Did trump do the right thing

[Hawkeye10]

LOL...you're right, a lot has changed. Before it was Obama, now it's Trump. Don't worry, I get it...

Putin is at the top of the list, moving into Syria and taking over, as Obama failed over years to take any action of consequence.

Syria is a grand failure of American policy and of our values, one that puts the very existence of the EU in doubt, you might take the problem more seriously.

 

[Absentglare]

Ummm...tough question. I have a wild theory that the difference is there being a shift over 4 years in public and political opinion with the constant hammering of anti-Russian propaganda. This has helped ameliorate concerns over getting involved in Syria and is seen as partially justified as a big FU to Russia.

Just my gut instinct on that.

4 years ago Assad killed 1,400 people with chemical weapons. Congress decided to do nothing.

Now, Assad kills, what, 80 people with chemical weapons.

And what did the world learn? President Trump's word means absolutely nothing and he's got a hair trigger.

 

[OlNate]

Putin is at the top of the list, moving into Syria and taking over, as Obama failed over years to take any action of consequence.

Syria is a grand failure of American policy and of our values, one that puts the very existence of the EU in doubt, you might take the problem more seriously.

Your guy. His words. You think Syria has been a grand failure of American policy so far (I'd agree with you, by the way)....well, as Bachman Turner Overdrive so eloquently put it, you ain't seen nothing yet.

Russia Sends Warships Toward U.S. Navy after Syria Bombing

And here we go...

 

[Fishking]

4 years ago Assad killed 1,400 people with chemical weapons. Congress decided to do nothing.

Now, Assad kills, what, 80 people with chemical weapons.

And what did the world learn? President Trump's word means absolutely nothing and he's got a hair trigger.

Not sure what that has to do with the question that was posed to me and my theory on the answer to that question.

 

[Mustachio]

Trump just ordered a missile strike on a Syrian airfield believed to house chemical weapons after hearing about a chemical attack killing between 58 and 100 people.

Syria missile strike: Trump authorizes action - CNNPolitics.com

What do you think?

It seemed kind of symbolic. In other words, maybe it was the right thing to do, but it doesn't really do anything. Especially when you're killing innocent children because Assad killed innocent children. On the other hand, I don't disagree with taking limited military action against Syria. In the bigger picture, millions of people suffering from the regimes of brutal dictators will not be cheering in the streets that a small fraction of Assad's stockpile was blown to bits along with some people caught in the crosshairs.

Something needs to be done, but this? I'm really not sure.

 

[radioman]

Not sure why this is a good thing and Iraq wasn't? Saddam gassed his own people too, among other horrible things. I thought we couldn't solve their problems?

That is correct.
What we can do is smack a tyrant upside the head when he massacres his people.
Possibly, Assad will think twice next time he wants to gas his fellow Syrians.
If....and it is a big IF....the intel is correct about Assad's actions, this was the right thing to do.

 

[Napoleon]

That is correct.
What we can do is smack a tyrant upside the head when he massacres his people.
Possibly, Assad will think twice next time he wants to gas his fellow Syrians.
If....and it is a big IF....the intel is correct about Assad's actions, this was the right thing to do.

The opposition has been found in possession of and has used chemical weapons on multiple occasions since the civil war began, but the ire of the international community is reserved for Assad. It's mind boggling that the international community is more concerned with Assad's use of chemical weapons than a bunch of rebel and terrorist groups - who are apparently accountable to no one -running around with canisters and improvised explosive devices containing Sarin.

 

[Absentglare]

Not sure what that has to do with the question that was posed to me and my theory on the answer to that question.

The scale of death went down by an order of magnitude and the political party of the president changed.

Only one of those had an impact on whether republicans in congress supported this move or not.

 

[PIPEWRENCH]

But what did he do that actually helps any of the Syrian people?

Hopefully the Syrian government or whoever they let have those chemical weapons will no longer use them on the people of Syria. If they do then we should even do more to eliminate the weapons and the means to deliver them.

 

[Linc]

Ummm...tough question. I have a wild theory that the difference is there being a shift over 4 years in public and political opinion with the constant hammering of anti-Russian propaganda. This has helped ameliorate concerns over getting involved in Syria and is seen as partially justified as a big FU to Russia.

Just my gut instinct on that.

For now, I'll continue to support trump on foreign policy because I believe that's what I'm supposed to do.

However, my patience is already wearing thin with a president/press secretary who is blaming Obama for following trump's own advice 4 years ago.

And especially with GOP lawmakers who refused to support Obama then but are all giddy now .

 

[Napoleon]

That is correct.
What we can do is smack a tyrant upside the head when he massacres his people.
Possibly, Assad will think twice next time he wants to gas his fellow Syrians.
If....and it is a big IF....the intel is correct about Assad's actions, this was the right thing to do.

Hopefully the Syrian government or whoever they let have those chemical weapons will no longer use them on the people of Syria. If they do then we should even do more to eliminate the weapons and the means to deliver them.

All sides are using them in this conflict so you'd better be prepared to fight both the opposition and Assad.

 

[radioman]

The opposition has been found in possession of and has used chemical weapons on multiple occasions since the civil war began, but the ire of the international community is reserved for Assad. It's mind boggling that the international community is more concerned with Assad's use of chemical weapons than a bunch of rebel and terrorist groups - who are apparently accountable to no one -running around with canisters and improvised explosive devices containing Sarin.

I agree with most of this.
I might also opine that the international community is concerned about anyone who uses chemical weapons.
I would say that the terrorists are like little rats who are extremely difficult to find.
Possibly Assad being a much larger terrorist rat makes him an easier target.

 

[radioman]

And especially with GOP lawmakers who refused to support Obama then but are all giddy now .

Politics trumps all---see what I did there?---with the GOP.

 

[radioman]

All sides are using them in this conflict so you'd better be prepared to fight both the opposition and Assad.

Always happy to drop a bomb on the bad guys.
Civilian deaths are my only concern in these situations.

 

[ecofarm]

You used to work for USAID and that is a CIA front organization.

No, I didn't. I do private research and work in development.

USAID is not a CIA front. To believe that is Truther level nonsense. The organisation does amazing good around the world.

Do you think I'm a CIA agent? *snicker*

I agree with most of this.
I might also opine that the international community is concerned about anyone who uses chemical weapons.
I would say that the terrorists are like little rats who are extremely difficult to find.
Possibly Assad being a much larger rat makes him an easier target.

Is Assad not a terrorist? He's gassing women and children to maintain a monarchic dictatorship.

 

[radioman]

Do you think I'm a CIA agent? *snicker*

You do look a little shifty to me.

 

[radioman]

No, I didn't. I do private research and work in development.

USAID is not a CIA front. To believe that is Truther level nonsense. The organisation does amazing good around the world.

Do you think I'm a CIA agent? *snicker*



Is Assad not a terrorist? He's gassing women and children to maintain a monarchic dictatorship.

You are correct. I should have referred to Assad as a "much larger terrorist rat".
I'll edit my post, if possible.

 

[Linc]

Politics trumps all---see what I did there?---with the GOP.

The reason I mention GOP lawmakers and trump, and I'll throw in GOPosters here, is because they continue to play politics with the red line, though they wouldn't support Obama 4 years ago.

All of a sudden, GOP lawmakers have woken up and realized they need a new AUMF, which they refused to give Obama.

I'm sure trump now realizes that it's up to the UN to end the civil war and win the peace.

I haven't decided whether it was a good thing for Clinton to go on record before the bombing, giving trump cover .

 

[Fishking]

However, my patience is already wearing thin with a president/press secretary who is blaming Obama for following trump's own advice 4 years ago.

And especially with GOP lawmakers who refused to support Obama then but are all giddy now .

Yeah, I don't get that, either.

 

[Hawkeye10]

Progressive activists say they’re dismayed that senior congressional Democrats aren’t more strongly condemning President Donald Trump’s strikes against Syria on Thursday night.

?Democrats are acting like a bunch of cowards?: Trump?s Syria strike opens a rift on the left - Vox

Because the Assad war crimes are just fine and dandy with them presumably.

Trump has driven these people into full blown insanity.

It will be a problem.



Note: The Europeans are fully behind Trump on this, something that the radicals on the left must take into consideration.... the more the D party looks loony on the global stage the more world leaders will decide that they might as well try to work with Trump, because there is not a better option to hold out for.

 

[radioman]

.

I haven't decided whether it was a good thing for Clinton to go on record before the bombing, giving trump cover .

If the Syrian strike was the right course of action, then it doesn't matter what any pol says.
OTOH, because of Trump's huge ego needing regular feeding, he may want to continue being a semi-wartime prez.
A little polling bump might embolden Trump's worst tendencies.
That is a little worrisome to me.

 

[haymarket]

Hopefully the Syrian government or whoever they let have those chemical weapons will no longer use them on the people of Syria. If they do then we should even do more to eliminate the weapons and the means to deliver them.

Somewhere between 400 and 500 thousand Syrians have died over the last few years in this war. Do those who die from bullets or bombs somehow matter less than those who die of chemicals or gas? Does it really matter if we discourage the regime from gassing people only to have them use other more acceptable means to kill the same people?

 

[Linc]

?Democrats are acting like a bunch of cowards?: Trump?s Syria strike opens a rift on the left - Vox

Because the Assad war crimes are just fine and dandy with them presumably.

Trump has driven these people into full blown insanity.

It will be a problem.
Note: The Europeans are fully behind Trump on this, something that the radicals on the left must take into consideration, the more the D party looks loony on the global stage the more world leaders will decide that they might as well try to work with Trump, because there is not a better option to hold out for.

Where were the cowardly European and GOP lawmakers 4 years ago when they refused to back Obama?

And why no mention of GOP dissent from the likes of Senators Paul and Lee, along with Rep. Amash?

Leave it to trumpartisans to play politics with war and death .

 

[radioman]

Does it really matter if we discourage the regime from gassing people only to have them use other more acceptable means to kill the same people?

Not really.
But we do what we can.

 

[haymarket]

Not really.
But we do what we can.

And I keep wondering, what exactly what will be accomplished by this?