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U.S. about to announce Syria has used chemical weapons and crossed Obama’s red line!
Is this a case of wagging the dog to get media off the NSA spying scandel?
BREAKING NEWS:
Assad government used chemical weapons on rebels, US officials ‘conclude’
Will Obama act and prevent Assad’s forces from clearing Aleppo of foreign fighters and FSA rebels. France has urged President Obama to act on their evidence [both sides] used chemical weapons to some extent. Will Obama go to the UN Security Council?
{UPDATE1}
Headline is accurate, it’s a developing story in Washington DC and around the globe. Obama has changed his mind and will supply military aid to Syrian rebels. He decided no US boots on the ground and will not call for a no-fly zone. Coming days Obama will travel to Europe and meet world’s leaders in a G8 conference. Undoubtedly Obama decided to act after Assad’s forces got a boost from Hezbollah fighters and made strategic gains by pushing rebels out of Qusayr.
White House press briefing with Ben Rhodes
Following is the statement issued by the White House in the name of Benjamin J. Rhodes, deputy national security adviser.
“At the President’s direction, the United States Government has been closely monitoring the potential use of chemical weapons within Syria. Following the assessment made by our intelligence community in April, the President directed the intelligence community to seek credible and corroborated information to build on that assessment and establish the facts with some degree of certainty. Today, we are providing an updated version of our assessment to Congress and to the public.”
{UPDATE2}
My earlier comment – McCain Writes Obama’s War Scenario.
Senators McCain, Graham demand no-fly zone in Syria
(TheHill) – Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Thursday that President Obama needs to do more than just supply weapons to the rebels in Syria.
“Every bone in my body knows that simply supplying weapons will not change the equation,” McCain said on the Senate floor. “The president better understand that just supplying weapons will not change the balance.”
Graham said it’s in U.S. interests to stop Assad to help stabilize the region.
“We can shoot planes down without having boots on the ground. My biggest fear about the war in Syria is that the chemical weapons fall in the hands of terrorists. … Mr. President, you choose wisely today. We support you, but the goal is not to support the rebels but to win the war.”
McCain also called on Obama to address the nation to explain why this action was so important.
Obama’s “decision” makes McCain look like a true warrior who marches ahead of his troops into battle …
Syria Has Used Chemical Arms on Rebels, U.S. and Allies Find
(NY Times) – WASHINGTON — American and European intelligence analysts now believe that President Bashar al-Assad’s troops have used chemical weapons against rebel forces in the civil war in Syria, an assessment that will put added pressure on a deeply divided Obama administration to develop a response to a provocation that the president himself has declared a “red line.”
President Obama said in April that the United States had physiological evidence that the nerve gas sarin had been used in Syria, but lacked proof of who used it and under what circumstances. He now believes that the proof is definitive, according to American officials.
But a flurry of high-level meetings in Washington this week only underscored the splits within the Obama administration about what actions to take to quell the fighting.
