Rumsfeld exerting pressure on Bush to launch military strike against Syria

[Whoa_Nelly]

Report: Rumsfeld exerting pressure on Bush to launch military strike against Syria

In a memo recently sent to the National Security Council (NSC), US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has said "terrorists", including Hizbullah members, "continue to cross the border from Syria to Iraq", contacting Shiite Muslims in the war-stricken country.

According to reports reaching Washington, "terror organizations" are still "operating in Syria - also by use of mobile phones and generators".

In the Pentagon, according to reports, there is mounting pressure in favor of aerial and pinpoint attacks against Syria.

Rumsfeld and the Pentagon's civilian echelon have been reportedly recommending the US leader to launch military action against Syria, in wake of Damascus' "continuous support of the Hizbullah and the opportunity it provides for terrorists to penetrate from its territories into Iraq".

more...
http://www.albawaba.com/news/index.php3?sid=268005&lang=e&dir=news

[BootinUp]

1. I believe that further aggression against

Arab countries at this time could be very very bad. We must try to solve these problems without bombs!

[cthrumatrix]

51. this could be "rovian idea" to show bush constraint -- we never know

becuase we can't trust this organization...period

[Democrats unite]

2. It's not close enough to the election yet.

eom.

[peterh]

23. Syria could be the diversion during the primaries…

You know….put something else on the front pages vs. attacks on the twit

Iran is for the election…..

[oldcoot]

24. I think that they will wait until after the election

Invading Syria before the election could cost them votes, especially if they have to bring back the draft.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

37. Nah, the election suprise is gonna be Bin Laden... this Syria thing

will work for the silly primaries... a few bombs... what the hell, we are already over there, right? </sarcasm>

[PennyLane]

41. Bin Laden

You're right. He'll pull that rabbit out of his hat in October.

[worldgonekrazy]

42. I think an attack on Syria would scare Americans into voting AGAINST *

Sort of like a collective "oh jesus, these fuckers are crazy" reaction.

Then again, the BFEE seems to know a lot more about controlling people via fear than I do.

[Just Me]

46. Although the propaganda has not yet been ignited,...

,...they have "arguably" already acquired the "relative" congressional approval to go forward in taking military action against Syria. I believe they will continue to stick with their ideological PNAC map. They have thus far and have gotten away with the most horrendous violations of their constitutional duties to the American. Why would they stop now?

[fjc]

49. touche

[BigBigBear]

3. Weeeeee !!!!!

"That was fun, Daddy, Can we go again? Please please please...?"

[rooboy]

4. And if Syria threatens to unload its arsenal on Tel Aviv???

what will you take Rummy... the money or the box ???

[daleo]

5. Mobile phones of Mass Destruction

Well, they can be irritating, but hardly a cause for war. Rummy's mental condition continues to deteriorate. Of course there was Perle and Frum going on like this a short while ago, so perhaps the PNAC choir is ready for another chorus.

[dudeness]

8. are generators WMDs??

lol..

[Nihil]

43. Only the mobile ones in CIA photos!

[truth2power]

13. Rummy's mental condition

"Rummy's mental condition continues to deteriorate." Spot-on, Daleo. Rummy cannot possibly be sane.

[Zhade]

22. Secretary of Offense Skeletor - one of the most evil fucks I've ever seen.

Pure, unadulterated evil, that traitor.

[0007]

29. Let's pray for the 'old Rummy to come home to us, 'eh?

Perhaps that Stern guy can take Rummy down to the creak and hit him in the head with a rock.

[arcane1]

6. but, but, I thought invading Iraq "sent a message" to the other countries!

Did they not get the message? Or maybe there was no goddamned message to begin with, Rummy? :shrug:

[monobrau]

7. Rove will scratch that

Ain't gonna happen before the election.

[DoYouEverWonder]

12. I don't know. Perle and Sharon are really itching

to finish this little operation up and if their puppet falls apart and loses the election, they'll never get another chance.

[mrdmk]

52. The problem is Sharon may be out of a job also

Sharon is losing popularity at home. Sharon who has been around for a long time (not mention in charge of a lot of the wars dating back to the 1970's) is not having fun with an election scam (his own doing) and his military telling him his policies are destructive and not working. The reason Sharon came into power after two Prime Ministers made some real attempts at peace. Yitzhak Rabin who signed a peace agreement with Jordan was assassinated by a right wing Israeli student in 1995. Then came Ehud Barak who also try is hand at peace, but failed to the point to where he resign in year 2000. Then came Sharon!

Yitzhak Rabin a brief history

http://reference.allrefer.com/encyclopedia/R/Rabin-Yi.html

Ehud Barak a brief history

http://reference.allrefer.com/encyclopedia/B/BarakE.html

Ariel Sharon a brief history

http://reference.allrefer.com/encyclopedia/S/Sharon-A.html


The reason for all of this is that Ariel Sharon is one of the main forces in the PNAC

http://www.newamericancentury.org/

http://www.crisispapers.org/Editorials/PNAC-Primer.htm


In truth, I have had some dealings with the media in Israeli and these people can be very difficult to deal with.

[tabasco]

9. Which legions will be sent to the provinces ?

New Rome needs more soldiers to occupy the provinces. Will we find mercenaries or will we order mandatory service for imperial citizens?

[Media_Lies_Daily]

26. How many U. S. troops will be required to keep the Homeland...

..."secure" once the revolution begins?

Oh, yeah...the draft will help solve that problem, won't it?

[ConcernedCanuk]

10. Hmm -troops in Iraq, and troops coming thru Turkey

.
.
. . Coincidence?

I think not

looking at the map

Turkey to the North, soon to be crawling with eager "heroes"

Iraq to the East, already full of "experienced" troops

The Mediterranean Sea to the West, are there still Carriers there ? Subs?

And that wee Nation, but with Nukes, to the South, Israel

And they still have acces to bases in Jordan too, no ?

so, Militarily speaking,

This would be the perfect time

Gawwwd,

looks bad . . . .

(sigh)

[mrdmk]

53. You have forgotten Afghanistan

That country is on the other side of Iran!

[54anickel]

11. What ever happened to that movement to have this idiot fired? Think it's

time to recirculate that petition. :grr:

[bobthedrummer]

14. It's PNAC

in action and and in words.

[fob]

15. Doesn't that go against one of their post-invasion reasons for war?

Fly-paper, people, fly-paper. They said one of the reasons for invading was to fight the terra'ists THERE instead of HERE. So if terra'ists are streaming into I-raq, THAT WAS PART OF THEIR PLAN(at least in a post-it's-happening-so-let's-make-it-a-part-of-the-plan-and-take-credit-for-it kinda way)!!

Rummy?

Rummy?

Calico cat got your tounge?

[ElementaryPenguin]

16. Dem candidates have to 'splain to 'murica that they aren't running against

That dumb looking, shit-eating grin wearing, dopey but well meaning Chimp they see smiling on Fox News 24/7 - they are running against the ruthless, murderous PNAC Mob!!!

:grr:

[amber dog democrat]

17. GOTT MITT UNS

in this holy crusade against the what evers....

If I am not mistaken, we are already over extended militarily on how many fronts?

But wtf, I thought there is no oil on Syria.

[DoYouEverWonder]

19. They happen to be in the way of Israel

and their oil that god put under the ground in Iraq.

[amber dog democrat]

20. oh, well then nuke em

that will learn them.

[mrdmk]

54. Bush Jr would like to, do not egg them on

Depleted Uranium works in the mean time and for a long time I might add

[bemildred]

18. A few comments.

1.) I always like secret US security stuff in ME news sources.
Gives me that warm puppy feeling about the quality of it.

2.) Might be a threat, intended to apply media pressure.

3.) Seems to be an admission that we cannot secure Iraq's borders.

4.) If they actually start bombing and apply sanctions, it might
be the start of softening the place up for more drastic action
down the road, like what was done to Iraq for 10 years.

5.) Fit's in with Dumbsfeld's propensity to solve messes by
making bigger messes.

6.) If I was Syria, and they started doing this sort of thing, the
first thing I would do is to line up all the clandestine support
I could muster for the Iraqi resistance. The best way for Syria
to protect itself is to keep Uncle Sugar tied up in Iraq.

7.) Smacks of Hitler's brilliant idea in WWII of attacking Russia.

[bobthedrummer]

21. Is the War on Terrorism the First Act of Permanent War?

The enemy="Terrorists"? More like a witch-hunt IMHO.

The war hysteria in some places is much higher than during the HUAC McCarthy era. Extreme RW enclaves in gated communities are one example of those that would espouse a doctrine of Permanent War.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

25. And the NeoCon "permanent war" will require a military draft....

...and it's coming to a draft board near you in 2005.

That also appears to be the approach the NeoCons will use to "solve" the issue of continued high unemployment.

If you're drafted into the military, then you don't count as being unemployed.

Along that same line of thought, the greater the number of people in the military, the lower the total number of people in the pool of those that are employed plus those that are unemployed.

Oh, those NeoCons! Crafty, ain't they?

And just where are they going to get all of the funding for the "permanent war", and the "stepped-up" space program? Are there any social programs remaining for the NeoCons to raid? Maybe they can cut some more funding to the States...

[bemildred]

28. Closer is that it is the new Cold War.

Combine The Drug War(tm), The War Against Terror(TWAT)(tm),
and the Race to Mars and The Moon Again(RNAMA)(tm) and
possibly there will be enough justification to keep bleeding
the world dry in the interests of the Military Industrial Complex.

[Minstrel Boy]

32. It's the war to end all wars, because

it will never end.

[BiggJawn]

27. Rumsferatu is hungry!

He needs BLOOD! NEW BLOOD!

I always thought Syria was gonna be stop #3 on the "Pnac World Tour '03-'06"

Maybe Rummy wants Saddam's daughters?

[goforit]

30. And watch the polls takea nose dive!!!

Imperialism run rampant!!!

[fabius]

31. Eagleberger said if Chimpy invaded another...

...country like Syria or Iran "he should be impeached".

At some point the powers that be will ditch Flightsuit Boy - may already be starting. He doesn't really dare do anything like this.

<edit> spelling

[Jack Rabbit]

33. I guess we can invade Syria

After all, there's still another half of the army combat divisions that aren't on occupation duty in Iraq. They can occupy Syria. Is that what you have in mind, Rummy?

[Barkley]

34. The New World Order: If You're Not Iraq or Afghan. You're Next!

Syria is a 'good' target:

1. Syria cannot strike back
2. Syria is pretty much defenseless
3. No disruption of oil flows
4. Sharon did it; so why can't Bush?
5. It will divide the Democratic Candidates
and unite Republicans.
6. What Better Way to Get the O'Neill Scandal Off the Headlines

[Oilwellian]

35. Where do you get your info from?

Syria is hardly defenseless and it would be no "cakewalk" if we attack them. The info below is old too. I can't imagine how much they've advanced since 1987.

<snip>
Army
In addition to being the largest, the army was the best equipped of the three services, with over 4,100 Soviet-built tanks (including 1,000 of the advanced T-72's) and a formidable air defense system of SAM batteries and myriad antiaircraft guns and artillery. In 1987, Syria was scheduled to receive 500 new Soviet SS-23 ballistic missiles with a range of 500 kilometers. Syria was also reported to have begun producing its own chemical weapons, including nerve gases, with the capability to use the chemical agents in missile warheads. The Air Defense Command, within the Army Command, but also composed of Air Force personnel, numbered approximately 60,000. It served in twenty air defense brigades (with approximately ninety-five SAM batteries) and two air defense regiments. The Air Defense Command had command access to interceptor aircraft and radar facilities. Air defenses included SA-5 long-range SAM batteries around Damascus and Aleppo, with additional SA-6 and SA-8 mobile SAM units deployed along Syria's side of the Lebanese border and in eastern Lebanon, and short-range SS-21 surface-to-surface missiles with conventional warheads. The 1,800-man Border Guard (sometimes designated as Desert Guard or Frontier Force) was also under Army Command and responsible for patrolling the nation's vast border areas (see table 11, Major Army Equipment, 1986, Appendix).

<snip>
Navy
In 1985 the navy consisted of approximately 4,000 regular and 2,500 reserve officers and men. The navy, lacking parity with the other services, was under the army's Latakia regional command. The fleet was based in the ports of Latakia, Baniyas, Minat al Bayda, and Tartus. Among the 41 vessel fleet were 2 or 3 Soviet submarines (including 2 Romeo-type diesel-electric submarines, transferred by the Soviet Navy in 1985), 22 missile attack craft (including 10 advanced Osa II missile boats), 2 submarine chasers, 4 mine warfare vessels, 8 gunboats, 6 patrol craft, 4 missile corvettes (on order), 3 landing craft (on order), 1 torpedo recovery vessel and, as part of its coastal defense system, Sepal shore-to-sea missiles with a range of 300 kilometers (see table 12, Major Navy Equipment, Appendix).

<snip>
Air Force
The Air Force, which was independent of Army Command, consisted of about 100,000 regular and 37,500 reserve officers and men. In 1985 its 9 fighter-ground attack squadrons and an estimated 15 interceptor squadrons totaled approximately 650 combat aircraft. Almost all combat planes were Sovietmanufactured and included 50 MiG-25 and MiG-25R (Foxbat) interceptors and nearly 200 MiG-23S/U (Flogger) and Su-17 FitterK ground-attack and multirole aircraft (see table 13, Major Air Force Equipment, Appendix). In 1986 there were reports that the Soviet Union had agreed to provide Syria at least two squadrons of the advanced supersonic MiG-29 Fulcrum fighter aircraft equipped with top-of-the-line avionics. The air force was equipped with approximately ninety attack helicopters of the Mi-24/Mi-25 Hind and SA-342 Gazelle types. As part of an effort to upgrade its command-and-control network, the air force was reported to have the Tu-126 (Moss) AWACS. Military airfields were located in Aleppo, Blay, Damascus (international), Damascus (Al Mazzah), Dayr az Zawr, Dumayr, As Suwayda, Hamah, Khalkhalah, Latakia, Nasiriyah, Tadmur, Sayqal, T-4 (located on the oil pipeline), and seven additional sites (see fig. 1).

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/sytoc.html

[Barkley]

36. Cruise Missiles "should do the trick".

By defenseless I meant vis-a-vis the U.S.

Syria's ballistic missiles (ss-21, ss-23) are offensive weapons.
which would be useless in defense.

The ballisitic could be used to target U.S. troops in Iraq or Kuwait but that would be suicidal.

Syria (and the Arab World) didn't respond militarily to Israel's attack which was clearly in their range and their right.

Syria's air defenses didn't/ couldn't stop Israel from carrying out its attack last year.

The Stealth bomber could get past most of Syria's air defenses (SA missiles) although I doubt the U.S. would risk using it.

I am not for using violence to further a political agenda.
But the U.S. has a history of attacking "defenseless nations" unilaterally.

1. Grenada
2. Panama
3. Sudan (Cruise Missiles in '98)
4. Afghanistan
5. Iraq

NB:
North Korea is not on this list

[NickB79]

50. We used up much of our high-tech munitions in Iraq

I recall reading of shortages of smart bombs and cruise missiles after the first month of the war in Iraq. I have no idea how long it would take to replenish those stocks, but I doubt we've already restocked sufficiently to pre-invasion levels.

"Syria's ballistic missiles (ss-21, ss-23) are offensive weapons.
which would be useless in defense."

If Syria was being invaded by US forces and knew their odds of surviving were so low, I don't doubt there would be quite a few high-ranking Syrian officials willing to launch their ballistic missiles (complete with the biological and chemical weapons we know they have) against Israel in a final jesture of resistance against the West. There is widely believed by most nations that Syria possesses chemical and biological weapons sufficient in size to wipe out hundreds of thousands of Israelis. The Israelis would then retaliate with nuclear warheads against Syria, and the entire Middle East would go up in flames as every Fundamentalist Muslim within a thousand miles takes up a jihad against Israel and the US. Even if Israel were somehow able to survive as a nation through use of nuclear weaponry, the entire region would be contaminated by radioactive fallout. The survivors, Israelis and Muslims alike, would suffer the health consequences for decades to come.

[PennyLane]

39. You Forgot..........

Syria borders Israel. Therefore land could be claimed to broker a
deal between Palestine and Israel. Thus making Bush look victorious and ensuring the Jewish vote in November.

[Blue_Roses]

47. I don't know about

"unite" the Republicans. There are some in the party, like Chuck Hagel, who still have some of their sanity left. And divide the Democrats? If there was anything that would unite them more, is this insane idea of invading Syria when we already have a catastrophe going in Iraq.

This would be political suicide.

[Rex]

38. Rummy is insane

What more needs to be said?

[PennyLane]

40. Yep

I watched him yesterday on C-Span trying to do damage control over
the O'Neil scandal. He treats journalist like shit. Mr. Charm!

[mrdmk]

55. Actully, Kissinger said Rumsfeld the most ruthless man he has ever met.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/2247256.stm

[morgan2]

44. they found some people from al qaida in buffalo

a while ago. I say we launch a military strike on that horrible rouge state known as New York.

[Bob3]

45. Another Viet Nam Brown Acid Flashback

The EXACT SAME argument was used before we went into Cambodia. It's almost word for word here.

Scary.

I suspect we are going but where in heaven's name we are going to get the troops from unless we end up using our tame Iraqis as cannon fodder is beyond me.

last thought: Great now I'm cold and depressed.

[davsand]

48. But!! Captured terra-ists TOLD us so!!!

So are they gonna trot out the tame OBL in October--all tanned from his loooovely US paid vacation to some tropical island--and have him SAY he's been in Syria? Are they gonna just DO it for a lark, in spite of the fact that Syria's army is a whole lot leaner and meaner than Saddam's leftovers?

Nah-they'll just say that captured terra-ists TOLD them Syria is an issue. This will be "high level" intel straight from the torture chambers at Gitmo...

I'm seriously starting to wonder if maybe Rummy isn't the madness behind the throne rather than Unca Dick.

Laura

[Ganja Ninja]

56. 87 Billion for Iraq, now Syria....

I thought we were going to the Moon and Mars? At this rate we'll have to go to mars when the rest of the planet finally gets fed up and drives us off the planet.

[Th1onein]

57. I see things are going according to the PNAC plan.