Not one but two op-eds today in the "liberal" Washington Post urge the U.S. to get involved militarily in Syria. Wow.
Columnist Richard Cohen's calling liberals against military intervention in Syria "cold-hearted" is like Charles Krauthammer calling conservatives a bunch of "bleeding hearts." That landed below the belt.
Well, now we see once again how the good ole' lib'rul media ain't so liberal when it comes to sending U.S. troops and weapons into Arab-Muslim countries. Then they're all blood & guts, John McCain style.
Let me repeat: Syria is not our country, it is a sovereign state. It hasn't attacked us. There are no UN resolutions allowing us to take military action there, legally. The U.S. Congress has not declared war on Syria. And it's a country filled with nasty people on all sides. Oh, and if we arm the other side, the first thing that will happen is the al-Qaeda affiliated Islamists will kill the other "liberal" rebels. Or they'll do so immediately after they (we) topple Assad.
Moreover, Russia really cares about Syria. They have a naval base there. It's their last position of power in the Mideast. They are willing to fight hard to keep Assad in power. Are we? Are we ready for a proxy war with Russia? What's in it for us? Nothing. This is not to mention Turkey, Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Jordan and other regional countries' interests there. The spillover potential is immense.
Significantly, Israel is taking a cautious approach to Syria in their own back yard. Although Assad is aligned with Iran and Iran-backed Hizballah, many Israelis favor Assad as "the devil we know," and according to Time, "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered government officials to keep mum about Syria." Of course Israel may just be waiting for the U.S. to make up its mind....
Don't let the media wear you down on Assad and Syria like they did with Saddam and Iraq! All this talk by liberal hawks about the U.S. "squandering its leadership" is just that -- talk. This is all France and Britain's fault, high off the toppling of Qaddafi in Libya, they thought they could make the same thing happen in Libya. Now it's their problem. Obama is absolutely right not to make it ours.
And finally, remember the "Pottery Barn rule:" the same chickenhawks typing at their Macs in Washington, DC today that we have no choice but to get involved in a war in Syria will be the same ones typing tomorrow that we have no choice but to take responsibility for Syria's nation-building, peacekeeping and anti-terrorist operations after Assad has been "taken out." I guaran-fucking-tee it. We've been there, done that, folks. Forget it!
If we really want to help, we can continue to aid Syrian refugees and send food, medicine and flak jackets to Syrians stuck inside.
By Richard Cohen
June 4, 2013 | Washington Post
By Michael Gerson
June 4, 2013 | Washington Post
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