It’s quite humorous watching Obama box himself into a corner trying to act tough. First he tells the world that there is a line in the sand not to be crossed in Syria…the “red-line”…
But when that line was crossed he says “well we’re not really sure who used them.”
“What we now have is evidence that chemical weapons have been used inside of Syria, but we don’t know how they were used, when they were used, who used them – we don’t have a chain of custody that establishes what exactly happened,”
But wait…Does it matter who used them? Wasn’t the reason for the warning to ensure no WMD’s were used at all? Or is it ok if the rebels use them but not Assad’s troops?
And now Iran is mocking Obama:
Iran said on Tuesday it regarded the alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria’s civil war as a “red line”, echoing major adversary the United States but saying Syrian rebels were the main culprit and not the Damascus government.
…In calling chemical weapons use a “red line” for Iran, Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi did not indicate what action Tehran – one of Assad’s staunchest political and military allies – might take in the case that a poison gas attack by either side in the conflict were to be proven.
“We have always emphasized that the use of chemical weapons on the part of anyone is our red line,” Salehi said, according to the ISNA news agency. “Iran is opposed to the use of any kind of weapon of mass destruction, and not just their use but their production, accumulation, and use.”
If Obama now comes out and says its ok for the rebels to use them he’s in for a world of hurt…especially since it’s become completely obvious the rebels are nothing but a bunch of Islamic radicals:
In Syria’s largest city, Aleppo, rebels aligned with Al Qaeda control the power plant, run the bakeries and head a court that applies Islamic law. Elsewhere, they have seized government oil fields, put employees back to work and now profit from the crude they produce.
A bakery outside Aleppo, where the Qaeda-aligned Nusra Front is running the power plant and even distributing flour.
Across Syria, rebel-held areas are dotted with Islamic courts staffed by lawyers and clerics, and by fighting brigades led by extremists. Even the Supreme Military Council, the umbrella rebel organization whose formation the West had hoped would sideline radical groups, is stocked with commanders who want to infuse Islamic law into a future Syrian government.Nowhere in rebel-controlled Syria is there a secular fighting force to speak of.
…When the armed rebellion began, defectors from the government’s staunchly secular army formed the vanguard. The rebel movement has since grown to include fighters with a wide range of views, including Qaeda-aligned jihadis seeking to establish an Islamic emirate, political Islamists inspired by the Muslim Brotherhood and others who want an Islamic-influenced legal code like that found in many Arab states.
“My sense is that there are no seculars,” said Elizabeth O’Bagy, of the Institute for the Study of War, who has made numerous trips to Syria in recent months to interview rebel commanders.
Has Obama learned from Libya and Egypt? Two governments now run by Islamic radicals because of his intervention?
Or does he even care?
My feeling is that he could care less about the rise of radical Islam but he does care about polling numbers.
Despite all the talk of chemical weapons and red lines, only 24% of Americans overall think the US has a responsibility to take action — up from last month’s 20%, but not outside the margin of error. On the other hand, 62% reject the idea that the US has a responsibility to get involved
So he will continue to back down from his tough guy talk and hem and haw while the world laughs at him….at us
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@Ditto: Conseratives are anyone who is not Rich Wheeler.