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Adem Altan / AFP - Getty Images
A Free Syrian Army soldier rips a portrait of President Bashar Assad at the Bab Al-Salam border crossing to Turkey on Sunday.
Updated 11:05 a.m. ET: The Syrian government threatened Monday to use its chemical and biological weapons in the event the country faced foreign intervention, marking the first time Bashar Assad’s regime has acknowledged it possesses weapons of mass destruction.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi stressed, however, that Damascus would not use its unconventional arms against its own citizens. The announcement comes as Syria faces international isolation, a tenacious rebellion that has left at least 19,000 people dead and threats by Israel to attack to prevent such weapons from falling into rebel hands.
Assad's forces have launched fierce counter-offensives, reflecting his determination to hold on to power even at great cost and he has dismissed an Arab offer to grant him a safe exit in return for a swift step down.
"Any chemical or bacterial weapons will never be used ... during the crisis in Syria regardless of the developments," Makdissi, speaking in English, said.
"These weapons are stored and secured by Syrian military forces and under its direct supervision and will never be used unless Syria faces external aggression,” he added.
A first? Helicopter gunships bombard Syrian capital
Desperate regime?
Damascus has not signed a 1992 international convention that bans the use, production or stockpiling of chemical weapons, but officials in the past have denied that it had any stockpiles.
As violence escalates in Syria, insurgents have said they fear Assad's forces will resort to non-conventional weapons as they seek to claw back rebel gains across the country.
Government troops launched an offensive against opposition forces in Syria days after rebels killed some of President Assad's top deputies. NBC's Lester Holt reports.
Syria's decision to reveal the long suspected existence of its chemical weapons suggests a desperate regime deeply shaken by an increasingly bold revolt that has scored a string of successes in the past week, including a stunning bomb attack that killed four high-level security officials, the capture of several border crossings and sustained offensives on the regime strongholds of the capital Damascus and the northern city of Aleppo, the country’s most populous city.
Syria is believed to have nerve agents as well as mustard gas, Scud missiles capable of delivering these lethal chemicals and a variety of advanced conventional arms, including anti-tank rockets and late-model portable anti-aircraft missiles.
A senior U.S. intelligence official told The Associated Press on Friday the Syrians have moved chemical weapons material from the country's north, where the fighting was fiercest, apparently to both secure it, and to consolidate it, which U.S. officials considered a responsible step.
But there has also been a rise in activity at the installations, so the U.S. intelligence community is intensifying its monitoring efforts to track the weapons and try to figure out whether the Syrians are trying to use them, the official told the AP on condition of anonymity to discuss the still-evolving investigation.
NYT: Both sides claim progress as Syrian violence continues
Syria's uprising began in March 2011 when the government violently tried to quash protests calling for political reform. As dissent spread and the death toll rose, scores of rebel groups formed to fight government troops, and the conflict evolved into a civil war.
Threat from Israel
Western countries and Israel have also expressed fears that chemical weapons could fall into the hands of militant groups as Assad's authority erodes.
On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he feared that chaos following Assad's fall could allow Hezbollah, which seeks Israel's destruction, to access Syria's chemical arsenal.
Netanyahu told Fox News Sunday that "this is something we'll have to act to stop if the need arises."
No evidence has emerged of Hezbollah involvement in Syria's unrest.
Two more Syrian generals flee into Turkey
Defying Arab foreign ministers who on Sunday offered Assad a "safe exit" if he stepped down swiftly, the Syrian leader has waged a counter-attack in the capital to defeat rebels district by district.
Arab League ministers meeting in Doha urged the opposition and the rebel Free Syrian Army to form a transitional government, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani told a news conference in Doha.
Makdissi condemned calls for Assad to step down during a meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Qatar over the weekend, calling it a "flagrant intervention" in Syria's internal affairs.
Complete international news coverage from NBCNews.com
Fighting in Aleppo
On Monday, the army shelled rebel forces in Aleppo and stormed the southern Damascus neighborhood of Nahr Aisha, breaking into shops and houses and burning some of them, activists said.
Assad's forces have reasserted control over several Damascus areas since they seized back the central Midan district on Friday, following a devastating bomb attack that killed four of Assad's top security officials.
Government forces have lost ground outside cities, ceding control of four border posts on the Turkish and Iraqi borders.
In Aleppo, activists said residents were fleeing the rebel-held districts of Al-Haideriya, Hanano and Sakhour after army shelling and clashes between rebels and government forces.
The fighting in Damascus, Aleppo and the eastern city of Deir al-Zor has been some of the fiercest yet and showed Assad's determination to avenge last week’s bomb attack.
NBC's Ayman Mohyeldin answers your questions about Syria
Fighting continued for a fifth day near key government installations, indicating that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's control is faltering. As the opposition advances, Russia and China still refuse to support a resolution calling for tougher sanctions. NBC's Ayman Mohyeldin reports.
Bashar Assad's father, Hafez Assad, seized power in a 1970 coup and ruled for three decades until his death. Originally an Air Force officer and member of the Syrian Baath Party, Hafez al-Assad gradually introduced Alawite rule into every sector of Syrian government and society.
Activists: At least 20 men executed
In another development, government forces executed at least 20 men, aged approximately 20 to 30, activists said by phone from Mezzeh on Sunday.
"Most had bullet holes, one with as many as 18. Three had their hands tied behind their back. Some of the men were in their pajamas. Several had their legs broken or fingers missing. Others were stabbed with knifes," Bashir al-Kheir, one of the activists, told Reuters.
Analysts: Russia will be big loser if Assad falls
Opposition and rebel sources have also told Reuters the guerrilla fighters in the capital may lack the supply lines to remain there for long and may have to make tactical withdrawals.
The neighborhood of Barzeh, one of three northern areas hit by helicopter fire, was overrun by troops commanded by President Assad's brother, Maher al-Assad, 41, who is widely seen as the muscle maintaining the Assad’s rule.
Crucial role
Maher's role has become more crucial since Assad's defense and intelligence ministers, a top general and his powerful brother-in-law were killed by the bomb on Wednesday, part of an assault by rebels seeking to turn the tables in a revolt inspired by Arab Spring uprisings in Tunisia, Libya and Egypt.
Syrian rebels seize border post after fierce battle
Assad has not spoken in public since the bombing, but the Israeli military said it believed he was still in Damascus and retained the loyalty of his armed forces.
Regional and Western powers fear the conflict might become a full-blown sectarian war that could spill across borders, but have yet to find a coherent strategy to prevent that outcome.
NBC News staff, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
More world stories from NBC News:
- Reports: Workers told to underplay Fukushima radiation
- US F-16 fighter jet crashes off coast of Japan
- Gunman in Afghan police uniform kills 3, wounds several
- Explosion, fire shuts down Turkey-Iraq oil pipeline; PKK blamed
- Assad reportedly directs troops from tribal heartland as rebels flood capital
- UN extends Syria observer mission as fighting continues
- Video: Lost in translation: Do the English speak English?
Leave a Comment:
There is an island off the North Coast of England that was used/approved by Churchill in World War Two for the testing of Biological Weapons, such as Anthrax, etc. ...................... To this day, it is reported it is still too deadly for human beings, to go to this island.
Today, Modern Chemical and Biological Weapons are even more deadly........ I can only hope literally, for the sake of the world, this does not start a cascading event of happenings beginning in Syria............ For in going forward in a cascading, when Iraq used Chemical Weapons on Iran, it would be difficult to believe Iran didn't build such a program in the aftermath......... The Rich Culture of the People of Iran goes back thousands of years........ It is unfortunate a small group of their leaders act much like the "Joker" in the Colorado Massacre. Their threat of annihilation to others has to be seriously considered............... In today's world Our Creator is Great and in respecting others manner of Worship, Allah is Great.... But Ahmadinejad does not connect with "Either" having a wagging tongue..... As is taught!
This may sound ridiculous but if Mr. Lavrov (Russia), Mr. Netanyahu (Israel) and Mr. Assad (Syria) were able to meet together alone, a solution may be found very quickly to the situation........ Time is the teller of all and hopefully wisdom will prevail................ Humbly I wish the Best to all......
Anyone doubt Iran has them also?
They do. They also used them during the Iran-Iraq War.
Can you imagine what would happen if the Syrian rebels win.
And when they take the mass destruction weapons sites . They turn out to be of Iraqi origin??
The pandemonium that would result , would be monumental.
Not saying it would happen, but......
Scar-481986.......
(At least) "52% of Iraq's international chemical weapon equipment was of German origin."
McGee, Maggie (October 10, 1990). "We Have Surprises". Der Spiegel. pp. 1148–152.
The Syrians need not source their chemical weapons from Iraq. All that is needed is desire (for them) and sufficient money.
(Many) Chemical weapons and pesticides are virtually identical. It is mostly a matter of concentration.
See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organophosphate
Didn't know that Ian Emdee. Thank you for the information:-)
Assad is probably already shipping them to Iraq as we speak. Assad was neutral between Iraq, and Iran.
I doubt if they would expose the truth anyway. They go to extremes to demonize the United States as their genocide and Theocide continues throughout every regime change.
Assad's declaration that he will only use his chemical weapons against foreign attackers should be interpreted as a threat to use them in the event of his imminent deposal.
Rest assured, the Obama administration has ordered our chemical units deployed appropriately.
The fact that Assad is even speaking publicly about Syria's chemical capabilities implies a sense of desperation. Desperate people do desperate things. We should all stand ready for that.
I am NOT an OBAMA fan at all but I have to say that I have changed my mind about Hillary...Still don't agree with MANY of her political views but she seems to be tough as heck as far as foreign policy goes and I commend her on it! She doesn't take any Sheeeeit!
justin-451589......
Frequently on Newsvine, those who make statements such as "I am not a (fill-in-the-blank) fan, but....." are actually exactly what they say they are not.
Happily, in your case, it seems you are being truthful.
We (democrats) are grateful for your acknowledgement of Sec. Clinton's conduct of foreign policy. But, we further hope you realize that policy is formulated and implemented within the confines of the Obama administration. She does not act in isolation or without approval. Neither does she occupy her position except that she was nominated by President Obama.
President Obama, together with Sec. Clinton, has conceived the most astute and long ranged foreign policy in modern times. It has overturned decades of diplomatic and geopolitical dogma. The significance of this will not be appreciated (by most in this country) for years to come.
Still, thanks for the recognition.
In July 1979, Mr. Hussein handed weapons to surviving members of the ruling elite, then joined them in personally executing 22 comrades who had dared to oppose his ascent. Saddam murdered as many as a million of his people, many with poison gas. He tortured, maimed and imprisoned countless more. His unprovoked invasion of Iran is estimated to have left another million people dead.
His seizure of Kuwait threw the Middle East into crisis. Even worse was the psychological damage he inflicted on his own land. Hussein created a nation of informants — friends on friends, circles within circles — making an entire population complicit in his rule".
Others have estimated 800,000 deaths caused by Saddam not counting the Iran-Iraq war. Estimates as to the number of Iraqis executed by Saddam's regime vary from 300-500,000 to over 600,000, estimates as to the number of Kurds he massacred vary from 70,000 to 300,000.
Estimates as to the number killed in the put-down of the 1991 rebellion vary from 60,000 to 200,000. Estimates for the number of dead in the Iran-Iraq war range upwards from 300,000.
The terror is self-compounding, with the state's power reinforced by stories that relatives of the victims pale to tell — of fingernail-extracting, eye-gouging, genital-shocking and bucket-drowning. Secret police rape prisoners' wives and daughters to force confessions and denunciations. There are assassinations, in Iraq and abroad, and, ultimately, the gallows, the firing squads and the pistol shots to the head.
Often, the executions have been carried out by the Fedayeen Saddam, a paramilitary group headed by Mr. Hussein's oldest son, 38-year-old Uday. These men, masked and clad in black, make the women kneel in busy city squares, along crowded sidewalks, or in neighborhood plots, then behead them with swords. The families of some victims have claimed they were innocent of any crime save that of criticizing Mr. Hussein.
Mr. Hussein's has been a tale of terror that scholars have compared to that of Stalin, whom the Iraqi leader is said to revere, even if his own brutalities have played out on a small scale. Stalin killed 20 million of his own people, historians have concluded. Even on a proportional basis, his crimes far surpass Mr. Hussein's, but figures of a million dead Iraqis, in war and through terror, may not be far from the mark, in a country of 22 million people.
What a great guy ! And people want to call that an illegal war.
I also believe he Did have weapons of mass destruction. Had months to dispose of them while UN waited outside the door.
Wait, I thought the CIA was just making up that they had chemical weapons so that we could invade another Arab country?...
Oil for food,thinly disguised as humanitarian aid,iraq drove truck after truck into syria loaded withWMDs,early 90s...Woodshed pretty accurate figures,a little low...Remember Anfal...
Guess we know now where Saddam's WDMs went to?
http://pjmedia.com/blog/satellite-photos-support-testimony-that-iraqi-wmd-went-to-syria/
Bush was right all along.......
yawn, we didn't know that syria already had wmds. another conspiracy nut jumping to conclusions. lol.
clue for the clueless: no, bush wasn't right. Iraq was not a threat to us. Iraq was a disaster. try to pay attention.
I believe he did have them and it's naive and wishful thinking to think that he didn't.
And where did they get them?...... Iraq. "What!" you say, you mean Iraq had WMD after all and gave them to Seria? Yes idiots, Bush was right after all.
That Iraq did not have WMD's was the biggest lie the media, and Americans ever bought.
History will tell the truth.
People have condemned Bush for the wrong reasons. You may not like his face, or that he is a Republican, or that he lives in Texas, or that he is wealthy as any other president, but that war ended decades of genocide, torture, and prevented the slaughter of untold millions of people.
Given that ratios are allowed, he was a worse tyrant than Hitler, or Stalin.
All of the information is out there. Just read folks.
syria had wmds since the 70s. yes, idiot, bush was wrong all along..iraq wasn't a threat to the US.
No one EVER said they were.
lol..the entire war with iraq was sold to the US based on the threat of iraq...you know, the nukes and such...
for example, one speech by bush: "Some ask how urgent this danger is to America and the world. The danger is already significant, and it only grows worse with time. If we know Saddam Hussein has dangerous weapons today -- and we do -- does it make any sense for the world to wait to confront him as he grows even stronger and develops even more dangerous weapons?"
Bayez and you are a Sarah Palin supporter I am sure ,I am sorry people , but you all can be the darn naive , Cannot you ?? one more time Iraq and Syria were enemies , Syria helped us in the first Iraq war , and in the hell Saddam will smuggle his weapons to Syria knowing that we were coming after him no matter what he did , He could have bent over for us to search him , but Bush and his NATO had made up their mind to attack him , Just like they are doing now in Syria , hopefully the Russians wont allow that to happened , because the only thing we are serving is the will of Israel, Saudis and Qataris and the hell with all the Christians in the ME , Israel complained today to the UN that few Syrian soldiers crossed to the Neutral zone with Israel while the were chasing these thugs , Wow , can you believe that ??? Innocent old Israel , Attack Syria's nuclear reactor ( Israel claimed ) back in the 200? , and attack and fly over the skies of Lebanon every day , But that's OK , Its Israel God chosen people and God gift to the human race , according to our senators and law makers ., That's the problem in the ME , we cater to the Israelis and now the Saudis and Qataris trying to kiss assss with Israel and trying to bring down the only government in the whole ME that might threat Israel , people you have no clue what's going on and you will never will as long you keep listening to our paid off Media and our crooked politicians .
Anyone......prove to me that we have ever "taken" oil from another country against their will, and without being paid more than fairly for.
I'm waiting....................................It's been about 10 minutes.
Why do 99%ers believe that they are 99% ?
Like 1% put close to 50% of all elected officials in office all across the country on every level of government in small towns, cities, suburbs, farm country, and so on.
Pure logic tells me they are full of crap, and that 90% of them are gun owners as the prisons in the United States are over 99.5% Democrat inmates..
woodshed personally i think you always pay more than you should , but buddy in Iraq and Libya the oil been stolen by nato , is that answer your question , when you we , we the American people always pay more than we should , now the American and Europeans companies , well that's a different story buddy . i hated t keep you waiting .
You aren't American, are you ? Your English is understandable, but not right.
NATO does not steal oil either. That is more horse-hockey. How is the weather in Iran "buddy" ?
At least I can honestly say I am writing here because I want to, and for free. I have the feeling you cannot honestly say that "My Turn".
Can you tell me what a flutterby, or a waterlemon, or a mazagine is ?
OK McCain do not call people names and try to insult them , I am not an Iranian and nothing wrong of being an Iranian or black or white buddy , Its the pea brain what matters with people like you and Sarah and McCain , they have none , NATO'S countries, do steal people wealth and oil , they have been doing that for year in Africa and in the two America , so do not give that BS , and I am a proud American from Lebanese origin ( Christian Lebanese ) and I know more about foreign countries and their problems than all of your Honorable senators , specially the ones they claim been so patriotic and the claim to love this country , so they are loose in sending our troops to war and die for other countries interests . I raised two children's that were born here and for some body to talk about my English , the English language does not make you an American buddy , its your heart and the love for the country you live in , and that's some thing that lots of you missing here .
The international community banned the use of chemical and biological weapons after World War 1 and reinforced the ban in 1972 and 1993 by prohibiting the development, stockpiling and transfer of these weapons. There were 165 Signees but Syria was not one of them. Assad is stating that any interference will be dealt with Chemical weapons and poisonous gasses. Which will of course kill anyone and everyone that comes in contact with it. He is not going to quit or give up and will kill as many folks as possible to stay in power. This is the problem when you have Kings, dictators or families ruling other folks for decades. They will just impose their will upon everyone they possibly can. Just because they can. The World will never ever be a better place to live in unless tyranny, hatred, bigotry and racism is ended.
You forgot Islam; the most important one.
I think they fit the bill, and much, much more. There is abuse of women, beheadings for minor infractions and lies, a complete lack of freedom, and much, much more.
WoodShed you need to come out of your shed , you just described the Saudis and all the Gulf states our friends and Alqaida supporters , so you all need to go back and adjust your knowledge a little bit , 19 Saudis attacked on 9/11 , what we do, attack Iraq ans now we are threatening Syria and Iran for that matter , the two countries that Alqaida hates more than the US .
I didn't really forget. I just don't have the time to type in 25 pages and give all the credit due for who's to blame. I let others pop in Religions and Politics into it and the 25 pages just fill up. I though like to give credit/blame to those that order, threaten and commit these crimes against Humanity. So Assad would be my number one Bad Guy. Don't fret though there is always the Rest of the World and plenty Bad Guys in it.
From this NBC story: "Damascus has not signed a 1992 international convention that bans the use, production, or stockpiling of chemical weapons, but [Syrian] officials in the past have denied that it had any stockpiles."
Has Israel signed that 1992 international convention on chemical weapons? Has Israel ever admitted that it has any nuclear, chemical or biological weapons of mass destruction?
In fact, it is now known from an interview with a retired Israeli Mossad scientist who worked at Israel's super-secret Dimona weapons development complex, that Israel has either experimented with or weaponized every known chemical and biological agent. Here we see the duplicity that foments intense anger against the US throughout the Arab and Muslim world.
The operative points about Syria are that Syria is, in fact, a civil war between the Sunni majority and the ruling Alawite-dominated regime, and that the fall of the Bashar Assad government would be a triple win for Israel: 1) a blow to Israel's arch-enemy Iran, which supports the Assad regime. 2) a blow to Syria's efforts to regain its strategic Golan Heights that Israel captured in 1967 and is attempting to annex. 3) wrecking the key backer (Syria) of Lebanon's Hezbollah and the Palestinians.
Is it any wonder that in an election year, Obama and Hillary are dumping CIA agents, arms, money, communications gear and fighters into Syria to support the Sunni uprising? Oh I forgot, they vehemently deny doing so.
Yes you did.....open that can of worms and it is correct that Israel also did not sign. The immediate threat is not from Israel but Syria as pointed out by its (appointed by himself life time leader) Assad. There are many hotspots around the world. You put one out or down and another just pops up. There is hatred everywhere for everyone in the World and most probably not going to end anytime soon.
I thought obama hated isreal, and that assad falling would be a win for radical islamacists who hate isreal?
The only thing Obama has done is condemn Assad and his regime. Any idiot would know to do that. That is all that he has done, or had done.
The entire middle east is consumed with hate. If person there had a nuclear weapon, 1/8 of them would blow them off. Perhaps we should just give them 90% of ours and seal off the area......and wait.
Consider this, people: these are the weapons of mass destruction Saddam had shipped, with Russian help, from Iraq to Syria as the US began its attack.
consider this, people: you have no proof of that whatsoever. Syria has had wmds since the 70s. But the conspiracy nutcases certainly are jumping to conclusions without any evidence. :)
Consider this, people, idiots like vermontguy discount theories without any evidence. ={
Anyone here can look up at any time how many people did Saddam kill. For such a small country, his numbers are astounding. Hitler, and Stalin would be proud.
Anyone here can look up how many Kurds and Iranians Saddam killed with chemical weapons.
Just do it.............
there is no doubt saddam was an evil tyrant with no regard for human life...except his own. don't forget the shiaa too in his death count, especially after the failed rebellion in the 90s.
LightMIrror did you say Israel ????? Shame on you , Israel can have and make any kind of weapons they want , and if they do not have or stole from us , we will give it to them , the are God chosen people and our senators and Congress will bow to any Israeli's prime minister , Syria did not say they going to use chemical weapons , they said if and only if , all these countries the ones that smuggling financing arming these Alqaida thugs decided to attack Syria , then they will do that , simply because e some countries trying to smuggle small chemicals for these thugs to use it and blame the Syrian regime , I wonder what we do if some countries decided to attack us here and we were on the verge of losing , hell I remember we threatened Iran with nuclear attack when we thought and off course we never heard anything else of it , that Iranian used car salesman trying to hire Mexican drug lords to kill the Saudis ambassador to the US . Hypocrites .
Syria acknowledges it has chemical weapons, will use them if attacked
Geeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee What a shock.
Oh wait, those are just mobile fertilizer plants.
Don't worry Obama is here to apologize for the U.S. so we won't have any trouble with them. Big Ben was given to him just so he had something to run on let the conspiracy start! You think Seal Team Six was that lucky in finding him, and that unprotected?
don't worry bubba is here with stupid, off topic posts based on mindless partisan nonsense.
how did obama's "apology" to bin laden work out for him? lol.
Vermont guy,
Without insulting you, I simply request that you take an hour or so looking on the web, and not on anti-Bush or Partisan sites, and do some fact finding about WMD's. What they legally are to different organizations, who has been killed with them in recent history, and what Saddam did do to get his ass kicked.
If you want the truth, find it. It is out there, and easy to find.
We both want what is beast for America right ?
Start by reading up on these subjects.
Being lied to sucks. I know I was lied to.
what is your point? we all agree saddam was evil and killed lots of people, using conventional and wmds.
we also know (I quoted merely one example) that the invasion of iraq was sold to americans by the threat of saddam using wmds..in particular nukes..against us.
We also know that saddam was not a threat to the US. Certainly he was to his citizens, and maybe some some of his neighbors..but not to us. At least not the way it was portrayed ("nukes! danger! threat!").
we also know that syria has had wmds since the 70s (at least chemical weapons, and possibly bio).
therefore, this article changes nothing. A desperate regime "admits" they have things that people already knew. It proves nothing about the source of the wmds, and certainly proves nothing about saddam being a threat to the US.
I don't see what else you want me to research. I've done plenty of research all over the net. I think bush was completely wrong and that iraq was a fiasco, and plenty of credible, non-biased people agree with me. Its not a political opinion, its a pretty well established one.
Agreed that Saddam was not a threat to the United States. Iraq was a fiasco because we tried to rebuild them. Once he was out of power, we should have left.
Bush took out Saddam also because they were sponsoring terrorism abroad.
Look Vermont guy, I have voted Democratic, Republican, and for Independants as well in elections for president. I just wonder this ? If you know about the WMD's, why all the hatred for Bush ?
That is the real reason Americans turned on him. I have no doubt you are a real American patriot who would fight to the death for our homeland, but when such absolute tyranny is killing so many poeple, we have an obligation as human beings at some point to do the right thing. Not because we are Americans, but because we are human.
my feelings for bush are due to the fact that so many americans were killed..and even worse, seriously wounded in iraq...and I hold him responsible, as CIC, for that.
saddam was sponsoring terrorists who attacked isreal, i agree..but again..not a threat to us. He was not friends with our enemies, al quada.
Fundamentally, I have no idea the reason bush went into iraq...only if you could read his mind would anyone know for sure. I only know that it was unncessary and then completely mismanaged.
The war in iraq also took focus off afghanistan. Our only chance there was to capitalize on our early success, and instead we ended up with a half-assed effort that is, well, biting us in the ass now.
What was that that John McCain said a few years back on the open mike? Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Assad. Or was that Iran?
it was iran, although it was less of an "open mike" moment and more of a fundraising situation.
Perhaps the more "open mike" situation was reagan's "My fellow Americans. I'm pleased to announce that I've signed legislation outlawing the Soviet Union. We begin bombing in five minutes." -joking during a mike check before his Saturday radio broadcast
John McCain was an idiot. Palin even worse.
Obama had no experience, and Hillary well, there is a whole lot I don't like about her. That's another page at least.
I voted for Tom Tancredo, and swore I would not vote for a Democrat or a Republican ever again. I changed my mind about that because Obama broke nearly every main promise that he made, and threw our national debt into a tailspin that there is absolutely no hope of ever getting out of, and the money borrowed was misspent like a mo-fo.
Bom - bom - bom - Iran was on a T.V. talk show. It's on you tube
We should not be trying to oust Assad and I am suspicious of our current govt for wanting to. The Arab spring came into play with their help.
the main source of the arab spring was high food prices and the great recession..nothing like no money and not enough food to motivate people to be angry and demand that the old leaders be removed.
really it was coming one way or another. Obama helped remove ghadaffi (even that would probably have happened without him, thanks to the UK and france), but tunesia, egypt, and syria were happening regardless.
Yep on the food prices.
Obama, well it was really NATO. That just expedited things really.
Vermont guy, we don't agree on all things, but you are alright.
hey, you're at least reasonable..even though you are wrong. :)
I'm still suspicious.