Two Senators Say U.S. Should Arm Syrian Rebels
KABUL, Afghanistan — With the Syrian government continuing its deadly crackdown on its citizens, two senior American senators who were on their way to the Middle East spoke out strongly on Sunday in favor of arming the Syrian opposition forces.
The two Republican senators, John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, laid out a series of diplomatic, humanitarian and military aid proposals that would put the United States squarely behind the effort to topple President Bashar al-Assad of Syria. The senators, both of whom are on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said that rebel fighters deserved to be armed and that helping them take on the Syrian government would aid Washington’s effort to weaken Iran.
Syria relies on Iran for financial and military support, and the governments in Damascus and Tehran have sectarian ties as well: Iran has strongly backed the Syrian Shiite minority and the offshoot Alawite sect that dominates Syria’s ruling class.
“I believe there are ways to get weapons to the opposition without direct United States involvement,” Mr. McCain said. “The Iranians and the Russians are providing Bashar Assad with weapons. People that are being massacred deserve to have the ability to defend themselves.”
“So I am not only not opposed,” he said, “but I am in favor of weapons being obtained by the opposition.”
Full Story Here:
McCain and Graham Suggest Helping Syrian Rebels
Do ANY of you remember a movie a while back called Charlie Wilson’s War? The movie starred Tom Hanks, a libber that was well suited to bring life to the REAL Charlie Wilson.
Charlie Wilson’s War is a 2007 American biographical comedy drama film recounting the true story of U.S. Congressman Charlie Wilson (D-TX) who partnered with “bare knuckle attitude” CIA operative Gust Avrakotos to launch Operation Cyclone, a program to organize and support the Afghan Mujahideen in their resistance to the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. SOURCE
Do ANY of you know the REAL story of Charlie Wilson and his war? Do you know the *back story*? The one that the Hollywood media didn’t tell you about? What the efforts of Charlie Wilson and Gust Avrakotos brought on? Both good and bad?
The initial Soviet deployment of the 40th Army in Afghanistan began on December 24, 1979 under Soviet President Leonid Brezhnev. The final troop withdrawal started on May 15, 1988, and ended on February 15, 1989 under the last Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. Due to the interminable nature of the war, the conflict in Afghanistan has sometimes been referred to as the “Soviet Union’s Vietnam War” or “the Bear Trap”. SOURCE
During the Soviet involvement in Afghanistan the Mujahideen were fighting against the Afghan government and Russian military power was kicking them to death, literally killing the Mujahideen in great numbers and they were in danger of being wiped out.
So, a small group of CIA operatives, backed by bleeding heart Texas Democrat Charlie Wilson, secured the funds to buy and supply the Mujahideen with better weapons. Among other things, they were given shoulder fired rockets that were capable of bringing down the formidable Soviet Mi-24 helicopter gunship.
Once the Mujahideen had a way to bring down the most powerful and dangerous weapon in the Soviet arsenal the Mujahideen were well on their way to defeating the Soviet army, which, in turn, brought on the fall of the Soviet Union and the destruction of the Berlin Wall.
The U.S. and several other nations equipped the Mujahideen well, and they were frugal with their weapons too, they saved them for future use, so to speak.
Fast forward to 2002 and our invasion of Afghanistan.
We went into Afghanistan to exact revenge on Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaida cohorts. But who was al-Qaida? Where did they come from and where did they get the weapons they are still using, to this very day, to kill American troops?
al-Qaida in Afghanistan is what once was called the Mujahideen, and WE are the ones that armed them with the weapons they are using to kill OUR troops.
I would think that John McCain and Lindsey Graham would know this story and would remember that for each action there is an equal and opposite reaction, and there are always consequences.
Arm the Syrian rebels and save the poor, downtrodden Syrians and help them gain freedom from a tyrant and establish a real democracy.
That all sounds good if you say it really fast, and don’t take the current actions in Iraq, or past actions in Afghanistan into consideration. Remember this; those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
If WE arm the Syrians, they, the Syrians, will in turn, use those weapons against US if we ever have to go into Syria for any reason.
That is not a hollow or unimaginable supposition. It’s a lesson backed up by HISTORY, and if a dumb old redneck like me can see it, why then can’t a well respected Senator grasp the facts of the matter?
Apparently some folks need to study a bit more!
Yes. It could come back to bite us hard. However, what is happening over there is a National and International disgrace. Slaughter of humanity in huge numbers to satisfy one man-the dictator. I find that hard to accept. I think I could accept the “bite us hard” part if it would save lives. But, on the other hand it could go like Egypt and Afghanastan for example-good when we supported bad after the fact.
The people being *slaughtered* are Syrians, and as soon as this battle is over, should they win, they will become The Muslim Brotherhood… History backs that statement… WHY would we want to waste MORE of the money we don’t have to save a nation that will hate us no matter what?
Make me understand that.. .
Have you, or anyone else for that matter, considered the idea that this is nothing more than reverse psychology? Russia doing to US in Syria what WE did to them in Afghanistan?
WE need to stay out of this. Muslims killing muslims is a good thing. McCain and Linda G are idiots. Leave it to the Arab League or the UN. Either will screw the pooch royally. Will be good for some grins.
The only Democracy they’re fighting for in Syria is to be able to elect the Muslim Brotherhood or another type of hard line Islamic government. Just look at what’s happened to Egypt. No matter who wins in Syria, they’re still going to hate us and attack Israel.
I do not know what wars we should have been in and which we should have stayed out of.
There will be supporters and opposers in each war, but what History does prove is that the Rebel we support today is the Devil we will fight tommorow. We have to support our Allies, we have to step in and stop genocide. Should we remove President Bashar al-Assad of Syria? He is a pretty bad Dude, Killing thousands of his people, but is this a Civil War? Millions have been killed in China, Korea, which Evil Dictators de we remove? Just the Little Ones?
Saddam was a bad dude too, we took him out… Look how well that has worked for us…
Yes, I think the World is better without Saddam in it, same for Bin Ladin and Gaddafi. Should any of them have taken so long, Hell No, Gaddafi should have been taken out way back in 1988.
THe problem is the way, the method,,, the US Military should not be used as a police force, they should be used to go in, stop the problem, then get out.
Just look what has happened in Egypt, the The Muslim Brotherhood is in the process of setting up SHOP, Egypt one of our biggest allies in the Middle East is about to go the way of another HARD LINE ISLAMIC STATE, which is bad news for us. Now we face the same possibility in Syria if something is not done quickly.
We are in a bad position if we sit on the sidelines and watch all of the killings we will be tar&feathered, same goes if we decide to go in Militarily.
Obama just could not wait to into Libyia……He is not as quick this time around.
To me, part says let’s get it over with, the other says not yet.
So there I am…..What should we do?
Well Fred, what can I say? Much better neighborhood here than at LNF years ago when these same issues were addressed…
Here is the way that I see it. Every time one of those people kill one another it’s one less that either of our sons has to kill some day. So sure, let’s use some proxy to arm the rebels with some old AK 47’s and TNT. But absolutely no new technology or truly modern weapons.
Talk about an insult to Americans… None other than “Colorado doesn’t have enough gun laws” post Columbine John McCain and rino policy wonk Lindsey Graham want to arm this poorly disguised front for the Muslim Brotherhood. Go figure..!
My understanding is the so called rebels are Sunnis, so no win for us and will just let Iran take over no doubt. Who knows, but enough already of this.
Forget about arming the rebels. Heck forget about helping them in any way. We’ve been burned too many times by these so-called rebels when they are only Islamists. Let Assad kill them. I don’t care.
We need to stay OUT! Out out out out out!
Out, very far out, way out, far and away! NO to Syria. Let some OTHER nation spend their cash and the lives of their soldiers! Unless WE get direct suction onto someone’s oil pipeline, OUT!
OUT!
BZ