In the Loop.
Chanting outside my office: “hands off Syria”!
Mr. Obama being the President has not prevented the lefties from protesting. It took a lot of provocation to get them out in force, but Mr. Obama has reached the tipping point with the full time protest community.
Glad they have principles.
It is weird to be in agreement with them.
I don’t like their style, but they are right about this one.
UPDATE:
I just signed the MoveOn Antiwar Petition! This may be my only chance to ever agree with them on something.
“I don’t like their style, but they are right about this one.”
Ah, but why are they against this war?
“Why are they against this war?”
Because it’s a war?
They are against all of them, from what I can tell — though they gave Mr. Obama a pass up to now.
I don’t care why, especially.
On Iraq I made the mistake of thinking, the Lefties are against it, that is strong evidence I should support the opposite course. Not always. This time I will not repeat that mistake.
It’s not principles. Code Pink, and a lot of groups like that, are very friendly with Iran.
If I’m deriving any kind of amusement out of this, it’s from watching John Francois Kerry squirm, as he tries to justify this adventure … given how he made his bones as an anti-war activist.
And just because my opinion regarding the Grand Syrian Adventure happens to coincide with that of Code Pink in this one instance, does not make them my newest bestest friends.
Unfortunately, you are on their mailing list now. Enjoy the deluge!
Pro-Iran, maybe so. Both sides are garbage. That is one reason we should stay out.
I am comparatively pro-Assad, by comparison to the “rebels” who will annihilate 2.5 million Christians in Syria if they win.
Not worried about emails from MoveOn.
Sgt Mom – it is funny isn’t. Still this hasn’t really agitated the Left like Iraq.
I think if Bush had been Prez now they would be out in full force.
Lexinton Green in agreement with moveon.org
I am wondering if my prescription is the right dosage.
“Code Pink, and a lot of groups like that, are very friendly with Iran.”
Yes, much as most “anti-war” leftists would never oppose a war waged by leftists. I’ve known many such leftists, and although they posed as anti-war, questioning always revealed that what they really were against was any war waged in opposition to any leftist regime or insurgency.
Pst314, that is the point. They ARE opposing a war which Mr. Obama is proposing to wage.
Further, by doing so, they strip him of the political utility of his punt to Congress. The goal, my WAG, was to be able to blame the Republicans no matter what happened. If the USA attacked Syria and it went badly, the GOP is at fault, they authorized it. If Congress refused to attack Syria, and the opposition was primarily GOP, then every drop of blood spilled in Syria becomes the GOP’s fault and Mr. Obama and his allies could beat them over the head with that forever.
By the Left actually mobilizing on this, it becomes harder to make this all about the GOP. Instead it appears to be a cross-party and even cross-ideology mass opposition to a US attack on Syria.
Politically, for him, this is a bad time for Mr. Obama’s allies to break ranks.
But, the facts are what they are here and we must draw the necessary conclusion: Some antiwar protesters do have principles really are antiwar, not just anti-Republican.
Yep, eventually – after I got involved with Vietnamese refugee resettlement in 1975, I figured out that Buffy St. Marie was one of those principled anti-Vietnam-War protestors. She at least had the grace to make a fuss over it all. Much good it did her with her former anti-war crowd friends, but at least I think she could sleep peacefully at night after 1975.
Joan Baez also admitted that the Cambodia genocide was a consequence of the anti-war left in Vietnam.
I can see nothing good that will come from an Obama attack on Syria. He is promising it will be useless.
Exactly … you know, at this late date, I can’t remember if it was Buffy or Joan who got all huffy about the treatment of the South Vietnamese or the Cambodians, after we tossed it in and got out of there.
It was one of those long-haired, guitar-strumming-lets-all-be-friends-an-brothers anti-war folk-singing icons, anyway. After they got a good look in at the wreckage left behind, they had the grace to be ashamed, anyway.
After all this time, I am still inclined to look at them and ask, “Well, what did you really expect? (you clueless farking idiot!?)
Oh, and it looks like this post has got a link from Insty. Batten down the hatches, even if it is a weekend.
Also 3-5 large gay rainbow flags in that protest when I passed by and some professionally made protest placards as well. I don’t know about you guys, but I have a distinct feeling that the protest is just a political theater for the benefit of the masses and not for the well informed.
What worries me is not the useless demonstration Obama has promised. His credibility has been gone for years. I worry that he is enough of a fool to do something to set off the powder keg. He is capable of that really useless gesture.
I think that this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody’s part.
That’s what worries me and he’s just the guy to do it.
We have to bomb Syria in order to save it. That idea produce what Wiki calls the My Lai Massacre. John Kerry opposed My Lai. But now John Kerry supports it. Totally.
Supporting the President in Syria will not give us a President who has any desire to stop Russia from rebuilding a bigger Soviet Union. Nor will Obama stop China from rebuilding the Empire of the Qin and reclaiming total control of the Near Sea and all the islands it contains. Nor will he stop Islamic expansion and elimination of non-belivers and their false gods.
He is killing the Pax Americana. Now every country needs the old equalizer.
Anti-establishment? Counter culture? Who, meee?
OK…here goes…
aaand it’s 1…2…3…what are we fightin’ forrr?
Gerry, it does take some getting used to … .
Gerry – you crack me up. A blast from the past!
I’ll bring some bongos, Birkenstocks, get out my Greatful Dead tie-dyed shirt and head for the Loop.
So far, we are “The Chicago 2”.
With Lex, 3.
Any others?
Any bets on how long it takes for the anti-war protesters to get audited by the IRS?
Grey Eagle: Nor will he stop Islamic expansion and elimination of non-belivers and their false gods.
This seems to be a curious supporting trend (?) on the part of American leftists. Encouraged by 0’s childhood upbringing of late, no doubt. Islam is just a valid, reasonable, and nurturing as Christianity, don’t you know.
The activists supporting the atavists.
Hey, hey, ho, ho, Barack Obama has got to go!
It seems to me that our (USA) interests align with keeping Assad in power and avoiding another brick in the kaliphate wall. Apparently the lives and human rights of Syria’s non-muslims are better served also in not aiding the rebels (domestic terrorists?).
Next time, Gary Cooper for President! (Gary was kind of tight-lipped about things, you see, without a lot of loud-mouthed hubris.)
Ajacksonian..”Any bets on how long it takes for the anti-war protesters to get audited by the IRS?”
These IRS officials are in a position sort of like that of Stalin’s secret policemen…they have to guess exactly which individuals and groups fall under the shifting definition of “enemies” at any particular instant in time. Although the penalty for being wrong is a little lighter in the case of the IRS operatives: just your career, not your life.
Actually so far he’s not gone to war has he?
And saved unknown number of American lives doing so.
His eating of crow the last 8 days is saving lives. Also he deftly Castled to Congress. More than punt.
We seem to operate on the Principal the President is Dictator.
What if he’s only Imperial in the sense of Chess, and he Castled to save lives? Then he deserves credit.
Kerry is the Kept Woman of the Gulf Arabs. A role he’s suited to…
9 Questions on Syria
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/08/29/9-questions-about-syria-you-were-too-embarrassed-to-ask/?hpid=z10
VXXC Says, 10:43 am —
Actually so far he’s not gone to war has he?
And saved unknown number of American lives doing so.
dot dot dot
Then he deserves credit.
—–
Credit only because for him, his privileged arse is more important than those of untold Syrians and Americans.
Re. “9 Questions on Syria” (Bill Brandt’s comment above): Max Fisher’s 7th question makes a presumption that is far from fact (no matter what proclamations are made from on high); ie, “It’s true that basically no one believes that this will turn the tide of the Syrian war. But this is important: it’s not supposed to.”
It’s a foot in the door….a start.
Kerry is the Kept Woman of the Gulf Arabs. A role he’s suited to”¦
Kerry is the b**tch of whomever is holding the purse strings at any given moment.
If Barry orders the military to attack Stria, the longer he waits, the larger the risk of Syrian civilian and our military casualties, the less the weapons effects and the greater and more coordinated the counter actions by Syria, Iran, Russia, and the terrorists. I’m not saying he should have struck, but if he wanted an effective, limited strike, it was more likely with a quick response and unannounced. If you didn’t want to actually change the balance, just take out Assad’s many palaces. I give Barry NO credit for saving American lives either up to this point or especially in the short and long run here on out.
The time when this attack might have had acceptable risks, regardless of the dubious benefits, is past. Even though Barry had declared the “red line”, there were no real plans for military action and precious few assets in place that could have executed any such plans. Can not fault the military for most of that because apparently there have been numerous prior crossings of the ‘red line” with no POTUS interest in any consequences. Apparently it was the actual news coverage that got his hair up. Perhaps he actually learned about it by reading it in the Washington and Huffington Posts.
I really suspect he doesn’t really want to make this strike on his own decision so he decided to go after ally support then congressional support. I don’t think he cares if there is any tangible effect on chemical or nuclear weapons development or use. His initial anger and personal embarrassment from being called out gave way to the reality that he was standing alone, naked for the paper tiger he his. The secondary advantage he gets from all of this drama is that it takes all his other problems off the table. When they are resurrected, they will truly be old news.
Mike
Jezzy – I think he was the model for which the movie “American Gigolo” was made – for countries and women
tyouth
It seems to me that our (USA) interests align with keeping Assad in power and avoiding another brick in the kaliphate wall. Apparently the lives and human rights of Syria’s non-muslims are better served also in not aiding the rebels (domestic terrorists?
Except that Assad is a tool for Hezbollah and Iran- neither of whom are our friends. Which reminds me of what Kissinger said about the Iran-Iraq war: “I hope they both lose.”
Right Gringo. Assad is the lesser of two evils. His rule, his regime, (as far as I know) lacks a codifying basis and is secular in it’s motivations. Survival and perpetuation of his party’s rule is the baseline. We assume that the opposition has (or probably will have, in the event of their success) tenets of so-called “radical Islam” as their guiding light.
I imagine that the Iran-Syria alliance is strictly one of convenience (my enemy=your enemy and a buffer area) and not an alliance of principle.