Why are we in Syria?

[Londoner]

Has congress declared war against syria or otherwise authorized force? Then what authority does the president have to be bombing syria? And why isn't anyone demanding the president stop bombing or make a case?

Lots of people declared Iraq an unconstitutional war despite the authorization from Congress. Obama doesn't have an authorization in Syria so why is any of our military attacking anyone in syria?

Removing Hussein created a power vacuum in the region, and the Arab Spring of 2011 rekindled the longstanding war between Sunnis & Shiites. ISIS took advantage of the instability created by the Civil War.

Now we have total chaos, with all these groups trying to assert control but with no political structure in place to resolve the struggle - and no army to bomb.

Contrary to the fucking moronic low-information Republicans who just want to drop bombs, this is not unified nation with a standing army - these are embedded terrorist groups living inside innocent non-combatant civil populations that cannot flee. (-They can't flee because Republicans and ISIS don't want them to flee. ISIS needs them as shields, and the Republican Party needs to use them to spread fear and attack Obama)

Simplistic (well-meaning) FOX News viewers like Grampa think we should just drop bombs on these embedded warring tribes, killing both the jihadists and the innocent civilians who have nowhere to flee. The dumb Republicans can't name the different groups fighting for power because Rush Limbaugh doesn't talk about these things.

We could bomb Ramallah into a parking lot, but this won't prevent ISIS from re-establishing elsewhere or re-taking Ramallah because there is no political solution that leaves Syria in a stable position to defend military gains.

This is why Robert Gates - Secretary of Defense under Bush 43 - said that military engagement won't work until we have a political structure in place to defend military gains - otherwise we are just feeding American lives into perpetual war, as the civil unrest and ISIS spreads from location to location.

Syria is a failed state. It does not have a stable government and military in place to hold our military gains.

The key for Republicans is to blame Obama for not taking military action, but also to blame him for taking military action.

The key to ignore the details of this very complex war and say anything that harms Obama.

The key is to use the terrorist threat to win the White House but not to understand Syria.

 

[flacaltenn]

We may be bombing in Syria -- but we have no coherent plan. Because the Prez still wants to make the same mistakes we made by creating voids of power in Libya, Iraq, Somalia and now Syria.. We don't learn the important lesson that Arab countries REQUIRE strongman leadership to keep the factions in the box, and make the economies function..

We need to drop the demand for removing Assad and stablilize the country FIRST. And then deal with our "leadership" issues there. And we need to create "safe zones" for the population of Syria -- until this Gang Bang is over. It's criminal that the Arab League, UN, and the G20 don't emphasize civilian security in that conflict.

 

[NYcarbineer]

No one is demanding the President stop bombing ISIS because no one wants the US to stop bombing ISIS.

I'm also told by a Constitutional supporter that we do not have a standing army--our military has to be voted on every year or two in order to continue business as usual. Pretty amazing, if it's correct, mostly because the military managed to survive the Vietnam War.

Doctor, is your quote Shakespeare?

Yep, sure is. King Lear.

Dang, I thought it was the director's cut of Gene Hunt from Life on Mars:

 

[irosie91]

my own son had been ACTIVE DUTY during the war on terrorism----------I will not tell you what he did------it may not be legal to divulge
that information

You can go ahead a tell us.......because janitorial work and cleaning toilets isn't classified information. ......

In fact, it could be. My impression is that lots of the "leaked" information
in hospitals and government top secret facilities does come from toilet cleaners like you, When I was in college------I took a low level job in a very large hospital-----
not exactly toilet cleaning----I was a receptionist and ----later on a switchboard
operator------I had access to confidential files------good news is that I considered
confidentiality VERY IMPORTANT At that time it was impossible to keep files
out of the hands of the people who cleaned the toilets. Now things are more
"IN THE COMPUTER" and access can be traced by who got what on their passwords

 

[flacaltenn]

Has congress declared war against syria or otherwise authorized force? Then what authority does the president have to be bombing syria? And why isn't anyone demanding the president stop bombing or make a case?

Lots of people declared Iraq an unconstitutional war despite the authorization from Congress. Obama doesn't have an authorization in Syria so why is any of our military attacking anyone in syria?

Removing Hussein created a power vacuum in the region, and the Arab Spring of 2011 rekindled the longstanding war between Sunnis & Shiites. ISIS took advantage of the instability created by the Civil War.

Now we have total chaos, with all these groups trying to assert control but with no political structure in place to resolve the struggle - and no army to bomb.

Contrary to the fucking moronic low-information Republicans who just want to drop bombs, this is not unified nation with a standing army - these are embedded terrorist groups living inside innocent non-combatant civil populations that cannot flee. (-They can't flee because Republicans and ISIS don't want them to flee.)

This is what ISIS wants because if innocent civilians could flee, than ISIS could not use them as shields. (ISIS and the Republican Party want those innocent civilian populations to stay where they are)

Simplistic (well-meaning) FOX News viewers like Grampa think we should just drop bombs on these embedded warring tribes, killing both the jihadists and the innocent civilians who have nowhere to flee. The dumb Republicans can't name the different groups fighting for power because Rush Limbaugh doesn't talk about these things.

We could bomb Ramallah into a parking lot, but this won't prevent ISIS from re-establishing elsewhere or re-taking Ramallah because there is no political solution that leaves Syria in a stable position to defend military gains.

This is why Robert Gates - Secretary of Defense under Bush 43 - said that military engagement won't work until we have a political structure in place to defend military gains - otherwise we are just feeding American lives into perpetual war, as the civil unrest and ISIS spreads from location to location.

Syria is a failed state. It does not have a stable government and military in place to hold our military gains.

The key for Republicans is to blame Obama for not taking military action, but also to blame him for taking military action.

The key to ignore the details of this very complex war and say anything that harms Obama.

The key is to use the terrorist threat to win the White House but not to understand Syria.

You got the general idea correct.. Except for your focus on partisan issues. NOT a partisian issue. Those voids of power were a LONG time in the making. We bombed Iraq DAILY during every year of the Clinton Admin. And starved 200,000 or more Iraqis with the 12 year failed embargo.

The voids accelerated under the current Admin -- who only wants to end EVERYTHING Bush even at massive costs to stability in the region. Partisanship is HUGE reason we've screwed up so badly..

 

[irosie91]

We may be bombing in Syria -- but we have no coherent plan. Because the Prez still wants to make the same mistakes we made by creating voids of power in Libya, Iraq, Somalia.. We don't learn the important lesson that Arab countries REQUIRE strongman leadership to keep the factions in the box.

We need to drop the demand for removing Assad and stablilize the country FIRST. And then deal with our "leadership" issues there. And we need to create "safe zones" for the population of Syria -- until this Gang Bang is over. It's criminal that the Arab League, UN, and the G20 don't emphasize civilian security in that conflict.

"safe" does not exist in a country under "BAATHIST" leadership. No doubt that
the idea of the GIFT of "democracy" to most Islamic states is------very silly------however a cave-in to the fascism of baathism is even worse

 

[flacaltenn]

We may be bombing in Syria -- but we have no coherent plan. Because the Prez still wants to make the same mistakes we made by creating voids of power in Libya, Iraq, Somalia.. We don't learn the important lesson that Arab countries REQUIRE strongman leadership to keep the factions in the box.

We need to drop the demand for removing Assad and stablilize the country FIRST. And then deal with our "leadership" issues there. And we need to create "safe zones" for the population of Syria -- until this Gang Bang is over. It's criminal that the Arab League, UN, and the G20 don't emphasize civilian security in that conflict.

"safe" does not exist in a country under "BAATHIST" leadership. No doubt that
the idea of the GIFT of "democracy" to most Islamic states is------very silly------however a cave-in to the fascism of baathism is even worse

Having a leadership that can create a functional economy and keep the tribal killing down is more important than their lineage. You see that in half the Arab states who had minority tribal representation for their leadership.

Functions much like mediation. You can't have zealot Sunni, Shia leaders -- so you propagate the older tribal lines for political control..

 

[deltex1]

Has congress declared war against syria or otherwise authorized force? Then what authority does the president have to be bombing syria? And why isn't anyone demanding the president stop bombing or make a case?

Lots of people declared Iraq an unconstitutional war despite the authorization from Congress. Obama doesn't have an authorization in Syria so why is any of our military attacking anyone in syria?

Great question...if you're clueless.

 

[B. Kidd]

No one is demanding the President stop bombing ISIS because no one wants the US to stop bombing ISIS.

"NO ONE"??? you have not encountered a whole lot of muslims in your lifetime---
have you?

I count many Muslims among my friends, and not a single one of them want us to stop bombing ISIS.

I bet all of them are Paki small business owners (smoke shops, cell phone outlets, etc.) that have been here 15 plus years. Ask them sometime how they feel about Saudi Arabia sometime, then get back to us.

 

[MisterBeale]

No one is demanding the President stop bombing ISIS because no one wants the US to stop bombing ISIS.

PROVE HE IS BOMBING ISIS. LINK.

 

[irosie91]

We may be bombing in Syria -- but we have no coherent plan. Because the Prez still wants to make the same mistakes we made by creating voids of power in Libya, Iraq, Somalia.. We don't learn the important lesson that Arab countries REQUIRE strongman leadership to keep the factions in the box.

We need to drop the demand for removing Assad and stablilize the country FIRST. And then deal with our "leadership" issues there. And we need to create "safe zones" for the population of Syria -- until this Gang Bang is over. It's criminal that the Arab League, UN, and the G20 don't emphasize civilian security in that conflict.

"safe" does not exist in a country under "BAATHIST" leadership. No doubt that
the idea of the GIFT of "democracy" to most Islamic states is------very silly------however a cave-in to the fascism of baathism is even worse

Having a leadership that can create a functional economy and keep the tribal killing down is more important than their lineage. You see that in half the Arab states who had minority tribal representation for their leadership.

Functions much like mediation. You can't have zealot Sunni, Shia leaders -- so you propagate the older tribal lines for political control..

where did I mention "LINEAGE" Are you referring to baathism as a "LINEAGE"? Papa and baby Assad have done LOTS OF KILLNG----
as did ardent Baathist Sadaam Hussein. Very ardent Baathist Gamal Abdel
Nasser fomented the 1967 war based ENTIRELY ON BAATHIST AMBITIONs.
Even the current ongoing blood bath in Yemen is an outcome of BAATHIST filth
in that country going all the way back to the 1950s. I am fascinated that you
mention LINEAGE----------the CALIPH is a successor to muhummad-----THAT is
LINEAGE

 

[theDoctorisIn]

No one is demanding the President stop bombing ISIS because no one wants the US to stop bombing ISIS.

"NO ONE"??? you have not encountered a whole lot of muslims in your lifetime---
have you?

I count many Muslims among my friends, and not a single one of them want us to stop bombing ISIS.

I bet all of them are Paki small business owners (smoke shops, cell phone outlets, etc.) that have been here 15 plus years. Ask them sometime how they feel about Saudi Arabia sometime, then get back to us.

I have no idea what your point is, but no - none of my friends are "Paki" smoke shop owners.

 

[irosie91]

No one is demanding the President stop bombing ISIS because no one wants the US to stop bombing ISIS.

"NO ONE"??? you have not encountered a whole lot of muslims in your lifetime---
have you?

I count many Muslims among my friends, and not a single one of them want us to stop bombing ISIS.

I bet all of them are Paki small business owners (smoke shops, cell phone outlets, etc.) that have been here 15 plus years. Ask them sometime how they feel about Saudi Arabia sometime, then get back to us.

I have no idea what your point is, but no - none of my friends are "Paki" smoke shop owners.

none of my friends are paki smoke shop owners either I think that a good point
is that if you want to know what a society TEACHES or the ethos of any society---
talk to the relatively naïve people of that society-----even the adolescents. One of
the best informants I have (indirectly) about the situation in Yemen----is a
very casual acquaintance of my husband's-----by virtue of a very minor business
issue from SANAA, Yemen------he has a sandwich/newspaper little store----and has family still in Sanaa-------his opinion of IRAN and its ambitions in Yemen are---in my mind---very significant------he does not INVENT them ------he just knows what the sunni on the streets of Sanaa "KNOWS"

 

[MisterBeale]

No one is demanding the President stop bombing ISIS because no one wants the US to stop bombing ISIS.

PROVE HE IS BOMBING ISIS. LINK.

Russian Official: U.S. Not Bombing ISIS At All… Obama Lying to the American People
Russian Official: U.S. Not Bombing ISIS At All… Obama Lying to the American People | Top Right News

Alexei Pushkov, the head of the Russian parliament’s international affairs committee, created a firestorm today when he took to Twitter and said Barack Obama is not bombing ISIS.


“McCain accused us of striking out at US-trained insurgents… However, since they have either run away or joined al-Qaeda, hitting them is a mission impossible,” Pushkov wrote on his Twitter account.


“The US-led coalition spent a whole year pretending they were striking ISIL targets but where are the results of these strikes?” Pushkov asked during and interview with France’s Europe 1 Radio.


Max Boot, of the Council on Foreign Relations, admits the U.S. bombing campaign against ISIS is primarily smoke and mirrors.


“Obama’s strategy in Syria and Iraq is not working… (because) the U.S. bombing campaign against ISIS has been remarkably restrained,” Boot wrote for Newsweek in February.

 

[CremeBrulee]

war on terrorism ---------it is actually----for military purposes a "declared war" I have been told that persons in active duty DURING THE WAR ON TERRORISM----considered "veterans of war"

what do you find funny-----brulee? my own son had been ACTIVE DUTY during the war on terrorism----------I will not tell you what he did------it may not be legal to divulge
that information

I think someone was pulling your leg. The War on Terrorism is a slogan, catchphrase, bumper sticker, etc. It is used to drum up political support for military action and policy/legislation. The same as War on Crime, War on Drugs, War on Poverty, War on Women, War on ______ insert cause here. It is no more possible to prosecute a "war" on terrorism than it is any of the other aforementioned subjects. These "wars" are purposely broad to be applied to a variety situations and ensure they never end. How does a country make peace with terrorism? They can't. Neither can it be eliminated. The people you refer to are considered veterans because they fought in actual wars like the ones in Iraq and Afghanistan. See the difference?

 

[irosie91]

war on terrorism ---------it is actually----for military purposes a "declared war" I have been told that persons in active duty DURING THE WAR ON TERRORISM----considered "veterans of war"

what do you find funny-----brulee? my own son had been ACTIVE DUTY during the war on terrorism----------I will not tell you what he did------it may not be legal to divulge
that information

I think someone was pulling your leg. The War on Terrorism is a slogan, catchphrase, bumper sticker, etc. It is used to drum up political support for military action and policy/legislation. The same as War on Crime, War on Drugs, War on Poverty, War on Women, War on ______ insert cause here. It is no more possible to prosecute a "war" on terrorism than it is any of the other aforementioned subjects. These "wars" are purposely broad to be applied to a variety situations and ensure they never end. How does a country make peace with terrorism? They can't. Neither can it be eliminated. The people you refer to are considered veterans because they fought in actual wars like the ones in Iraq and Afghanistan. See the difference?

Actually you are wrong------any person on active duty during the "WAR ON TERRORISM" is now considered a "veteran" of war--------even those who
never saw a second of action over seas. I served in the NAVY----but only in
the USA----and NOT during the "WAR ON TERRORISM" -----so I am not a veteran of war. No one is "pulling my leg" as you, in your vulgar manner, put it.
I am fully aware of the nature of the PHRASE and why it is used and I do not consider it a SNOW JOB. The USA is opposing terrorism despite the support
it enjoys from people like you------so it is called a "war". English is the only language in which I am fluent and I understand the concept of CONOTATION

 

[MisterBeale]

No one is demanding the President stop bombing ISIS because no one wants the US to stop bombing ISIS.

"NO ONE"??? you have not encountered a whole lot of muslims in your lifetime---
have you?

I count many Muslims among my friends, and not a single one of them want us to stop bombing ISIS.

I bet all of them are Paki small business owners (smoke shops, cell phone outlets, etc.) that have been here 15 plus years. Ask them sometime how they feel about Saudi Arabia sometime, then get back to us.

I have no idea what your point is, but no - none of my friends are "Paki" smoke shop owners.

none of my friends are paki smoke shop owners either I think that a good point
is that if you want to know what a society TEACHES or the ethos of any society---
talk to the relatively naïve people of that society-----even the adolescents. One of
the best informants I have (indirectly) about the situation in Yemen----is a
very casual acquaintance of my husband's-----by virtue of a very minor business
issue from SANAA, Yemen------he has a sandwich/newspaper little store----and has family still in Sanaa-------his opinion of IRAN and its ambitions in Yemen are---in my mind---very significant------he does not INVENT them ------he just knows what the sunni on the streets of Sanaa "KNOWS"

I'm sure he doesn't know shit about what is going on in his home nation, do you want to know why?

Most Americans don't really know how their government works, or what it is up to. Hell, they think the Democrats and Republicans have differing agendas, don't they? Most Europeans don't have a clue how their governments work either.

Israelis don't have the first inkling about what is going on, so folks in backwater third world places have even less of a clue about how little it matters what they think, or what their indigenous leaders and movements are up to.

And Siete was right, learn to write. Use capitalization, proper grammar, diction and punctuation. Your writing is a joke.

So stop throwing out your useless and silly mirages that are a fallacious appeal to authority. You and they, don't know shit.

 

[MisterBeale]

I have no idea what your point is, but no - none of my friends are "Paki" smoke shop owners.

none of my friends are paki smoke shop owners either I think that a good point
is that if you want to know what a society TEACHES or the ethos of any society---
talk to the relatively naïve people of that society-----even the adolescents. One of
the best informants I have (indirectly) about the situation in Yemen----is a
very casual acquaintance of my husband's-----by virtue of a very minor business
issue from SANAA, Yemen------he has a sandwich/newspaper little store----and has family still in Sanaa-------his opinion of IRAN and its ambitions in Yemen are---in my mind---very significant------he does not INVENT them ------he just knows what the sunni on the streets of Sanaa "KNOWS"

I'm sure he doesn't know shit about what is going on in his home nation, do you want to know why?

Most Americans don't really know how their government works, or what it is up to. Hell, they think the Democrats and Republicans have differing agendas, don't they? Most Europeans don't have a clue how their governments work either.

Israelis don't have the first inkling about what is going on, so folks in backwater third world places have even less of a clue about how little it matters what they think, or what their indigenous leaders and movements are up to.

And Siete was right, learn to write. Use capitalization, proper grammar, diction and punctuation. Your writing is a joke.

So stop throwing out your useless and silly mirages that are a fallacious appeal to authority. You and they, don't know shit.

Your grammer in just the first sentence of your post, is incorrect. You last sentence does not even make sense. I will help. You need a comma after
the word "SO" in your last sentence. You seem not to know the definition of the
word "mirage". "Fallacious appeal to authority" ???? WTF does that mean?
You did not need a comma after "you and they" in your last sentence. The crap
inbetween first and last sentence is just as faulty.

I'll admit, my writing is very informal, and much of it incorrect.

That said, it is much easier on the eyes and much easier to read than that shit you pass off as writing.

your opinion. I served as REMEDIAL TUTOR for idiots like you in a "famous university"

Damn girl, what did I tell you about your fallacies?

 

[Contumacious]

Has congress declared war against syria or otherwise authorized force? Then what authority does the president have to be bombing syria? And why isn't anyone demanding the president stop bombing or make a case?

Lots of people declared Iraq an unconstitutional war despite the authorization from Congress. Obama doesn't have an authorization in Syria so why is any of our military attacking anyone in syria?

WE ARE IN SYRIA BECAUSE ISRAHELL HAS HIJACKED THE US FOREIGN POLICY:


1- IT DEMANDED THAT SADDAM BE REMOVED BECUASE HE WAS FINANCIALLY HELPING THE PALESTINIANS - THE US OBEDIENTLY COMPLIED

2- BIBI WANTS TO STEAL SYRIAN REAL STATE AND BECOME A REGIONAL POWER - THE US HAS NO CHOICE BUT TO COMPLY


.


.

 

[blackhawk]

I'm not sure what we are doing in Syria would qualify as being at war.