dominant, according to people who live and work there. "Why" would the Syrian Government attack a Damascus suburb where there are no bad guy rebels Mr. President? That's the "why" that interests this observer. It would certainly make a nice "false flag" target for the Al-Qaeda aligned rebels to "frame" the Syrian Government.
Clearly the Obama Administration has too many questions left unanswered to convince ANYBODY of the need to drop bombs on Syria. Just because the US Government says they should, doesn't make it right. [How refreshing!] [Never mind the fact that Syria has NOT attacked the United States, or it's allies.] And too many loose ends are pointing to the administrations possible involvement is the alleged attack itself. We DO NOT know the complete story, but the President seems quite eager to got to war for a "Peace President". It would be VERY VERY foolish for the President to move forward with an ill advised attack on Syria considering what we have observed here.
