Syria: Chemical Weapons

The "Syria has used chemical weapons" story seems very similar to the "Iraq has WMD story". The war hawks beat the war drums, the talk of the evidence begins to appear, and finally, off we go to Get-Our-War-On.

This started with a steady beat from the war hawks to do something in Syria. Obama resisted preferring to wait for certain lines to be crossed before we would become more involved. Then there were reports that the Syrian government had used chemical weapons. These were never confirmed and the UN even suggested that it was the rebels, the side we support, who could have been responsible. Finally, it was decided we should wait for more evidence.

Obama went on record that chemical weapons use was a line that couldn't be crossed. The war media beat its drum and eventually, the American people agreed, with only about one-third in favor of getting more involved if chemical weapons have not been used but doubling to about two-thirds in favor of action if chemical weapons are used.

Polls show US support involvement if chemical weapons are used.

Now the US and Britain are saying they have proof. Send More guns. We have proof.

Russia doesn't agree but in the US public's eye, Russia is an enemy and their statement only enforces the view that something is going on and we should get involved.

These people don't agree: Chemical Weapons Experts

“In a world where even the secret execution of Saddam Hussein was taped by someone, it doesn’t make sense that we don’t see videos, that we don’t see photos, showing bodies of the dead, and the reddened faces and the bluish extremities of the affected,” he said. 

Other experts said that while they were willing to give the U.S. intelligence community the benefit of the doubt, the Obama administration has yet to offer details of what evidence it has and how it obtained it.

Also from the above...(emphasis mine)

“Ultimately, without more information, we are left with the need to trust the integrity of the U.S. intelligence community in arriving at its ‘high confidence’ judgment,” Greg Thielmann, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Arms Control Association

Read more here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/06/14/194016/chemical-weapons-experts-still.html#storylink=cpy

I don't know about you, but "trusting the integrity of the US intelligence community" is not something that comes easy given the Iraq WMD fiasco and the recent NSA lying/snooping allegations.

Read more here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/06/14/194016/chemical-weapons-experts-still.html#storylink=cpy

This sounds to me like we're being led down the same "Iraq had WMD" path with the only difference being that the administration doesn't appear to be leading the charge quite like the Bush regime. The Obama regime is either being pushed along or is just better at manipulating the image. Either way, I think another large group of Muslims are about to begin to "Hate us for our Freedoms".

tnb