Hamlet Enters Syria

To arm or not to arm? That was the question vexing our Hamlet of the Potomac as he grappled with the Syria problem.

Fortunately, he had a lot of angst and recognized it as a troublesome, nuanced problem, so libs who would otherwise be appalled by this decision to arm the rebels can be reassured - the President is no more committed to our current course of action than they are. His application of the Powell doctrine is that he didn't break it and he is damn well not going to own it.

A few years down the road his daughters will be arrested as part of their role in anti-war demonstrations, so its all good.

Comments

[narciso]

'good news eerybody'

http://washingtonexaminer.com/7-of-9-key-syrian-rebel-fighter-groups-are-islamist/article/2531928?custom_click=rss

OTOH,the T-Dawg's favorite kickboxing imam, Feiz Mohammed, met his end in Syria

[MarkO]

He's just not that smart.

[Danube on iPad]

Nothing that he is sending to those rebels will make any difference at all.

[narciso]

It's almost as if, here's a shocker he had already made the decision;

[Extraneus]

I'm for arming whichever side is losing in any conflict between Muslims.

[narciso]

King Abdullah, you might ask Carlos Menem, how these things turn out,

[narciso]

We've seen this rodeo before, it doesn't end well;

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/cia-preparing-to-deliver-rebels-arms-through-turkey-and-jordan/2013/06/14/e38dabf2-d522-11e2-a73e-826d299ff459_story.html

[Janet --- -... .- -- .- ... ..- -.-. -.- ...]

It's almost as if, here's a shocker he had already made the decision;

"That’s how it was in Libya where the intervention was not triggered by the phony genocide, but by Gaddafi ‘s gains. And that is what is pushing along the intervention now. Not the supposed use of chemical weapons, but the gains made by Assad."

http://frontpagemag.com/2013/dgreenfield/obama-official-admits-they-would-have-lied-about-red-line-breach/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=obama-official-admits-they-would-have-lied-about-red-line-breach

[Jane on Ipad hi there NSA]

I'm invisible! Take that NSA

[Jane on Ipad hi there NSA]

Hmmmm, let me try. Alice, thanks for the link. I put it on my homepage .

Henry, I'm in art museum territory visiting my neice's and husband. We went to Bridgids last night. It was great. Today visiting my nephew, and Monday it is back to Naples.

Jib, half of Merion is located in people's back yards. The rest of it is knee deep in mud.

If this doesn't post Its the NSA's Fault.

[anonamom]

"He's just not that smart."

No, he isn't. I've noticed that about a whole lot of lifetime "public servants."

God help us all.

[Clarice]

If you wait long enough even well intentioned interventions become useless if not counterproductive. I understand about 90k people have already been killed; "our side" is now allied with AQ and just beheaded a 14 y.o.boy for slandering the prophet; and both sides are using chem weapons.

Good job, Hamlet.

[Clarice]

http://www.siotw.org/modules/myalbum/photo.php?lid=346

[henry]

Jane, sounds like you're in good company!

[matt]

If no one noticed, the imams are at full volume calling for a Sunni - Shia jihad and vicey versey.

Of course this serves our ends by depriving the world of several thousands more jihadis who won't be protesting obscure videos. Maybe even the tollybons can send reinforcements.

[Ignatz]

"--If you wait long enough even well intentioned interventions become useless if not counterproductive.--"

I am no longer willing to give this creep the benefit of the doubt whatsoever.

The speech and antics of a pea and thimble man are always to distract while his intent is always to steal.
Barry's banal speeches notwithstanding, his intentions are pretty hard to ignore anymore as he invariably assists the side most anti American and harmful to our and our allies' interests. That he can find enemies to support worse the Qaddafi and Assad indicates that while he isn't that smart he is quite ruthless and determined and is getting what he wants.

His outrageous attempts to support what amounted to a left wing coup in Honduras early on were not an aberration but the beginning of a foreign policy invariably hostile to our interests and friendly to anti American dictators and ideologies.

He doesn't have a well intentioned bone in his boney little body.

[4Jack is Back!2]

Meet General Keith Alexander.

Leading us in the war we better win. An excerpt:

"In its tightly controlled public relations, the NSA has focused attention on the threat of cyberattack against the US—the vulnerability of critical infrastructure like power plants and water systems, the susceptibility of the military’s command and control structure, the dependence of the economy on the Internet’s smooth functioning. Defense against these threats was the paramount mission trumpeted by NSA brass at congressional hearings and hashed over at security conferences.

But there is a flip side to this equation that is rarely mentioned: The military has for years been developing offensive capabilities, giving it the power not just to defend the US but to assail its foes. Using so-called cyber-kinetic attacks, Alexander and his forces now have the capability to physically destroy an adversary’s equipment and infrastructure, and potentially even to kill. Alexander—who declined to be interviewed for this article—has concluded that such cyberweapons are as crucial to 21st-century warfare as nuclear arms were in the 20th.

And he and his cyberwarriors have already launched their first attack. The cyberweapon that came to be known as Stuxnet was created and built by the NSA in partnership with the CIA and Israeli intelligence in the mid-2000s. The first known piece of malware designed to destroy physical equipment, Stuxnet was aimed at Iran’s nuclear facility in Natanz. By surreptitiously taking control of an industrial control link known as a Scada (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system, the sophisticated worm was able to damage about a thousand centrifuges used to enrich nuclear material.

The success of this sabotage came to light only in June 2010, when the malware spread to outside computers. It was spotted by independent security researchers, who identified telltale signs that the worm was the work of thousands of hours of professional development. Despite headlines around the globe, officials in Washington have never openly acknowledged that the US was behind the attack. It wasn’t until 2012 that anonymous sources within the Obama administration took credit for it in interviews with The New York Times."

[matt]

And in other news, the Twelfth Imam is in the building.

[Gmax]

Sunni vs Shia? Kinda like when Michigan plays Notre Dame, the only way I win is if both lose!

[MarkO]

Yeah, and drones.

[N. Y. Nick]

The screw-ups by this administration are astonishing.
Their incompetence has gone beyond comprehension.
Yet they're getting support from 52% of Americans. LOL

[Corn-fed conservative (southern strategy version)]

I doubt Rohani is the 12th Imam, or even if he's the conciliatory moderate he is supposed to be. But 72% turnout and no cries of 'foul' seems to indicate he's the same 'muddle' we struggle with. No changes here.

[Gus]

Is this part of the Arab spring?? Because nobody told me that 90,000 people were going to die in Syria in the Arab spring.
My namesake, Great Grandfather is buried in Damascus. WW1.

OBAMA, leading from behind.

[Ann]

Right On! Ignatz 11:58

Twitter:
Debra Burlingame ‏@DebraBurlingame 2m

Glad my brother, U.S. F-4 fighter pilot, not witnessing Navy jets put in service of Islamists who cheered death of his passengers and crew.

[Danube of Thought]

Good Lord, we're sending them small arms. Why not cyanide capsules instead, and get the thing over with.

[Gus]

MarkO, has Obama ok'd a drone strike on Snowden yet? He says he has the power to do so.

[Gus]

Danube, I think Obama has unleashed the IRS on them.
Now they'll pay.

[N. Y. Nick]

The small arms were old Mr. Magoo's bright idea.
Imagine if he had been an admiral in Viet Nam.

[Captain Hate]

Debra Burlingame ‏@DebraBurlingame 2m

Glad my brother, U.S. F-4 fighter pilot, not witnessing Navy jets put in service of Islamists who cheered death of his passengers and crew.

It's not like we haven't made temporary pacts with some very unsavory people in the past, but they were always for well defined strategic reasons, of which the current situation is completely bereft.

[Danube of Thought]

Wash. Times:

WEST PALM BEACH, FL, June 15, 2013 — CIA workers met news this week that Director John Brennan named Avril Haines as his deputy with stunned silence....

The 43-year-old Haines is a lawyer and a White House official, two qualifications that strike terror in the hearts of many at the CIA. She has been deputy counsel for national security affairs since 2010 and previously worked at the State Department and on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

[Corn-fed conservative (southern strategy version)]

Unintended consequences?

"Morell, who also was one of President George W. Bush’s intelligence briefers, has come under criticism from Republicans over the Benghazi talking points, which removed any reference to al-Qaeda from the administration’s initial explanation of the Sept. 11, 2012, attack that killed U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans."

Interesting times, we live in.

[Gmax]

Avril probably intends to sit in on any conference that the IG might have with CIA employees in the future. You know the same way it was done with the IRS...

[N. Y. Nick]

All of his appointments have been political hacks,
Cretins who are as unqualified as he was and still is.

[4Jack is Back!2]

Actually, Avril's role will be to talk dirty to help recruit potential counter-spies.

[narciso]

Like I thought, it's basically musical chairs, Morell gets moved to the FIAB, which is nice and discrete, Haines moves to the deputy director slot, which she has likely already been giving orders,

Entous's piece in the Journal, said the Syrian deal involved convincing the Al Thanis to support General Idris, instead of the Nusra Front, of course, it begs the question why would they.

[narciso]

She does have a turn of phrase;

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/305789-palin-slams-intervention-in-syria-let-allah-sort-it-out#ixzz2WJ7mInXH

[pagar]

" it begs the question why would they."

or how long would their promise to do so be good for?

[4Jack is Back!2]

Heh!

If Sarah Palin had Become President

Via Insty. An amazing litany when you think about it.

[pagar]

http://www.americanthinker.com/2013/06/the_gladiator_sarah_palin_we_need_you_back_in_the_arena.html

Sarah Palin drives leftists crazy. We need millions like her.

[narciso]

He's been a player since the fatwa against Sadat, running all the way to the ISB mosque that
the Tsaenaev's frequented;

http://yidwithlid.blogspot.com/2013/06/why-west-doesnt-understand-islamists.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FNWlS+%28YID+With+LID%29

[Danube on iPad]

Why am I thinking "Harriet Miers?"

[daddy]

Good Morning!

Via Insty, a good post by the Anchoress on Sharyl Attkisson’s computer being hacked in late 2012: No! Sharyl Attkisson’s computer breached? Get OUT!

I wind up hoping that whoever hacked her computer also hacked into James Rosen Computer, because it strikes me that CBS is so invested in Obama they don't want to do an investigation that would point to the Administration:

don’t be alarmed, says CBS:
To be clear, the federal government has not been accused in the intrusion of Attkisson’s computer; CBS News is continuing to work to identify the responsible party.

But Roger Ailes, now there's a different story. I think he justifiably hates the Administration so much he'd probably love to bring the Bast#$d's down.

So here's to hoping with all my heart that James Rosen's Computer was hacked.

[Kathy Kattenburg]

"His application of the Powell doctrine is that he didn't break it and he is damn well not going to own it."

Sounds like a pretty good doctrine for not getting pulled into an endless war, to me. Certainly better than the doctrine we used for invading Iraq and then occupying it for over a decade: "Invade on the pretext that there are WMDs, and when there aren't, that you're liberating the country, and when you break the country instead of liberating it, announce that you broke it, so now you own it."

I sure wish that Pres. Obama actually WAS acting in accordance with your revised Powell doctrine, instead of taking the first steps toward an another 10- or 20- year U.S. war.

[narciso]

LOL, daddy, at the time, of the Rosen breach, it was so slight, that it merited no attention over at this fine establishment,

[narciso]

Sadly, Assad's brutality isn't new, we have the term 'Hama Rules' from how Poppa Hafez dealt with dissent about thirty some years ago, the last was someone Jimmy Carter and Nancy Pelosi could do business with.

[Ignatz]

"--Invade on the pretext that there are WMDs, and when there aren't, that you're liberating the country, and when you break the country instead of liberating it, announce that you broke it, so now you own it.--"

I was against doing anything more than putting an end to Saddam's reign of terror and was certainly against the endless unwinnable nation building that followed, but can we be at least a little bit truthful?
The AUMF and UN resolutions were based not only on the threat of WMDs but also on Saddam's decades of violation of treaties and UN mandates, abuse and wholesale murder of his own citizens and destabilizing extra territorial ambitions and outright wars on his neighbors.
There was no country to be broken beyond what he had done. To the extent anything unraveled it was largely because his blood soaked iron grip was finally broken.

Don't worry about Obama though; he only involves us in short wars and speedily withdraws once he has ensured a regime even more hostile to us has been installed.

[Danube on iPad]

Why did Obama surge with so many additional troops in Afghanistan, only to waste so many lives and end up losing?

Iraq wasn't an "endless" war. It ended in a victory that Obama promptly squandered.

[James D.]

DoT, because Zero's surge in Affghanstan had only one purpose: making Zero look "tough" in a "smarrt" war. It had absolutely nothing to do with national security or military strategy.

Every single casualty there was a life deliberately sacrifced by Zero for no purpose except short term domestic poltiical advantage

[narciso]

Not to mention how Saddam's Tikriti mob, had dispossessed the Shia majority, had turned the home of the Marsh Arabs into a desert, and had waged two wars including one against a putative ally Kuwait

[N. Y. Nick]

His application of the Powell doctrine is that he didn't break it and he is damn well not going to own it."

Sounds like a pretty good doctrine for not getting pulled into an endless war, to me. Certainly better than the doctrine we used for invading Iraq and then occupying it for over a decade: "Invade on the pretext that there are WMDs, and when there aren't, that you're liberating the country, and when you break the country instead of liberating it, announce that you broke it, so now you own it."

I sure wish that Pres. Obama actually WAS acting in accordance with your revised Powell doctrine, instead of taking the first steps toward an another 10- or 20- year U.S. war.

Posted by: Kathy Kattenburg | June 15, 2013 at 02:12 PM

Whoa, a dense, very shallow, ditzy and clueless,
but [very] opinionated woman! What a novelty!

[narciso]

About Banford, between recycling the USS Liberty slander, back in 2000, and then following 'the lied us in to war' template, I'm hesitant to take anything from him, at facevalue,

[4Jack is Back!2]

Sarah is en-fuego here.

More Mort Sahl than politician. But she nails NSA pretty good.

[centralcal]

I LOVE Sarah. But, gee, she has let her hair go to hell. I am hoping the make-up/hair people at Fox News help her out on Monday when she co-hosts Fox and Friends!

[N. Y. Nick]

That's it, Kathy? That's all that you've got?

[narciso]

After the way, Karzai has turned out to be such a jackalope, I'm really not sanguine on any of these interventions, but one recalls the hatred apriori against Chalabi, whereas we know nothing about this Idris character, except the fact that most of his forces defect to the Nusra front,

[4Jack is Back!2]

Neat photo of the Welsh Guards, holders of the Freedom of Brigend County Borough, trooping the colors on Horse Guards parade.

[Captain Hate]

Every single casualty there was a life deliberately sacrifced by Zero for no purpose except short term domestic poltiical advantage

The JEF lowballed Petraeus and McChrystal in every request, making victory, a term which the clown never employs, impossible. Anybody thinking positively of him for that is either against the country or an idiot; not that they're mutually exclusive. Between that, Fort Hood and Benghazi, I don't know why anybody having a relative in the service hasn't gone full Sheehan.

[[email protected]]

CH-

They wouldn't have the support necessary nor the ruthlessness needed to dispose of her when she was no longer needed. Wonder if any of her friends return her phone calls?

[4Jack is Back!2]

Well, I guess it is appropriate to have Bob Costas, at the shortest course for the US Open in the last 9 years:)

[daddy]

test

[4Jack is Back!2]

If anyone is having trouble on typepad, then I recommend the BR Solution: Put a number before and after your nom de plume; use a phony email address like [email protected]; and, if using a LUN www.typepad.com. Seems to work for links, photos etc.

[narciso]

Just like the Krusty the Clown show

http://twitchy.com/2013/06/14/technical-difficulties-responsible-for-nelson-mandelas-latest-death/

[narciso]

Thanks JiB, for the tip;

http://twitchy.com/2013/06/15/as-someone-whos-kinda-fertile-myself-sarah-palin-takes-a-jab-at-jeb-bush/

[4Jack is Back!2]

OMG, narciso, Sully just lost his erection reading your 4:09:)

[1daddy in Typepad hell2]

When this "Let's arm the Rebel's" news broke yesterday I had on the talk Radio headsets, and during the top of the hour News blurb the reporter girl (ABC or CBS) said something like:

"I've talked to my Military sources and they are very concerned about arming the Rebels, but they all tell me the only thing they are more worried about is not doing anything."

That struck me as complete BS. I think she is lying and it instantly made me believe that it is a Talking Point that they are pushing for the Administration to somewhat justify Obama's actions, and that when it all goes to crap the Administration can respond, "Our Military advisors were telling us we had to act," thus once again assigning blame where it does not belong.

Anyone else heard or read anything similar today?

[narciso]

Ironically, Sullivan is in agreement with her, on this narrow point, he's not for the Syrian intervention, don't ask me why.

[Janet --- -... .- -- .- ... ..- -.-. -.- ...]

It is kinda interesting that the Dems all used to say how evil Saddam Hussein was.
Then they had to endlessly dog Bush about Iraq.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhZ2ZvS2t_E

but....

[matt]

Gee, if we had any ground attack capability maybe we could hit Assad like we hit Gaddaffi. Or would the Rooshians intervene?

Now with the S-300's it will take stealth to crack the Syrian air defenses. The other question is who is manning them.

Nothing like dithering. Hundreds of Americans dead in Afghanistan, thousands wounded.

Maybe an American presence in Iraq would have stopped the Iranians from arming Assad.

Turn in any direction and the blame lies clearly at Obama's feet.

[Janet --- -... .- -- .- ... ..- -.-. -.- ...]

Assad & his wife were highlighted in Vogue as glamorous but he now is just too evil & has to go.

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/01/the-only-remaining-online-copy-of-vogues-asma-al-assad-profile/250753/

The Dems make no sense.

[narciso]

Well it's arguable, that Maliki who was exiled in Damascus, for a fair part of his time abroad,
but a military contingent might have influenced the balance of forces there,

[4Jack is Back!2]

matt,

A fool's play is to intervene in Syria. Maybe we should let Argentina send Menem back as a consolation to the regime. I wonder who is watching his vineyard. Damn good wine, by the way. Best Malbec I tasted.

[narciso]

I remarked earlier about Menem, since he was the go between in the Balkan brouhaha, as well some unpleasantmess in the Andes

[4Jack is Back!2]

narc,

I know him. Was with him on the plane looking over airports in Cordoba, Rosario and Bariloche (of course) to modernize. He was a real reformer but got caught up in the typical Argentine corruption crap. Along was Cavallo who became a good contact who I would see in Miami from time to time when we were between flights or conferences.

He never got over losing his son on the chopper.

I cry for Argentina. Who doesn't that has ever lived there?

[not_bubarooni]

With Hezbollah now in the fray, it's to little and to late. Which might have been the plan.

If Aleppo falls, Iran runs Syria.

[MarkO]

Costas? That's not his older sister?

[[email protected]]

the administration can point to the talking as a substitute for action. With the Russians involved the administration is powerless.

[[email protected]]

Janet-

That has been the odd thing about the whole Arab Spring. Progressives were trying to rehabilitate in the west the second generation of Arab dictators that had graduated from charm school then they all had their knees cut out from under them.

[MarkO]

Viva Rio de la Plata. Viva La Argentina.

[Captain Hate]

I think the detailed attendance will be hidden with the birth certificate and kollidge transcripts: http://twitchy.com/2013/06/15/empty-chair-senate-citizens-demand-names-of-senators-who-skipped-town-before-nsa-briefing/

[Danube on iPad]

"That struck me as complete BS."

Me too. I can't imagine a "military source" saying any such thing.

[Janet --- -... .- -- .- ... ..- -.-. -.- ...]

look at this - Gang of 8 Amnesty Bill Provides Illegal Aliens Being Deported with Lawyers

http://frontpagemag.com/2013/dgreenfield/gang-of-8-amnesty-bill-provides-illegal-aliens-being-deported-with-lawyers/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gang-of-8-amnesty-bill-provides-illegal-aliens-being-deported-with-lawyers

So it has perks for lawyers too. Great. We already pay lawyer fees for enviro groups to sue us...

[Ignatz]

If you expand the definition of "military source" to Leon Panetta and Chuck Hagel you can expect to hear just about anything.

[pagar]

"Names of Senators who skipped"

Who set up a briefing for Friday afternoon?
Clapper has already lied to Congress and I think there is another briefer who hasn't done too well at presenting the truth.
This looks to me like a set-up by the regime to
make the Senate look bad, IMO.

[narciso]

Well General Alexander, at least gave the impression he knew something, although some accounts were spotty

[pagar]

My 06:46 said the briefing was Friday, it was Thursday of a week when it was known that most Senators would be going home. Sorry for the confusion.
I think every Senator should be at the briefing but believe this scheduling was bad.

[narciso]

Well we can't be surprised they would go there;

[4Jack is Back!2]

How many putts can Phil miss?

[Danube on iPad]

Nice to see Tiger doing so poorly.

[Corn-fed conservative (southern strategy version)]

'For the first time, all of America’s ‘friends’ in the region are Sunni Muslims and all of its enemies are Shiites. Breaking all President Barack Obama’s rules of disengagement, the US is now fully engaged on the side of armed groups which include the most extreme Sunni Islamist movements in the Middle East."

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/world-exclusive-iran-will-send-4000-troops-to-aid-bashar-alassads-forces-in-syria-8660358.html

Putting all your chips on the House of Saud, just to keep the petrodollar as the medium of exchange.

[matt]

As they are now saying in Egypt, "Hey Imam! I'm on top of the world!"

[Corn-fed conservative (southern strategy version)]

You're acting like this is some kind of victory attendant with necessary celebration.

[Threadkiller]

Alas poor Lamberth, I knew him...

On June 13, 2013, Judge Lamberth Chief Judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia gave leave of court to file 74 pages of motions and exhibits [embedded below] submitted by Attorney Orly Taitz in case 11-cv-402 Taitz v Astrue (Michael Astrue was the Commissioner of the Social Security at the time the case was originally filed, currently it is Carolyn W.Colvin)

This is significant, as the motions attached herein show that Barack Obama is using a stolen Social Security number of Harrison J. Bounel, born in 1890, immigrant from Russia, who is presumed to be deceased."

http://obamareleaseyourrecords.blogspot.com/2013/06/judge-lamberth-grants-leave-of-court-to.html?m=1

[Corn-fed conservative (southern strategy version)]

There oughtta' be a pic of you in the dictionary under the word;
'persistence'.

[Danube on iPad]

"Putting all your chips on the House of Saud, just to keep the petrodollar as the medium of exchange."

This clown would make a good birther.

[Danube on iPad]

"This is significant..."

Only the loons at the Birther Report would think it significant that a judge granted leave to file papers. But hell, they think everything else is a "bombshell," so maybe this is just their code for "we need to say something."

[4Jack is Back!2]

Has anyone heard from Hamlet?

Mickelson comes back from 2 down to finish in the lead after round 3 at -1. Only guy under par. Short courses do this to the best players in the world.

[Janet --- -... .- -- .- ... ..- -.-. -.- ...]

Obama played golf today. He doesn't seem too worried...

[4Jack is Back!2]

82 days to kickoff.

[Corn-fed conservative (southern strategy version)]

Why do so many on the Left and the Right fight so furiously against the likelihood that unlimited collection power and ability, naturally results in some malfeasance?

It's a genuine enigma..

[Threadkiller]

It is significant enough to elicit a response apparently.