Trump Blames Obama and McCain Blames Trump for Chemical Attack in Syria

[corbe]

Trump Blames Obama and McCain Blames Trump for Chemical Attack in Syria

Posted at 6:00 pm on April 4, 2017 by streiff

Earlier today a chemical weapons strike was launched against a Syrian city held by the “rebel” forces. These days we don’t really know what “rebels” means other than they are hostile to the Assad government.

Initial reports blame Assad.

The United States blamed the Syrian government and its patrons, Russia and Iran, on Tuesday for one of the deadliest chemical weapons attacks in years in Syria, one that killed dozens of people in Idlib Province, including children, and sickened scores more.

A senior State Department official said the attack appeared to be a war crime and called on Russia and Iran to restrain the government of President Bashar al-Assad of Syria from carrying out further chemical strikes.

Britain, France and Turkey joined Washington in condemning the attack, which they also attributed to Mr. Assad’s government. The United Nations Security Council was scheduled to be briefed on the attack on Wednesday.

One of the worst atrocities attributed to the Syrian government since President Trump took office, it poses a potential policy dilemma for the administration, which would like to shift the focus in Syria entirely to fighting the Islamic State.

This is a mystery because in 2015 Barack Obama told us that a) Assad no longer had chemical weapons but if he did, b) we’d get the Russians to put a stop to it.

My commitment was to make sure that Syria was not using chemical weapons and mobilizing the international community to assure that that would not happen. And, in fact, we positioned ourselves to be willing to take military action. The reason we did not was because Assad gave up his chemical weapons. That’s not speculation on our part. That, in fact, has been confirmed by the organization internationally that is charged with eliminating chemical weapons,” Mr. Obama said last Thursday after a Camp David meeting with officials from the Arab monarchies in the Persian Gulf.
…
If we have the kinds of confirmation that we need, we will, once again, work with the international community and the organization charged with monitoring compliance by the Syrian government, and we will reach out to patrons of Assad, like Russia, to put a stop to it.

Two things have happened. The media, and John McCain, to the extent they are different, has moved to try to make this attack a problem for Trump.

As might be expected, the Trump administration is not taking this lying down.



The Trump foreign policy team is focusing on attacking ISIS as a way of strengthening Arab “partners” in the Middle East with the idea being that a unified Sunni resistance can put the brakes on Iranian expansionism. This, you will note, is a 180 from the Obama administration which did everything in its power to shift influence to Tehran. The recent statements by Haley and Tillerson to the effect that our foreign policy is not being driven by the regime change in Syria are being portrayed as acquiescence to the chemical attacks.

Calls like these to “do something” are well meaning but useless.

The fact is that with most of Syria under a Russian air defense umbrella it would be impossible for us to do anything without killing a few hundred Russians. You don’t have to think Russia is a friend or ally to see why that is not a great idea.

<..snip..>

http://www.redstate.com/streiff/2017/04/04/trump-blames-obama-mccain-blames-trump-chemical-attack-syria/

[Frank Cannon]

The media, and John McCain, to the extent they are different, has moved to try to make this attack a problem for Trump.

Yeah, because McLame is a creepy little maggot who gets hard sending men into mindless wars. If I could get my hand on him I would beat him senseless with his ill fitting dentures.

[Chosen Daughter]

What comes to my mind is when everyone was saying Saddam didn't have WMD's and we knew he did.  Some reports at the time said that Saddam had sent his WMD's to Syria.  I still believe it.  We know that Saddam used chemical warfare against the Kurds.  I think we can all remember that.

Iran, Russia and Assad are the coalition in Syria.  When we align ourselves with them then we have to take some responsibility for what they do.  Trump has not made it a secret that he is partnering with Russia in the fight against ISIS.  But on the other hand I think people like McCain wanting to arm rebels not even knowing who they really are.  The ME is a snake pit of Islamic Extremism.  Hard to know who you can trust.  I think it is very clear it isn't Assad. 

[Emjay]

What comes to my mind is when everyone was saying Saddam didn't have WMD's and we knew he did.  Some reports at the time said that Saddam had sent his WMD's to Syria.  I still believe it.  We know that Saddam used chemical warfare against the Kurds.  I think we can all remember that.

Iran, Russia and Assad are the coalition in Syria.  When we align ourselves with them then we have to take some responsibility for what they do.  Trump has not made it a secret that he is partnering with Russia in the fight against ISIS.  But on the other hand I think people like McCain wanting to arm rebels not even knowing who they really are.  The ME is a snake pit of Islamic Extremism.  Hard to know who you can trust.  I think it is very clear it isn't Assad.

What you said.

[Emjay]

The media, and John McCain, to the extent they are different, has moved to try to make this attack a problem for Trump.

Yeah, because McLame is a creepy little maggot who gets hard sending men into mindless wars. If I could get my hand on him I would beat him senseless with his ill fitting dentures.

You're getting soft, Frank.  Way too easy on McCain.

[Hondo69]

What comes to my mind is when everyone was saying Saddam didn't have WMD's and we knew he did.  Some reports at the time said that Saddam had sent his WMD's to Syria.  I still believe it.  We know that Saddam used chemical warfare against the Kurds.  I think we can all remember that.

It takes a long time to become re-edumacated, you just have to hang in there and let it all soak in.

Saddam's chemical weapons were not WMD's, Assad's chemical weapons are WMD's.

The pressure cooker used in the Boston bombing was a WMD, as was the delivery truck used to mow down people, and let's not forget the airplanes flown into the twin towers.  To understand which side of the WMD ledger each device belongs you need to watch CNN for a few years and make a list as you go along.  The re-edumacation process takes some time.

[txradioguy]

Had Obama actually backed up his "red line" statement this wouldn't be an issue.  Had he not meddled in internal Syrian politics and destabilized the country...this wouldn't be an issue.

Trump's right this IS Obama's fault and his alone. 

That being said we're not going to fix it by getting deeper into the muck in Syria like Cpt Queeg wants either.


On a side note...I thought the chemical weapons in Syria had been destroyed? Russia took control of them and we sent a purpose built ship over there to destroy the Syrian WMD arsenal.

How is Assad using WMD's if we destroyed all of them?  How is he getting new ones?

[txradioguy]

Saddam's chemical weapons were not WMD's, Assad's chemical weapons are WMD's.

So the Mustard gas and Sarin gas...the chlorine gas cannisters that were discovered...those weren't WMD's?


Oh and BTW...how do you think Assad got his WMD supply?

Hint: He had help from his next door neighbor and fellow Middle East thug Saddam.

[XenaLee]

What comes to my mind is when everyone was saying Saddam didn't have WMD's and we knew he did.  Some reports at the time said that Saddam had sent his WMD's to Syria.  I still believe it.  We know that Saddam used chemical warfare against the Kurds.  I think we can all remember that.

Iran, Russia and Assad are the coalition in Syria.  When we align ourselves with them then we have to take some responsibility for what they do.  Trump has not made it a secret that he is partnering with Russia in the fight against ISIS.  But on the other hand I think people like McCain wanting to arm rebels not even knowing who they really are.  The ME is a snake pit of Islamic Extremism.  Hard to know who you can trust.  I think it is very clear it isn't Assad.

The emphasis is on "did have" WMDs.   Saddam had almost three months advance notice in which to 'clean up' and ship out anything that would have proven Bush right.  And even then, some chemicals weapons stuff was found when we went into Iraq.

And remember that virtually ALL of the Democrats had been on record about Saddam having those WMDs and about Saddam being a global threat because of it.  Hell, Clinton even wanted regime change.  Of course, you wouldn't read or hear about any of those facts in the lamestream media.   They were censoring inconvenient news even back then.... just as they are doing now.

[kevindavis007]

I really hate the blame game. Yes, Obama should have backed his red line statement. Fine. But come on Trump is the President now and it happen under his watch and time for him to man up.  No more blaming the previous administrations for what is going on now. 

[txradioguy]

The emphasis is on "did have" WMDs.   Saddam had almost three months advance notice in which to 'clean up' and ship out anything that would have proven Bush right.  And even then, some chemicals weapons stuff was found when we went into Iraq.

And remember that virtually ALL of the Democrats had been on record about Saddam having those WMDs and about Saddam being a global threat because of it.  Hell, Clinton even wanted regime change.  Of course, you wouldn't read or hear about any of those facts in the lamestream media.   They were censoring inconvenient news even back then.... just as they are doing now.

@XenaLee in Tommy Franks autobiography in the part about the 2003 ground invasion of Iraq he said his Intel section at CentCom tracked via UAV a large convoy moving from a known chemical weapons site into Syria and when they went across the border they didn't stop to have the vehicles checked like would normally be the custom at a heavily guarded border between the two countries.

[geronl]

Nikki Haley seems to blame Russia.

We should wait and see who did it and what happened first.

Why are we demanding the UN act? Why do we give them legitimacy?

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

Didn't the Rumpsters criticize the neocons for wanting to send dudes into wars all over the place?

[geronl]

Didn't the Rumpsters criticize the neocons for wanting to send dudes into wars all over the place?

Yes. But just as when BC was sworn in, power changes people: "Those are our planes now!"

[libertybele]

Had Obama actually backed up his "red line" statement this wouldn't be an issue.  Had he not meddled in internal Syrian politics and destabilized the country...this wouldn't be an issue.

Trump's right this IS Obama's fault and his alone. 

That being said we're not going to fix it by getting deeper into the muck in Syria like Cpt Queeg wants either.


On a side note...I thought the chemical weapons in Syria had been destroyed? Russia took control of them and we sent a purpose built ship over there to destroy the Syrian WMD arsenal.

How is Assad using WMD's if we destroyed all of them?  How is he getting new ones?

My guess is Russia. Russia was supposed to be in part overseeing the elimination of Syria's WMD's and seems may have done just the opposite by actually helping to build their arsenal with the help of the Clinton Foundation who supplied uranium to Putin.

[libertybele]

@XenaLee in Tommy Franks autobiography in the part about the 2003 ground invasion of Iraq he said his Intel section at CentCom tracked via UAV a large convoy moving from a known chemical weapons site into Syria and when they went across the border they didn't stop to have the vehicles checked like would normally be the custom at a heavily guarded border between the two countries.

Thanks for pointing this out. I read Frank's autobiography and found it very informative and educational.  It's been awhile; I'll have to go back and reread about Syria. 

[XenaLee]

@XenaLee in Tommy Franks autobiography in the part about the 2003 ground invasion of Iraq he said his Intel section at CentCom tracked via UAV a large convoy moving from a known chemical weapons site into Syria and when they went across the border they didn't stop to have the vehicles checked like would normally be the custom at a heavily guarded border between the two countries.

Of course.  And I asked the idiot left for years what they 'thought' was being carried in that miles-long caravan of 18-wheelers to Syria.  Never got a cogent answer....natch.

[geronl]

I think Putin, Assad or ISIS are to blame, personally