Obama, Kerry push for Syria attacks; Rand Paul, Code Pink and Libertarian Party say ‘No!’
Despite losing support from close ally, Great Britain, President Barack Obama seems ready to carry out limited strikes on Syria unilaterally, according to a YNet news report.
Sec. of State John Kerry
Image/Video Screen Shot
There has been questions on who used the chemical weapons–the Assad government or the rebels. In fact, Obama officials say the intelligence the administration has does not link Assad directly to the attack, but the administration believes that it has enough evidence to carry out a limited strike that would deter the Syrian government from using these weapons again.
The President is basing his case for action both on safeguarding international standards against the use of chemical weapons and on the threat to America’s national interests posed by Syria’s use of those weapons.
In addition, Secretary of State John Kerry also made his emotional case for attacking the Syrian government today when he said, “If we choose to live in a world where a thug and a murderer like Bashar al-Assad can gas thousands of his own people with impunity, even after the United States and our allies said no, and then the world does nothing about it, there will be no end to the test of our resolve and the dangers that will flow from those others who believe that they can do as they will.”
According to a U.S. Government Assessment of the Syrian Government’s Use of Chemical Weapons on August 21, 2013 report, they determined that 1,429 people were killed in the chemical weapons attack, including at least 426 children, though this assessment will certainly evolve as we obtain more information.
These numbers do not jibe with numbers from the humanitarian group, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), who earlier reported 355 deaths due to likely chemical weapons.
Some individuals and groups are saying “No” to slinging missiles into Syria.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) told Sean Hannity last night, “There are potential repercussions. If he launches this little piddly attack with a few cruise missiles, it won’t stop chemical weapons, but it may well insight a gas attack on Israelis. I think it’s a big mistake.”
The antiwar group, Code Pink, who has been disturbingly quiet concerning President Obama’s military interventions during his tenure, are urging the President to reconsider military intervention in Syria.
The country’s third largest political party, The Libertarian Party issued a press release Thursday opposing military action against Syria.
Libertarian Party Chair Geoffrey J. Neale said, “There is no Constitutional justification for America to unilaterally use force in Syria.”
He goes on to say, “Syria is not threatening our country. We have no national interest in intervening there. There are no reasons for the U.S. to support either the Assad dictatorship or the opposition warlords.”
[…] http://www.theglobaldispatch.com/obama-kerry-push-for-syria-attacks-rand-paul-code-pink-and-libertar… […]
[…] http://www.theglobaldispatch.com/obama-kerry-push-for-syria-attacks-rand-paul-code-pink-and-libertar… […]
CODEPINK has been raising cain all through the Warmonger in Chief’s administration. It has become harder to get any press attention for their actions, though. Under Bush CODEPINKers couldn’t sneeze without a camera or microphone being shoved in their faces.
The press is owned by the right wing & the only way to get another point of view heard is to disrupt the status quo.