Should we go into Syria

[sawyerloggingon]

Well Obama's red line has been crossed and we went into Libya for far less so what do you think? "Residents of Damascus suburbs recount massive assault by Assad army; videos show small children convulsing on the floor, foaming at the nose and mouth. Doctor: Injuries correspond with sarin gas "
"The men, women and children lying undisturbed in their beds had looked so peaceful they might have been just sleeping, Abu Nidal thought, as he and other rescuers dragged their bodies into the street."

"His was one of many accounts of a massive assault on the eastern suburbs of Damascus that activists say killed more than 500 people on Wednesday morning. They say some of the bombs were loaded with chemical agent, which would make it the worst chemical attack since the conflict began"
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4420755,00.html

 

[cpwill]

Let's see..... two years ago, cpwill said that we should go in just enough to secure Syria's WMD stockpiles and facilities, and remove them, and provide security for refugees trying to flee the fighting.



....now, the regime (and possibly the opposition, who is heavily infused with Al Qaeda) are using those stockpiles of WMD's, and over 100,000 people have been killed....


additionally and perhaps equally or more significantly, the United States has just demonstrated in the worst possible way that it is a feckless, weak-willed nation unwilling to actually back it's talk (at least, under the current administration). The value of the U.S. Security Guarantee just got seriously degraded the world over. Do you know what the most important thing about a threat is? You have to be willing to back it up.

 

[WCH]

I think Putin is calling Obama's bluff and it's working.

They see the US as weak and vulnerable.

 

[sawyerloggingon]

Let's see..... two years ago, cpwill said that we should go in just enough to secure Syria's WMD stockpiles and facilities, and remove them, and provide security for refugees trying to flee the fighting.



....now, the regime (and possibly the opposition, who is heavily infused with Al Qaeda) are using those stockpiles of WMD's, and over 100,000 people have been killed....


additionally and perhaps equally or more significantly, the United States has just demonstrated in the worst possible way that it is a feckless, weak-willed nation unwilling to actually back it's talk (at least, under the current administration). The value of the U.S. Security Guarantee just got seriously degraded the world over. Do you know what the most important thing about a threat is? You have to be willing to back it up.

I was for helping the rebels in Syria when things first broke out but Obama has now procrastinated so long that this thing has morphed into something different and Alquiada has filled in the vacuum we left. At this point I say it's a hornets nest we should stay far away from.

 

[cpwill]

I was for helping the rebels in Syria when things first broke out but Obama has now procrastinated so long that this thing has morphed into something different and Alquiada has filled in the vacuum we left. At this point I say it's a hornets nest we should stay far away from.

I wouldn't say we should stay far from it - I maintain that we can help provide security at the borders of our allies, protect fleeing refugees, and (if possible) deter WMD use. But yeah, I'd be pretty skeptical about arming the rebels at this point. I'd rather just bomb the regime.

 

[CRUE CAB]

Do we have the disposable billions to join that fight?

 

[ttwtt78640]

Well Obama's red line has been crossed and we went into Libya for far less so what do you think? "Residents of Damascus suburbs recount massive assault by Assad army; videos show small children convulsing on the floor, foaming at the nose and mouth. Doctor: Injuries correspond with sarin gas "
"The men, women and children lying undisturbed in their beds had looked so peaceful they might have been just sleeping, Abu Nidal thought, as he and other rescuers dragged their bodies into the street."

"His was one of many accounts of a massive assault on the eastern suburbs of Damascus that activists say killed more than 500 people on Wednesday morning. They say some of the bombs were loaded with chemical agent, which would make it the worst chemical attack since the conflict began"
Syrians retrieve 'sleeping' dead after alleged chemical attack - Israel News, Ynetnews

News flash - people die in civil wars. This is now happening in Egypt too, but less the WMD use (so far). The US cannot and should not jump into all regional conflicts. It is not as simple as two sides, one right and the other wrong. In the complex mess now evident in the middle east and northern Africa there are many groups of folks wanting to be in power, and at varying levels.

Iraq, for example is really three "countries" and none of them really wish to live under a one size fits all central gov't. If the US cannot manage to get the doctor that aidied in the UBL assasination out of jail in our "ally" Pakistan or keep Egypt from falling apart (reverting to military rule) with billions of aid it is very doubtful that U.S. "help" in Syria will end up turning that situation around in the long term. We now nearly fully support Afghanistan (70% of its GDP is our money), the worlds largest heroin producer - so much for our "war on drugs".

 

[Painter]

Hell NO.
We have our own problems.
More Americans die in 3 years from lack of proper health care than have died in the total Syrian strife.
I am ok with trying to manipulate the situation, but no more wars unless we are physically attacked. Period.

 

[Woodman909]

Obama's foreign policy and diplomatic positioning is a joke. It proves he is clueless, looking for someone to love him. He is useless. These deaths are on his hands, during his watch. Let's see if he's gonna throw another "It's Bush's fault" at us. The rodeo clown had a better grasp.

 

[TheNextEra]

No, we shouldn't. If the U.N. wants to authorize some sort of action where it would require multiple countries support in both troops and money, maybe. But not just the U.S.

 

[TheNextEra]

Obama's foreign policy and diplomatic positioning is a joke. It proves he is clueless, looking for someone to love him. He is useless. These deaths are on his hands, during his watch. Let's see if he's gonna throw another "It's Bush's fault" at us. The rodeo clown had a better grasp.

Bush was and Obama is horrible in the foreign policy department. Bush was horrible in that department thinking we could nation build in Iraq and Afghanistan. Obama made the mistake of continuing that policy AND taking a stance he wasn't willing to back up in Syria (chemical weapons used) and that has made the U.S. look real weak. By the time this is through 16 years of horrible foreign policy because of those two is going to be hard to clean up.

 

[DaveFagan]

Were the bombs loaded with chemical agents or did the bombs strike the rebels poison gas laboratory? It was the rebels that used gas previously and that is documented. I don't believe US.UK, or French press about anything Syria related. We are the bad guys in Syria. Face it, just like the Nazis.

 

[Woodman909]

I suspect the French will jump in, just in time to surrender... to anyone....

 

[Simon W. Moon]

Well Obama's red line has been crossed and we went into Libya for far less so what do you think? "Residents of Damascus suburbs recount massive assault by Assad army; videos show small children convulsing on the floor, foaming at the nose and mouth. Doctor: Injuries correspond with sarin gas "
"The men, women and children lying undisturbed in their beds had looked so peaceful they might have been just sleeping, Abu Nidal thought, as he and other rescuers dragged their bodies into the street."

"His was one of many accounts of a massive assault on the eastern suburbs of Damascus that activists say killed more than 500 people on Wednesday morning. They say some of the bombs were loaded with chemical agent, which would make it the worst chemical attack since the conflict began"
Syrians retrieve 'sleeping' dead after alleged chemical attack - Israel News, Ynetnews

Should we go into Syria and...do what exactly?

What exactly are we being polled about?
Taking over Syria?
Providing military support to some faction in Syria?
Establishing a base for humanitarian activities?
Some "peacekeeping" mission?
To sell popcorn?

 

[humbolt]

The time for a meaningful intervention has long since passed.

 

[Boo Radley]

We have concerns there, but that should not mean we invade. That is not our country and we should not be the imperial US. It could end just as bad for us if did invade as it could if we don't, on,y with more cost if we do. So, it's a no brained: don't!

 

[CanadaJohn]

The problem with Syria is that there was nobody leading for Obama to follow - unlike in Libya where the French led a NATO involvement. Likewise, in Egypt and Iran before it, there's nobody for Obama to follow so he's completely neutralized/paralyzed.

Say what you want about middle eastern views of America under Bush, they were never as bad as they are now under this excuse of a President.

The only hope for Obama to get engaged in a matter related to the middle east is if one of their sports teams wins a championship, then he can wine and dine them at the White House. Celebrity hostess is his true calling.

 

[sawyerloggingon]

Should we go into Syria and...do what exactly?

What exactly are we being polled about?
Taking over Syria?
Providing military support to some faction in Syria?
Establishing a base for humanitarian activities?
Some "peacekeeping" mission?
To sell popcorn?

Whatever "go into Syria means" to you. The context of the OP though was how we went into Libya.

 

[sawyerloggingon]

Were the bombs loaded with chemical agents or did the bombs strike the rebels poison gas laboratory? It was the rebels that used gas previously and that is documented. I don't believe US.UK, or French press about anything Syria related. We are the bad guys in Syria. Face it, just like the Nazis.

I hadn't heard that, you have a link?

 

[Smeagol]

I honestly don't know. On one hand innocents are being brutalized at the hands of a dictator who seems only to be concerned about his job security/generous compensation stream...well, maybe at this point retribution as well. On the other hand the people opposing him hate our guts and are associated with Al Qaeda and with whom we would be inadvertently joining forces. Then it seems possibly both sides have used chemical weapons possibly for the sloe purpose of drawing us into the conflict. In a situation where there is no good answer, I think setting up a refugee program possibly to Turkey, Jordan or an undeveloped area of western Iraq along with an international peacekeeping force set up to evacuate people might be worth considering. In the meantime, emergency efforts should be made to sharply curtail our dependency on petroleum, a key reason we must stay involved in the region in the first place as well as the motive of greed for our money for dictators to rule with iron fisted brutality once they gain power.

 

[OscarB63]

let's see....we've got two sets of bad guys killing each other. should we send young (and in many cases not so young) american men and women into harm's way to stop it? hell no. I say let 'em fight it out and then go in and sweep up the pieces. Set up a couple of wal-marts and costcos

My only complaint is with Obama. If you are going to draw a line in the sand...have the ****ing balls and be prepared to back it up if/when the line is crossed. If you don't.....keep your ****ing mouth shut.

 

[Canell]

Let them, Syrians, deal with it.
An intervention could fire up WW3.
This is so serious.

 

[sawyerloggingon]

let's see....we've got two sets of bad guys killing each other. should we send young (and in many cases not so young) american men and women into harm's way to stop it? hell no. I say let 'em fight it out and then go in and sweep up the pieces. Set up a couple of wal-marts and costcos

My only complaint is with Obama. If you are going to draw a line in the sand...have the ****ing balls and be prepared to back it up if/when the line is crossed. If you don't.....keep your ****ing mouth shut.

[/B

On that I agree, Obama comes out of this looking like a fool and making America look weak, impotent and inept.

 

[Painter]

Let them, Syrians, deal with it.
An intervention could fire up WW3.
This is so serious.

I agree and was surprised it took this long for someone to bring up that angle.
There are multiple ways that a world war could erupt if we got involved.

 

[MMC]

I wouldn't say we should stay far from it - I maintain that we can help provide security at the borders of our allies, protect fleeing refugees, and (if possible) deter WMD use. But yeah, I'd be pretty skeptical about arming the rebels at this point. I'd rather just bomb the regime.

Why not the Rebels?