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Subscribe to RSSPresident Obama today met with Jordan's King Abdullah II, and both leaders reaffirmed their calls for Syria’s President Bashar Al-Assad to step down.
Speaking after their meeting Mr. Obama said, “We will continue to consult very closely with Jordan to create the kind of international pressure and environment that encourages the current Syrian regime to step aside, so that a more democratic process of transition can take place inside of Syria.”
The president also praised King Abdullah for being “the first Arab leader to publicly call on President Assad to step down in the face of terrible brutality.”
Also Tuesday, senior White House officials announced there are strong signs that Iran is supplying weapons to Syria. According to National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor, a recent visit by a ranking official within Iran’s elite Quds force, Commander Ghassem Soleimani, provides evidence of high-level cooperation between the countries.
In a statement Vietor said, “Assad is running out of money to continue financing his crackdown and has turned to Syria's only ally left -- Iran -- for help, as evidenced by IRGC-Quds Force Commander Soleimani's recent visit to Damascus.”
The White House has long believed that Iran was aiding Syria in the crackdown on its own citizens.
The United Nations estimates as many as 5,000 people have been killed since mass protests began in Syria last March. The United States and several other countries have called on Assad to step down, but so far he has shown no signs of heeding their calls.
Tensions are also mounting between the United States and Iran after the U.S. imposed stiffer sanctions and after Iran threatened to close down the Strait of Hormuz, which is used to transport about a fifth of the world’s oil.
President Obama said that he and King Abdullah discussed Iran, but did not go into any detail nor did he answer questions about Iran shouted by reporters.
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And he should. He won't, not right away, and many more of his people will die in the streets standing up for freedom before he slinks away to the south of France with half a billion dollars in stolen funds, but he will go. And this is the beginning of the end...
danerfield,
Do you think France would accept him? I have been trying to figure out what country would (I know some would just which ones?)
The beginning of the New World Order and the End of America.
. . . — — — . . .WAKE UP AMERICA. . . — — — . . .
Head for the hills! Run! Run for your lives!!!
As soon as Barry gets the SEALS team trained I'm sure he will get the job done. Oh wait the United Nations is responsible for killing the Arab Spring leaders except for the ones with nuclear weapons factories and Barry makes secret deals with them. What is Barry's foreign policy again, oh thats right whatever I did was right at the time and it was all "W"'s fault. LMFAO at the moonbats and their socialist leader barry hui obmamlamadingdong.
Diplomacy and working with our "friends" in the area is the right thing to do. Asad does need to resign.
It is one thing for the American President to ask someone to step down but when that request is also made by a neighbor of that country who has similar interests and is of the same "blood" that says a lot more.
Oh God, here we go again..........
WCA,
Don't you think, in the end, he will try and be smarter than the other deposed leaders and just leave? Seriously.
No phine, I don't. I think, eventually, it will end in a bloody mess. I hope I'm wrong, time will tell.
I truly hope you are wrong, too, WCA. I am so very tired of all the blooshed. And, I would hope the Middle East starts to tire of it, too.
Anybody think that Obama finally realizes what an idiotic idea it was to reopen our Embassy in Syria? I mean, if their past actions weren't bad enough, think this has finally proven to Obama that just because HE thinks something is a great idea, does not necessarily meant IS a great idea?
Assad, Assad.
Oh yeah, this is the chap that Hillary called a 'reformer' just a few short months ago.
I wonder, does the State Department not send it's memos up the the WH?
Oh yeah, this is the chap that Hillary called a 'reformer' just a few short months ago.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Half a year ago...(How many "short months is that? Did you mean months with less than 31 days?)
Clinton: Assad Standing in Syria's Way
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/clinton-assad-standing-syrias-14337014
A FEW short months ago...
Clinton: "Assad's going to be gone"
November 18, 2011 4:32 PM
And just a few short days ago...
"We cannot permit Assad and his regime to have impunity," Clinton said, referring to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. "Syrians deserve a peaceful transition."
Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7388813n#ixzz1jlZXNHGZ
Why that's easy danger - half a year ago is 6 months ago. And of course 6 months is but a short period that Assad has been in charge.
So was he a super neat reformer then? Hillary was not mistaken, was she?
Say, can you tell me what Assad has been doing differently since Hillary thought he was a swell guy?
But man, you have to love the Imperial part of that "We' - right? Syria is a sovereign country. "We' must be above the law and therefore able to effect regime change.
If Syrians deserve a peaceful transition they best be getting busy.
Man, they said if we elected McCain president we'd have an imperial president.
Anyone ever think how stupid it was that Bush/Cheney only saw a military solution to everything? Diplomacy, intelligence, etc. is what keeps our nation safe from attacks like 9-11, not invasions and occupations. Certainly not preemptive strikes and unilateral "going it alone" war mongering. Enough. Republicans have proved they are not fit to lead anything.
I believe he means March, 2011
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/syrias-reformer/2011/03/31/AFy4JFCC_story.html
It was a bad call- and, incidentally, I don't blame Madame Secretary.
This level of incompetence and idealistic daydreaming screams Obama.
If that's a "few short months" I want to age at that rate...
Sadly, I am aging, and hence 9 months seems like a blip.
Heck, Spanky, it's a blip to me, too.
On the other hand, it's long enough to build an entirely new human. . .
BUSTED!!!
spanky & nojoe exposed!
(again)
Great foreign policy Mr President, continuously asking Assad to step down is sure working well, maybe if you say pretty please they will will listen to you.
President Obama's answer to Iran was to cancel the war games with Israel so we don't offend the Iranians. Great decision by the Commander in Chief, very sound foreign and military policy.
President Obama knows he can't go to the UN like he did with Libya because Russia and China won't allow any UN action, and Obama can't even get NATO to go along.
Jordan needs the billions of dollars in American aid and will do most anything to keep getting it except commit troops and other military assistance to any Muslim country that is or has risen up to overthrow their kings, dictators and other rulers.
Obama claims victory for pulling the troops out of Iraq, however, he had to comply with the agreement signed by President Bush as he couldn't get the Iraqi government to agree with keeping our military in Iraq as he and his commanders wanted to. (We still have thousands next door in Kuwait).
Obama claims he was responsible for the killing of OBL, which the US intelligence agencies and military spent years tracking him down. Obama gave the order, however, that was a political decision and not a military one since the military has always had a find and kill order since 2002. The fact you don't hear about is more American military have died in Afghanistan under Obama's watch than under President Bush's watch.
Does anyone believe that the above really makes Obama a President with a lot of foreign policy accomplishments?
But this tactic has worked with Iran.
Obama asked them to give back the drone and they said today that they will. Well actually they said they are going to send him a 1/80 scale model of the drone.
Asking these people nicely totally works.
Let's just hope we can avoid another 'days, not weeks' military campaign.
Anybody got any alternatives?
Yep - fully utilize all of our natural resources, including opening up the outer bank, ANWAR, Off shore in Cali, complete Keystone XL then let the entire middle east collapse onto itself.
Or maybe go all George Costanza and just do the opposite of what we have been doing.
Iraq, Egypt, Syria, Sudan, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan - none are going very good. In fact they all seem to be doing really, really bad.
The alternatives ran out over a year ago. Now, due to Obama's ineptitude, it's all spiraling out of control. Can't be fixed- and Obama does not even have a clue how it got this bad.
By the way- I apologize for my brain freeze this morning. I saw "Panthers"- and idiotically associated it with the Miami team of the same name.
Dumb, dumb, dumb.
Da Noid,
Yes, stay the hell out of it and let them fight it out just like any other civil war or government over throw. There is nothing in Syria that threatens our security or even the security of our ally Israel. If the Arab countries want to intervene that is their prerogative but don't look to us for military support.
Really? Fascinating since I recall a couple of years ago that some folks around this blog DEMANDED that we take some kind of action when people protested the election in Iran.
Yeah, because everything in Syria was the bees knees prior to President Obama taking office, right?
So, in other words, you've got nothing again, right?
Bitch, bitch, bitch but no alternatives.
None of this -none- would be happening if the idol of your cult had the simple common sense necessary to take the action a six year old would have taken when told that war and weather were leading to severe food shortages in the region.
Food inflation was the spark that ignited the region. That was why a Tunisian fruit seller set himself ablaze- and the entire Middle East went up in that blaze.
You did know that al Queda has taken over a major city in Yemen, did you not. How do you suppose that happened? How do you suppose most of the media ignored it?
Why do you think your idol is out there calling on Assad to step down tonight?
Do go on clinging to your blind devotion to the man not competent to run a school bake sale.
You've only got a few months left.
Quick, somebody find me a six-year old! I don't know what the hell she's talking about?
You know, a little while ago we had a LONG discussion about this.
Grain, corn, and soy from our reserves? Through the Agriculture Department? Didn't need congressional approval because Agriculture is part of the Executive branch, and the foodstuffs come under their purview?
Nothing?
I knew liberals were uneducable.
So joe, you wanted America to feed the world, again? To add to the several million tons of grain, corn and soy it already gives away? You know the grain they give to North Korea to prevent starvation, that Kim and the boys sell to buy cognac. The food they give to various aid groups in Africa that never seems to get to the starving masses and is sold to buy warlords more weapons. Should we reward these countries for not investing in feeding their own people? Is it America's fault, or just Obama? Should we have held hands and sang a song about it? I know! Why don't we cut the farm subsidies, like Obama proposed, forcing farmers to actually grow crops and not get paid for keeping fields in reserve? Maybe, we can actually allow market forces to dictate the cost of grain, corn, soy and sugar instead of having the price artificially managed by the agricultural department and congress?
"Uneducable"? ( Is that a word?) Stop spitting out talking points, look deeper for your own answer, and contribute to the conversation.
Yes, Pollyanna, we did have this conversation.
Really?
You REALLY think that Congress isn't going to try and stop the President from just sending food to wherever he wants?
You think they won't be screaming their heads off when he sends it to places like Syria and Libya...you know, nations that LOVE us?
I believe the word folks like Cantor, Boehner and McConnell would use is "appease".
...and, of course, guys like Gaddafi and Assad are such neato-cool, peachy-keen, good, honest folk that we would just love to send a whole bunch of food over to their countries to keep them in power!
You build consensus by staking out your position and bringing aboard other nations and leaders to apply pressure to achieve your foreign policy goal. The President was extremely successful in Libya without getting us involved in a protracted military campaign.
So Spanky and Sfcret, are you advocating military intervention in Syria at this time? If so, you are spouting the same neo-con bluster that got us involved in Iraq before Afghanistan was properly taken care of. And how you both would howl against the President if he did actually decide to act militarily.
Military action in Syria?
Whatever for Fancy?
Is it that you are not paying attention to what we wrote, or don't understand?
In case you didn't know - wars cost an assload of money, and we broke. Flat broke. Broker than any nation in the history of the world broke.
Oh and Obama needs another $1.2 trillion. Got any spare CHANGE?
Moron ... there are many countries whose debt to GDP are greater. It's about scale or don't you get that?
@Idealogy Are you sure you are Canadian? I thought you were all so polite.
Golly spanky... did you learn THAT from dubya?
You remember - "Okay, there were not any WMD's, but the world is better off without Saddam..." even if it puts America in Iraq for over ten years and costs us "an assload of money" as well as five THOUSAND American lives....
HYPOCRITIC TROLL!!
The President's foreign policy has been 1000 times better and more successful that the previous eight years' so why don't you just get behind our President and support America?
Naw... always with the negative vibes Moriarity.
'smatter? Just can't help yourself and keep from Obama bashing? Come on; I thought you were better than that.
I have to repeat from another dialogue we had: SAD!
Song from "Bloom County, Loose Tails", 1983 by Berkley Breathed:
I like folks! All types and kinds"
People are a weakness o'mine...
Swat my hind with a melon rind,
but dat's my penguin state of mind!
Yeah I dig folks, bad or nice...
Show me a mullah, I'll kiss 'em twice!
Just can't show no spite to those,
with lips, legs, toes and nose!
So when they talk of droppin' bombies,
I confess I got some qualmies....
Ain't no secret dat even commies
got such things as dad's and mommies!
Yea, seems dese birds are fully blind,
to seein' national border lines..
so swat my hind with melon rind...
But dat's a Penguin State of Mind!
Bill the Cat/Opus 2012
RED TEAM:
Sad that you have to root for your own country to fail just to enhance your political objectives...but you do, and it is a disgrace to our Foreign service (again Career diplomats from across the spectrum) and State Department Personnel.
The genius above in an effort to deny the President credit for taking out Bin Laden, makes my point for me, that indeed there are thousands of non-political military and civilian personnel toiling in relative obscurity, and they deserve better than the disrespect from "keyboard warriors" of those they work to protect.
dangerfield,
You are so very right. (And I hope the blue team pays attention to that fact, too!)
Rooting for failure?
Rooting for failure?!?!?
I cannot speak for the "team", but for myself. I am Appalled by this administration's failures. Never, in my wildest imaginings, could I ever envision an administration as incompetent, as willfully blind to reality- and the fall out for my country, and the world, as the result.
You actually think anyone is Rooting for this?
CNN Opinion Poll, October 14-16, 2011
Q: In general, do you hope that Barack Obama's policies will succeed, or do you hope that his policies will fail?
Succeed = 67%
Fail = 25%
...but, amongst Republicans...
Succeed = 39%
Fail = 51%
i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2011/images/10/17/rel17b.pdf
Dangerfield,
I hope you aren't really that dense that you believe it was all Obama in the killing of OBL, it appears you think he stormed the compound in Pakistan and shot OBL personally. The credit goes to the intelligence community and the special operations team that took OBL out, not Obama. Name me one person that would not have given the order to take him out? Are you also going to blame the deaths of the American military that has taken place since Obama became President and how come we don't see a daily body count anymore.
I spent 20 years active Army and did two combat tours in Vietnam, and I have a lot of respect for the military, and intelligence agents that work to keep America safe, and I give a lot, if not all the credit, to the special operations forces and the intelligence agencies for the killing of OBL. BTW, I thought it was very stupid, unprofessional and tacky of the WH to have the killing of OBL taped and then distribute it to the news media while Obama took a victory lap.
.... and moron to you also NoJo ... America is once again looked upon favorably by the rest of the world and feared by by the folks who would bring you down. Excuse me for my perspective of not one of you.
Ah, the minions who toil in obscurity who ask nothing but a good night's sleep ... their quiet toils eviscerated by the moment at hand. I am amazed by how many detractors look into the morning mirror and are not ashamed.
Dangerfield,
My problem with the whole thing is this, If he was found in Afghanistan, no order would have been needed and if one was the Sergeant on the scene would have issued it.
The only reason that Obama needed to give the "Order" was that he was in Pakistan.
This still doesn't alter the fact that the issue of where OBL was located was discussed during the 2008 presidential campaign, where McCain told Obama that OBL was in Pakistan.
I suspect that OBL's location was known for some time, maybe not a specific location, but very close. Going in to "Get" him just seemed to happen right when Obama's approval rating was heading into the toilet. He got a bounce from the news showing the clips of him "Giving" the order and all of them sitting around the "WAR" room like they were getting ready to fight a nuclear war.
All the media prep and hype for taking out a single one man target, then all the news coverage afterwards right on schedule. Way to pat for me.
Now understand, I admit I'm speculating, but what I'm saying is reasonable from information easily available in the common media record.
It just doesn't wash with me, and shouldn't with anyone with any common sense. It came at way to convenient a time, with way too much prepared media coverage to be something that just happened to happen right at that time.
Is it too much to wish for, like John Lennon, that instead of all the posturing and sabre rattling and highly charged rhetoric that we could "Just give peace a chance"?
That's a good one phine,
But I prefer "Revolution" better in this situation..
That's about as anti war/anti establishment as you can get!!!!
Syria’s President Bashar Al-Assad should step down before he becomes yet another tyrant taken down.
US AND ITS ALLIES ARE DOING COVERT OPERATIONS IN SYRIA TO INCITE PROTESTERS TO REVOLT WITH ARMS AGAINST THE LEGITIMATE PRESIDENT ASSAD ON BEHALF OF UNBREAKABLE BOND ISRAEL, BUT DEPICTED AS PEACEFULL PRO-DEMOCRACY MOVEMENTS IN US WIDE ZIONIST NEWS MEDIA. But, In US there is no democracy either since only two parties Republican and Democrat are defacto in power for centuries, there should be many parties in a democratic government, not just 2 monopoly parties. Accupy cities can be one of the new parties.
US shall stop interfering in Syria's internal affairs on behalf of unbreakable bond israel TO MAKE SYRIA IN NEVER-ENDING TURMOIL.
you war mongers should give it a break. also give your fox news propaganda a break as well as your deep fears. bush has destroyed our economy, has stolen are treasure, and has killed a million people.
i'm tired of war, guns, and war mongers.
Sarah is a foolish woman, not a credible candidate, and the most un-presidential person in the States. Her endorsement is the Kiss of Death. She is a dumb woman, not an intelligent woman, and she was fortunate to get a high paying Job in Alaska, where she should remain. Romney is the most viable candidate, and has all the qualities to beat an incumbent. Even Newt's name is not Marketable along with all his baggage. Her interview with Katie Couric showed how inempt, dumb, and unpresidential she was at that time. Now she is like a Cheer Leader on Coke running around on a bus with her dysfunctional family, making money and representing the TEA PARTY, Sarah get out of politics, or stay home and clean dead Caribou or Moose.
Well this is what I call a last chance for Mr. Assad and his regime. This is what the President has been doing since the uprising of these countries have been taking place. People want there freedoms they want the ability to walk and talk and communicate with each other without getting missles and rockets and armed tanks shooting at them every night. The President (in my opinion) is looking for the chance to stop it as quickly as possible and with as much help as possible and guess what Iran now is putting themselves right in the thick of total innahilation also In other words we might be getting a two for one deal here ladies and gentlemen.
Good call Mr. President. President Obama is very well aware of this situation, and will use his Foreign Policy Of "Rationality" to help solve this very dangerous situation. President Obama is correct NOT to get "Odd," "Incompetent," or "Hawkish" concerning this situation. President Obama has the calm behavioral processes that is needed at this time. The President right now is reading all of the information presented to him carefully. Oh! A message to "Crazy Cain." Yes! An American President needs to be able to read. Another message to "Romulian Romney." NO! "Romulian!" America is NOT going to bomb anyone! President Obama is now carefully researching all of the past and present information, and having a proper intellectual grasp of World History is critical. NO! "Nutty Newt!" Being a paid "Historian" for Freddie Mac does NOT count. The President is thinking about all options concerning this situation, and the President will avoid mistakes. America! It is very critical situations like this that a President who thinks is especially important. That is fact!