OFFICIAL WHITE HOUSE PHOTO BY PETE SOUZA
VOA: Former Obama Officials Respond to Criticism of Inaction on Syria
Officials of former U.S. President Barack Obama's administration are responding to criticism of Obama for not retaliating against Syria for a previous chemical weapons attack.
The officials maintain Obama proposed strikes in 2013 against Syria similar to those ordered Friday by Republican President Donald Trump but were thwarted by a Republican-controlled Congress that refused to agree with Obama's plan.
The push-back to the criticism came after Trump ordered the missile strikes against Syria for another chemical weapons attack without getting congressional approval.
Syria's latest chemical attack occurred Tuesday on the town of Khan Sheikhoun, killing 87 people, including 31 children.
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WNU Editor: These former Obama officials are still smarting over this .... Susan Rice, Obama colleagues take heat for past claims on Syria chemical weapons purge (FOX News), and being reminded of clips like this one .... President Obama Address To The Nation On Syria.
President Obama could have easily avoided Congress in the same manner that President Trump decided to avoid Congress this week .... only notifying them after the airstrikes had been made. But he chose not to .... and he is still paying for it politically. But it should be noted that not all former Obama officials are critical .... President Not-Obama: How Trump’s Syria strike got even some key Obama advisers cheering (Politico) .... including former Secretary of State John Kerry .... Kerry 'absolutely supportive' of Trump's Syria strike: report (The Hill). As to what's my take .... when President Obama issued his red-line on Syria's use of chemical weapons .... and then refused to follow through on it .... I said in this blog that it was a mistake. But I was also glad that he had made the decision to not follow through on his threat. America's strategic interests were not at risk. The Syrian rebel movement was too fragmented with too many radical elements within it to receive U.S. support. And more importantly .... there was no U.S. public support for another major U.S. military intervention in the Middle East. And while Syrian President Assad is a bad actor who deserves to be hauled in front of a war crimes court .... President Obama did appreciate that the options that were on the table for him would not change the dynamics on was happening on the ground unless a major U.S. deployment was undertaken .... and that was a road that (at the time) he choose not to make. What changed everything? The rise of the Islamic State and its siege of the Kurdish town of Kobane and the takeover of Mosul .... these events changed President Obama's opinion on what was needed .... and he then acted properly. His putting together a coalition of allies and local groups in the region (backed by U.S. air support) as the main military force to defeat ISIS is a sound strategy .... it minimises U.S. casualties, and it forces the people in the region to fight for their own goals and future. President Trump has now taken this strategy and he has accelerated the timetable .... or so it seems. But he has chosen to confront Syrian President Assad directly .... and I am worried about the future. There is going to be blow-back from Thursday's missile strikes .... and it will damage/hinder U.S. efforts to defeat the Islamic State. And while I know that the Russians are not going to do anything stupid .... the Iranians/Hezbollah/the Syrians are operating from a different playbook .... and our number one concern right now should be on what are they planning now.
More News On Former Obama Officials Blaming The U.S. Congress On Why President Obama Did Not Retaliate Against Syria For A Previous Chemical Attack
Obama Aides Push Back Against Criticism of Inaction on Syria (AP)
Obama aides say the same Republicans who are praising Trump for bombing Syria BLOCKED their boss from doing the same -- Daily Mail
Trump’s Syria Strike Altered Perceptions of His Presidency — and Highlighted the Failures of Obama’s -- Jonathan Tobin, NRO
Trump’s Strike On Syria Shows How Obama’s Policy Failed -- Brian Adam Jones, Task & Purpose
4 comments:
Sorry wnu..gotta disagree with you. Once a red line is drawn - especially in the context and the way Obama did - you must follow through, it's not just about direct national interests in the battlefield, but more importantly to be credible. Years later we are still blaming Obama for this lack of understanding. I really like Obama - a gracious commander in chief, but this was one of his biggest mistakes and it cost him and US credibility dearly. Even in the most remote corners of the world people know about the red line he didn't follow through and it emboldened adversaries and enemies everywhere
That is very lame on the Democrats' part. Better to call them ____ercrats.
Obama could not held a press briefing or address to the nation on TV and declare that Syria broke the 2013 agreement, that we should do something,
and that Congress is in the way?
Really?
Obama is just weak unless he has backing by a great many people liken the MSM and the Democrat machine. He has no such backing world wide and so he roars like a mouse. It is a wonder he got through high school.
Just how did he get through high school without a fight?
We do not have a true timeline on Obama's efforts in Syria.
He at 1st started with nonlethal aid or so that was the story.
However it appears he was running guns from Ben Ghazi on a shoe string budget.
Nothing is going to happen, Putin is not stupid. His forces in Syria to any NATO attack and he knows it. He also knows his puppets for some dumb reason used Sarin gas on civilians and while he may talk a big game me thinks he jumping on Assad's ass behind the scenes for doing it. Not because he killed women and kids ( Putin kills em everyday there in Syria and the Ukraine) but because it puts pressure on him from the rest of the world. I mean Putin's boys shot down an airliner with nearly 300 people on it, what makes you think he really cares about women and children
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