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ORIGINAL: DaddySatyr

Just the fact that we have a self-identified war criminal in such a position of prominence aught to let people in on just how far fucked we are.

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ORIGINAL: TheHeretic

Not much familiar with John Kerry, huh, Charles?

I'm not the slightest bit surprised by that.

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ORIGINAL: Lucylastic

The Obama administration has concluded there is “high confidence” that Syrian President Bashar Assad used chemical weapons against his own people on Aug. 21, according to an unclassified four-page intelligence estimate released by the White House Friday afternoon.
The report found that the chemical attack included the use of a nerve agent and that it killed 1,429 people, including 426 children.

“Our intelligence community has carefully reviewed and re-reviewed information regarding this attack and I will tell you it is more than mindful of the Iraq experience,” Secretary of State John Kerry said in a Friday afternoon speech. “We will not repeat that moment.”
Kerry said the United States has a responsibility to act in Syria and needs no approval from other nations.

“The United States of America makes our own decisions, based on our own timelines,” Kerry said.
The statement marks the second time this week the Obama administration has used Kerry to deliver its Syria message to the world. On Monday he was the first administration official to categorically declare that the Assad government used chemical weapons during the Aug. 21 attack, calling it “undeniable.”
Kerry urged people to read the report, released during his speech.
“Read for yourself, everyone, those listening, read for yourselves the evidence from thousands of sources,” Kerry said.

“In addition to U.S. intelligence information, there are accounts from international and Syrian medical personnel; videos; witness accounts; thousands of social media reports from at least 12 different locations in the Damascus area; journalist accounts; and reports from highly credible nongovernmental organizations,” the report said.
“We assess with high confidence that the Syrian government carried out the chemical weapons attack against opposition elements in the Damascus suburbs on August 21. We assess that the scenario in which the opposition executed the attack on August 21 is highly unlikely,” it added.
“The body of information used to make this assessment includes intelligence pertaining to the regime’s preparations for this attack and its means of delivery, multiple streams of intelligence about the attack itself and its effect, our post-attack observations, and the differences between the capabilities of the regime and the opposition.”
Believing they have established that the attack was ordered by the Assad regime, administration officials say they are now turning to the question of how to respond. Senior administration officials discussed the finding of the report with 26 high-ranking members of Congress on Thursday night and solicited the views of lawmakers on how to respond.
“This is the indiscriminate, inconceivable horror of chemical weapons. This is what Assad did to his own people,” Kerry said. “Now that we know what we know … the question is, what will we do?”

Kerry promised that any U.S. military action undertaken by President Barack Obama would not resemble the long wars in Afghanistan and Iraq or the international coalition assault that toppled Muammar Qadhafi in Libya in 2011.
Also Friday, the National Security Council is briefing all lawmakers from key congressional committees on Syria, multiple Hill aides said.
The committees involved in the calls include the House Foreign Affairs Committee, House Armed Services Committee, Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Senate Armed Services Committee. The House panels and Senate panels are being updated in separate calls.
One Senate aide said the call is similar to the one held Thursday evening for congressional leaders and top lawmakers on national security and foreign affairs.


Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/08/syria-chemical-weapons-report-96089.html#ixzz2dTa78B00


Link to unclassified chemical weapons report
http://www.politico.com/story/2013/08/syria-chemical-weapons-assessment-document-96088.html

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ORIGINAL: Politesub53
Would "most people" be those still pissed at having lost not one, but two elections ?

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ORIGINAL: Lucylastic

Figures

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ORIGINAL: Lucylastic
“This is the indiscriminate, inconceivable horror of chemical weapons. This is what Assad did to his own people,” Kerry said. “Now that we know what we know … the question is, what will we do?”

Kerry promised that any U.S. military action undertaken by President Barack Obama would not resemble the long wars in Afghanistan and Iraq or the international coalition assault that toppled Muammar Qadhafi in Libya in 2011.

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ORIGINAL: Charles6682

I know exactly who Kerry is.

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ORIGINAL: servantforuse

At least, Bush had allies. Obama doesn't. Why aren't we calling him a 'cowboy' ?

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ORIGINAL: TheHeretic

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ORIGINAL: servantforuse

At least, Bush had allies. Obama doesn't. Why aren't we calling him a 'cowboy' ?

That would be racist.

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ORIGINAL: TheHeretic

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ORIGINAL: Charles6682

I know exactly who Kerry is.

Then why post such a stupid comment in the first place? I think your explanation is a lie.

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ORIGINAL: TheHeretic

FR

According to much cited NBC poll (that's the parent of MSNBC, for the less intelligent regurgitators of OFA talking points) 79% of Americans believe the President needs to take his case to Congress before acting.

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ORIGINAL: Charles6682

I'm sure Kerry it's just repeating the Obama scorecard. Sure, it' Kerry doing the talking with Obama's word's.

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ORIGINAL: Politesub53

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ORIGINAL: ashjor911

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ORIGINAL: DesideriScuri
How was it we (the US) were able to get all that intel, but the blue hats investigating it couldn't? Inquiring minds want to know...

simple .. CIA, & the usage of Spy satellite all over .. with some radars in all the sea around , & in the 2 basis in Turkey so they can see who is firing at whom, not to mention Israel & the huge radars they got there & its only 45 miles away from Damascus ..
I mean if he want to know Mr. Obama can know what color of my underwear ..

Hi Ashjor..... I`m glad you are still able to post.
DS...... The UN are only investigating if chemical weapons were used, and if so, which type. I am guessing that if they had said part of the remit was to blame one side or another, they wouldnt have got permission to investigate.

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The intelligence linking Syrian President Bashar Assad or his inner circle to an alleged chemical weapons attack that killed at least 100 people is no "slam dunk," with questions remaining about who actually controls some of Syria's chemical weapons stores and doubts about whether Assad himself ordered the strike, U.S. intelligence officials say.
President Barack Obama declared unequivocally Wednesday that the Syrian government was responsible, while laying the groundwork for an expected U.S. military strike.
"We have concluded that the Syrian government in fact carried these out," Obama said in an interview with "NewsHour" on PBS. "And if that's so, then there need to be international consequences."
However, multiple U.S. officials used the phrase "not a slam dunk" to describe the intelligence picture - a reference to then-CIA Director George Tenet's insistence in 2002 that U.S. intelligence showing Iraq had weapons of mass destruction was a "slam dunk" - intelligence that turned out to be wrong.

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quote:

The intelligence linking Syrian President Bashar Assad or his inner circle to an alleged chemical weapons attack that killed at least 100 people is no "slam dunk," with questions remaining about who actually controls some of Syria's chemical weapons stores and doubts about whether Assad himself ordered the strike, U.S. intelligence officials say.