Obama Fiddled While Syria Burned...Now He Wants to Help

In a move that would significantly boost US support to Syrian rebels who have long sought military help in their quest to oust President Bashar al-Assad, the White House may soon sign off on a project to train and equip 'moderate' rebel forces. President Barack Obama is weighing sending a limited number of American troops to Jordan to be part of a regional tactical and counterterrorism operations training mission that would instruct carefully vetted members of the Free Syrian Army, according to administration officials, who say that Obama has not yet given final approval for the initiative and said there is still internal discussion about its merits and potential risks. However, the State Department, Pentagon and US intelligence community, and many in Congress who back the move, have concluded al-Assad will not budge without a change in the military situation on the ground, according to the officials. In addition, there are growing fears about the threat posed by al-Qaida-linked and-inspired extremists fighting in Syria, the officials said. The Senate Armed Services Committee last week passed a defense bill that authorizes the Defense Department to provide training and equipment to vetted elements of the Syrian opposition. The US already has covert aid in place and has spent $287 million so far in nonlethal aid on the civil war, now in its fourth year. For three years, rebel commanders have been asking the US for lethal assistance as they've watched their gains being wiped out one after another, but the US has been reluctant to move to that kind of aid for fear weapons could end up in the hands of extremist rebels who might then turn on neighboring Israel or against US interests. State Department spokesperson Jan Psaki told reporters that an array of options to support moderate al-Assad foes remained under consideration, saying that the US views Syria as a counterterrorism situation. If Obama okays the training program, America would lead the effort but would be joined by regional countries already active in assisting the rebels, including Turkey, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. Saudi cooperation is critical and has been a topic of conversation between Washington and Riyadh, including Obama and Saudi King Abdullah, in recent weeks, the officials said. High-level discussions are ongoing between the United States and Jordan, including King Abdullah's meeting with Secretary of State John Kerry in Washington and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel's meeting with the King in Amman. Over the weekend, Jordan expelled the Syrian ambassador as part of what is planned to be an escalation in the effort to isolate al-Assad, who is running for re-election in a June vote that the US and its allies have condemned as a farce. The US currently has roughly 1,500 military troops in Jordan, in addition to the approximately 6,000 that recently arrived there for a limited time to participate in the annual Eager Lion military exercise. Eager Lion 2014 includes members of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines, as well as US ships and aircraft. The exercise started this past weekend. Last year, after Eager Lion 2013 finished, the US left a detachment of F-16 fighter jets and a Patriot missile battery there and about 1,000 personnel associated with the aircraft and the missile system. There also is a staff of about 400 US military in Jordan and there were troops there to assist the Jordanians with chemical weapons training. The last session was in April and another is scheduled for June. ~~~~~ But the official State and Defense Department remarks may not tell the entire story because an American PBS documentary features interviews by journalist Muhammad Ali with Syrian rebels presented as members of a “moderate faction” who describe a clandestine meeting with their “American handlers” in Turkey, along with the receiving of weapons and ammunition and their subsequent travel to Qatar for training at a Qatar base, said to be on the border with Saudi Arabia. The rebels allegedly received three weeks of training in the use of sophisticated weapons and fighting techniques, and also received new uniforms and boots. “They trained us to ambush regime or enemy vehicles and cut off the road,” a fighter identified only as 'Hussein' told Ali. “They also trained us on how to attack a vehicle, raid it, retrieve information or weapons and munitions, and how to finish off soldiers still alive after an ambush,” masked rebel said. ~~~~~ And in the run-up to the farcical "re-election" of Bashar al-Assad as president of Syria, those Syrians living in Lebanon have descended on Beirut in the thousands, blocking roads and causing massive disturbznces. We might think they are protesting the election - but, no, they are voting for al-Assad, in part so that if al-Assad wins the civil war, their names will be recorded on his side - just one of the al-Assad regime's terrotist tactics. On Tuesday, Lebanese troops subdued a crowd of frenzied Syrian voters who tried to storm their embassy in Beirut to vote for President Bashar al-Assad, as non-resident balloting started. Lebanese troops beat back the crowd of Syrians and brought the situation under control on Wednesday. Anti-al-Assad rebels and their Western allies have labeled the election on June 5 a sham meant to bolster Bashar al-Assad's fake position of legitimacy. ~~~~~ Since the bad news about Syria never stops, we must also report that amud accusations that the al-Assad regime recently used chlorine gas against a rebel-held location, members of an international fact-finding mission into the alleged chlorine attacks in Syria were ambushed on Tuesday and briefly held by gunmen in rebel-held territory, the global chemical weapons watchdog said Wednesday. Releasing details of the violent attack on its inspectors a day earlier, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons said a joint OPCW-United Nations convoy was first hit by a roadside bomb and then sprayed by automatic gunfire as it headed toward Kfar Zeita, a rebel-held village in Hama province 200 kilometers (125 miles) north of Damascus. The attack came despite careful preparations for the trip with both the al-Assad regime and regional rebels, according to the OPCW. The group was allowed to return to Damascus, saying it would continue its work by closely monitoring the situation in Syria and using all possible means to collect information and data needed to establish the facts surrounding allegations that chlorine gas has been used in Syria," the OPCW said. Spokesmen for the Peace Prize-winning OPCW said the attack will not prevent it from "raising its voice against the cruelty of use of toxic chemicals to kill and harm indiscriminately." ~~~~~ Dear readers, 18 months ago it was already very late to provide what is now being called "lethal" aid to the Syrian rebels. Since the beginning of 2013, the rebel ranks have been infiltrated and taken over by jihadist-extremists. Further, the rebels, desperate for military material, originally welcomed the jihadists, who were their only source of help. Now, with the Syria Free Army driven out of Homs and back toward the Syrian northern borders, Barack Obama has apparently decided it is time to help the SFA and the rebel units on the ground by training them in counterterrorism operations and tactics. If Obama had acted promptly, counterterrorism would never have been an issue in Syria. But, having fiddled while Syria burned, Barack "Nero" Obama is now attempting to counter the terrorists that his inaction permitted to invade Syria. President Obama may tell West Point cadets that his foreign policy has been a perfect success -- but the horrific truth on the ground in Syria is Exhibit 'A' in the case against Barack Obama and his almost complete mismanagement of his responsibilities to protect the Middle East and the world. If having the best military in the world, as the President put it at West Point, is "a hammer," Barack Obama has failed miserably in not using it to hit al-Assad and save Syria.