Why Supplying Weapons To The 'Right Side' In Syria Will Be Difficult

Reuters

What John McCain Doesn’t Know -- Joe Klein, Time

Senator McCain made a well-publicized trip to Syria and may have posed with extremist kidnappers.

I don’t blame McCain for this. It’s hard to advance a trip into rebel territory. A few years ago, McCain made a well-publicized walk through a Baghdad market, didn’t get shot at, and pronounced major progress in Iraq afterward. A few weeks later, I made the same walk but actually spoke to the shopkeepers—all of whom were supporters of Muqtada al-Sadr, the Shi’ite militia leader.

The point is: We just don’t know these places well enough to go over and draw grand conclusions about policy. In a way, McCain’s trip is a perfect metaphor for the problem of involving ourselves with the Syrian rebels. We may be siding with the greater evil. We may be throwing fuel on a fire that could consume the region. Our track record when it comes to such things is dismal.

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My Comment: U.S. Sen. John McCain is insisting that supplying weapons to the right people in Syria is possible .... and morally right. But the above Time article does put into question if such a feat is possible .... and is that morally right. In all fairness the office of US Senator John McCain is disputing this Time article .... but even they are acknowledging that they are not sure of who it was that the Senator was posing with.

US Senator McCain's 'Secret' Trip To Syria -- News Roundup

 

White House "Aware" McCain Met With Syrian Rebels Before Trip -- CBS 

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who sneaked into Syria from Turkey Monday to meet with Syrian rebel leaders, told the White House about his planned meetings, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said Tuesday.

"We were aware, of course, that Senator McCain was going to make this trip," Carney told reporters.

When asked if the White House asked McCain to relay a message to the rebel leaders, Carney deferred all questions to McCain's office.

"We look forward to speaking with Senator McCain upon his return to learn more about the trip," Carney said, adding, "We tend to refer members of Congress... to take questions about their visits abroad."

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More News On US Senator McCain's 'Secret' Trip To Syria  

White House was aware of McCain's trip to Syria in advance -- Reuters
White House was aware of McCain’s Syria trip -- MSNBC
White House had heads up on McCain's Syria trip -- CNN
White House knew of John McCain's Syria trip -- Politico
McCain Makes Surprise Trip to Visit Syrian Rebels -- ABC News/AP
McCain slips into Syria to meet with rebel leaders -- NBC
Sen. McCain makes trip to Syria to visit rebels -- New York Daily News
Syrian Opposition Welcomes US Senator McCain's Visit with Rebels -- Voice of America
Who knew about McCain's secret trip to Syria? -- John Hudson, The Cable/Foreign Policy
Secret diplomacy: Why did McCain go to Syria? -- Aliyah Frumin, MSNBC  

My Comment: US Sen. John McCain is trying to make the case that the U.S. should get actively involved in Syria's civil war. Fortunately .... the White House is not of the same mind .... for now.

US Senator McCain Meets Rebel Leaders In Syria -- News Roundup

In Secret Trip To Syria, McCain Hears Rebels’ Pleas For Help -- Washington Times

As international discussions on Syria’s civil war loom, Sen. John McCain, an open critic of the Obama administration’s approach to the civil war, on Monday became the highest-ranking U.S. official to slip into Syria and meet with the forces seeking to overthrow the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

In a surprise visit, the Arizona Republican and former presidential candidate entered war-torn Syria through Turkey and participated in a meeting with leaders of the Free Syrian Army.

The Obama administration’s caution in the face of the Syrian crisis was challenged on two other fronts Monday, with an account by a French newspaper of chemical weapons use in Syria and the announcement late in the day that the European Union had agreed to lift its arms embargo for the Syrian rebels while maintaining the ban on arms sales to the Assad regime.

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More News On US Senator McCain Meeting Rebel Leaders In Syria

John McCain visits rebel leaders in Syria -- The Guardian
John McCain slips into Syria to meet rebels -- The Telegraph
McCain sneaks across Turkey-Syria border, meets with rebels -- CBS/AP
McCain Meets Rebel Leaders in Border Zone -- Wall Street Journal
Exclusive: John McCain Slips Across Border Into Syria, Meets With Rebels -- Daily Beast
Senator McCain met with rebels in Syria on Monday: spokesman - Reuters
McCain meets with rebel leaders in Syria -- The Hill
Syria conflict: US Senator John McCain visits rebels -- BBC
McCain sneaks across Turkey-Syrian border, meets with rebels -- CBS/AP
John McCain in Syria, meets rebels -- Politico
McCain visits rebels in Syria -- CNN
Syrian Rebels Told John McCain About Assad's Chemical Weapons Use -- Atlantic Wire

First Published Picture Of US Senator McCain Meeting Rebel Commanders In Syria

(Click on Image to Enlarge)

WNU Editor: From Al Jazeera .... This picture of Senator John McCain in Syria was posted on Instagram by user soccermouaz, who appears to the right in the picture.

More News On US Senator John MacCain Meeting Rebel Commanders In Syria

Exclusive: John McCain Slips Across Border Into Syria, Meets With Rebels -- Daily Beast
Senator McCain met with rebels in Syria on Monday: spokesman - Reuters
McCain meets with rebel leaders in Syria -- The Hill
Syria conflict: US Senator John McCain visits rebels -- BBC
McCain sneaks across Turkey-Syrian border, meets with rebels -- CBS/AP
John McCain in Syria, meets rebels -- Politico
McCain visits rebels in Syria -- CNN
Syrian Rebels Told John McCain About Assad's Chemical Weapons Use -- Atlantic Wire

Breaking News: U.S. Senator John McCain Meets Rebels In Syria

Exclusive: John McCain Slips Across Border Into Syria, Meets With Rebels -- Daily Beast 

The leaders of the Supreme Military Council of the Free Syrian Army told the senator they want the U.S. to provide arms, a no-fly zone, and strikes on Hezbollah.

Josh Rogin reports. Sen. John McCain Monday became the highest-ranking U.S. official to enter Syria since the bloody civil war there began over two years ago, The Daily Beast has learned.

McCain, one of the fiercest critics of the Obama administration’s Syria policy, made the unannounced visit across the Turkey-Syria border with Gen. Salem Idris, the leader of the Supreme Military Council of the Free Syrian Army. He stayed in the country for several hours before returning to Turkey. Both in Syria and Turkey, McCain and Idris met with assembled leaders of Free Syrian Army units that traveled from around the country to see the U.S. senator. Inside those meetings, rebel leaders called on the United States to step up its support to the Syrian armed opposition and provide them with heavy weapons, a no-fly zone, and airstrikes on the Syrian regime and the forces of Hezbollah, which is increasingly active in Syria.

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More News On U.S. Senator John McCain Meeting Rebels In Syria  

John McCain in Syria, meets rebels -- Politico
McCain visits rebels in Syria -- CNN
Syrian Rebels Told John McCain About Assad's Chemical Weapons Use -- Atlantic Wire

My Comment: I am not a supporter of U.S. Senator John McCain, but I do respect his determination to go into situations for news and information that you just cannot gleam from a Senate committee hearing or from an intelligence briefing. I pray for his safe return home.

U.S. Republican Senator McCain On President Obama's CIA Director And US Defense Secretary Nominations

U.S. Senator John McCain (D-AZ) questions former U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel (Not Pictured) during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Hagel's nomination to be Defense Secretary, on Capitol Hill in Washington, January 31, 2013. REUTERS/Larry Downing

Republican Senator McCain Says Hagel "Not Qualified" As Defense Secretary -- Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican Senator John McCain on Sunday said his former colleague Chuck Hagel was not qualified to be U.S. defense secretary but the Senate would likely vote on his nomination rather than hold it up with procedural hurdles.

Before going on a weeklong recess, Republican lawmakers succeeded in delaying a Senate vote on Hagel's nomination earlier this month. Hagel is expected to win confirmation if a vote is held because Democrats control 55 votes in the 100-seat Senate.

"I do not believe that Chuck Hagel, who is a friend of mine, is qualified to be secretary of defense," McCain of Arizona said on CNN's "State of the Union" show.

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Update: McCain renews threat to hold up Brennan confirmation to CIA post -- Washington Post

My Comment: He clearly is not a fan of President Obama.

U.S. Senator Compares Iran's President To A Monkey

Photo: John McCain. Wikipedia

McCain Calls Iran's President A Monkey, Tells People To "Lighten Up" -- CBS

It's not a lot to ask - Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., just wants everyone to "lighten up" and enjoy his joke about Iran's president being a monkey.

Responding to reports that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is ready and willing to suit up his astronaut gear to help his country reach its goal of achieving a manned space flight, the notoriously candid McCain wrote on Twitter this morning:

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Update #1: McCain compares Iranian leader to monkey; draws GOP charge of racism -- NBC
Update #2: McCain tweet comparing Iranian president to monkey draws criticism -- Washington Post/AP

My Comment: I do not know which is more silly .... US Senator McCain's tweets .... or this story.

Senator McCain's twitter account is here.

McCain Repeats False Claim That Sept. 11 Hijackers Entered U.S. From Canada

From FOX News:

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., makes the dubious claim that Sept. 11 hijackers entered the United States through Canada -- just days after Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano came under fire for saying the same thing.

Arizona Sen. John McCain made the dubious claim Friday that Sept. 11 hijackers entered the United States through Canada -- just days after Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, the former governor of Arizona, said the same thing.

Napolitano retracted her claim on Thursday after Canadian officials chided her for the remark, calling it an unfortunate misconception. Napolitano admitted Thursday that she made a mistake -- since the 9/11 Commission concluded that the hijackers entered the U.S. from overseas.

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My Comment: As a Canadian, I am getting very tired of this false claim .... that the 9/11 hijackers came to the U.S. via Canada. I sometimes wonder what is in the minds of U.S. public officials. Are they ignorant or (fill in the blank).

McCain Warns Of Losing Fragile Gains In Iraq

Senator McCain in Iraq (Photo from Political Base)

From MSNBC/AP:

Obama administration finalizing details to withdraw most troops by 2010.

WASHINGTON - Republican Sen. John McCain said Wednesday that security gains in Iraq could be lost if the new administration pulls troops out too quickly, but did not immediately dismiss the feasibility of President Barack Obama's 19-month timeframe.

The administration was finalizing details this week on a plan that would withdraw most of the 142,000 U.S. troops in Iraq by August 2010. The proposal would leave as many as 50,000 troops behind to advise and train Iraqi security forces and to protect U.S. interests.

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My Comment: Sen. McCain has a point. He of all people knows that Iraq can easily fall back into sectarian conflict.

John McCain: Winning the War in Afghanistan

US Republican presidential candidate Senator John McCain (R-AZ) stands with Major Gordon Hilbun (R), McCain's vehicle commander in Haditha, Iraq, on March 16, 2008. Picture taken March 16, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

From Small Wars Journal:

U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) today made the following remarks to the American Enterprise Institute on Winning the War in Afghanistan:

More than three years ago, I spoke at AEI about the war in Iraq. At that time, conditions on the ground were going from bad to worse. Violence had accelerated out of control, al Qaeda had firmly entrenched itself in Anbar province, and Iranian-backed Shia militias had taken control of large swaths of Baghdad and southern Iraq. The Iraqi government and its security forces appeared hopelessly corrupt, sectarian, ineffective, and unable to break the cycle of reciprocal violence fueled by Sunni and Shiite extremists. The Bush administration continued to pursue a failed war strategy—despite mounting evidence of its catastrophic consequences. More and more Americans, members of Congress and opinion leaders wondered whether the war in Iraq could ever be won, or whether it was already lost.

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My Comment: In a nutshell .... Senator McCain is telling us that we are losing in Afghanistan. A point in which I am in agreement with.

For everyone's info, The Armchair Generalist has a good post that examines the options for Afghanistan. The link is here.