Donald Trump's decision to launch cruise missile strikes on a Syrian Air Force Base was based on a lie. In the coming days the American people will learn that the Intelligence Community knew that Syria did not drop a military chemical weapon on innocent civilians in Idlib. Here is what happened:
- The Russians briefed the United States on the proposed target. This is a process that started more than two months ago. There is a dedicated phone line that is being used to coordinate and deconflict (i.e., prevent US and Russian air assets from shooting at each other) the upcoming operation.
- The United States was fully briefed on the fact that there was a target in Idlib that the Russians believes was a weapons/explosives depot for Islamic rebels.
- The Syrian Air Force hit the target with conventional weapons. All involved expected to see a massive secondary explosion. That did not happen. Instead, smoke, chemical smoke, began billowing from the site. It turns out that the Islamic rebels used that site to store chemicals, not sarin, that were deadly. The chemicals included organic phosphates and chlorine and they followed the wind and killed civilians.
- There was a strong wind blowing that day and the cloud was driven to a nearby village and caused casualties.
- We know it was not sarin. How? Very simple. The so-called "first responders" handled the victims without gloves. If this had been sarin they would have died. Sarin on the skin will kill you. How do I know? I went through "Live Agent" training at Fort McClellan in Alabama.
There are members of the U.S. military who were aware this strike would occur and it was recorded. There is a film record. At least the Defense Intelligence Agency knows that this was not a chemical weapon attack. In fact, Syrian military chemical weapons were destroyed with the help of Russia.
This is Gulf of Tonkin 2. How ironic. Donald Trump correctly castigated George W. Bush for launching an unprovoked, unjustified attack on Iraq in 2003. Now we have President Donald Trump doing the same damn thing. Worse in fact. Because the intelligence community had information showing that there was no chemical weapon launched by the Syrian Air Force.
Here's the good news. The Russians and Syrians were informed, or at least were aware, that the attack was coming. They were able to remove a large number of their assets. The base the United States hit was something of a backwater. Donald Trump gets to pretend that he is a tough guy. He is not. He is a fool.
This attack was violation of international law. Donald Trump authorized an unjustified attack on a sovereign country. What is even more disturbing is that people like Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, CIA Director Mike Pompeo and NSA Director General McMaster went along with this charade. Front line troops know the truth. These facts will eventually come out. Donald Trump will most likely not finish his term as President. He will be impeached, I believe, once Congress is presented with irrefutable proof that he ignored and rejected intelligence that did not support the myth that Syria attacked with chemical weapons.
It should also alarm American taxpayers that we launched $100 million dollars of missiles to blow up sand and camel shit. The Russians were aware that a strike was coming. I'm hoping that they and the Syrians withdrew their forces and aircraft from the base. Whatever hope I had that Donald Trump would be a new kind of President, that hope is extinguished. He is a child and a moron. He committed an act of war without justification. But the fault is not his alone. Those who sit atop the NSC, the DOD, the CIA, the Department of State should have resigned in protest. They did not. They are complicit in a war crime.
From all accounts, a number of Syrian personal were killed and injured.
I have just had a bit of a skim through this article at Reuters.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-instant-idUSKBN17909I
I could not read right through it. US is a criminal state. If the elected representatives in the US think Trump will destroy Syria for the jihadi’s, Trump will not be impeached.
The US on well on the way to being destroyed, the same as nazi Germany was destroyed. The neo-cons will not stop until they have won or are destroyed.
Dear Tacitus, if your points 1 and 2 are correct, couldn’t then it be possible that the someone in the US actually warned some rebel groups on the ground, so that they could deliver and store chemicals if not crude chemical weapons on the spot, knowing it would be blown off in the next few days? Basically, that someone clued them in so that they could stage a false-flag chemical attack, to force Trump’s hand?
That might be treason or close to it, but there have been plenty of (nearly-)treasonous acts from US officials in the last 6 months…
On the contrary PT, I believe Donald Trump acted very smartly. He knows he has been unable to take control of the administration from the neocons. Given the force of the attack against him, he has had to make a few sacrifices along the way (Flynn, Bannon) to save himself. This is another sacrifice – hitting a way out Syrian airbase which doesn’t really affect the progress of the war much – to deflect/absorb the attack of the neocons.
The neocons will probably now lessen their attack on Trump. At least, that’s what he hopes for. I think time is a friend of Trump and an enemy for the neocons. With time, Trump will be able to take control of the administrative machinery and put his own people in place. Till then however, they have to play guerrilla tactics. I assume the neocons slow/stop their attack on Trump after this missile attack. Putin will understand that this is a necessary sacrifice and won’t blow his top. Unless he makes these sacrifices, Trump will himself be sacrificed and he is just playing for time here.
Given Trump’s previous history of seeing through propaganda, I don’t believe he was foolish enough to be taken by this blatant false flag. He understands. But then everyone believes him to be a fool, which makes his job of being taken in much easier.
My 2c, probably based more on hope than anything else. But as more details come out, we will become surer of what damage the SAA sustained.
Trump should have stuck with Bannon. He’s the brains.
I haven’t seen any evidence yet that McMaster, Mattis and Pompeo are any better than the standard DC and Pentagon types who rise to the top, certainly the latter two worry me.
Trump’s base certainly seem disgusted, lets see if more happens. Very sad really, I realised all Trump’s flaws but he was the first to talk sense on both immigration and foreign policy and I never thought Rand Paul could actually win it.
I notice Putin rebuked Netanyahoo again yesterday. I do agree this was all orchestrated to push Trump’s buttons as described by Scott Adams.
http://blog.dilbert.com/post/159264981001/the-syrian-gas-attack-persuasion
Who knew that when Obama elected a Republican Congress by enacting Obamacare that he would create the downfall of the Republican Party?
Repeal and replace? As dead as whoever was at that airbase. Illegal attacks on foreign countries is also dead. It will take some time to stop breathing. Same problem. No constituency.
Had repeal and replace been possible we’d be 59 Tomahawks richer. How ironic that a weapon used by native Americans should provide the moniker for the futility of the U.S.
He will be impeached, I believe, once Congress is presented with irrefutable proof that he ignored and rejected intelligence that did not support the myth that Syria attacked with chemical weapons.
Delusional nonsense, even though the analysis is sound.
“Russia suspends flight safety memorandum over Syria after US missile strike – Foreign Ministry”
https://www.rt.com/news/383837-russia-syria-flight-safety/
7 Apr, 2017 – 08:02
RT
Russia has suspended the memorandum of understanding on flight safety in Syria with the United States amid [in the wake of?] the US missile strike on Syria’s Shayrat military airfield, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry’s statement.
“Without bothering to investigate anything, the US went forward with a demonstration of force, a military confrontation with a country that is fighting international terrorism,” the Foreign Ministry’s statement reads.
[…]
The Memorandum on air safety was signed in October 2015, after Russia came to Syria to fight international terrorism at the invitation of the country’s government. The document of understanding was designed to prevent possible mishaps between the Russian and US Air Forces operating independently in the region.
[…]
PT – Great report. Thank you.
PT – From earlier reports the Russians claimed they received no warning, the US says they did. If the following report is correct I am not sure the Russians were aware of the impeding strike — unless perhaps they received warning with only moments to spare and SAA couldn’t remove all the aircraft in time.
09:31 – 07.04.2017 (updated 11:26)
Sputnik
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201704071052388439-syria-shairat-planes-damage/
The Ash Sha’irat military airfield near Homs in Syria has been destroyed and its aircraft damaged in US missile strikes, the airfield staffer told Sputnik on Friday.
Syrian television reports that flames continue to engulf the airfield following the attack.
“All aircraft located there have been damaged, you can say it is completely destroyed,” the staffer said.
[…]
DETAILS TO FOLLOW
[END REPORT]
In thinking about this, the only groups within Syria to benefit from this attack are al Qaeda and ISIS. US government knows from the failed 500 million dollar pentagon train and equip program, that there are no moderate rebels in Syria.
Perhaps the US attack on Deir Ezzor could be passed off as a mistake, but not this.
Shayrat and T4 were the two air bases used against ISIS in the palmyra and Deir Ezzor regions.
It seems most of the infrastructure at Shayrat has been destroyed, along with a number of planes.
There is no getting around the fact that AQ and ISIS are the direct beneficiaries of this premeditated US strike.
Once you start paying Danegeld to the Borg it’s hard habit to quit.
My first thought was that the Russia smears have weakened him and he is bending under the pressure. But now, I’m not sure – he’s either a very good actor, or he really believes the baloney he is being fed.
That is pretty plausible. Getting halfway decent information on Syria is not easy.
It won’t come from the MSM. Perhaps there are some sceptical voices still in the State Department, US intelligence community or active service military.
Statement from the Russian FM
http://www.mid.ru/ru/press_service/spokesman/official_statement/-/asset_publisher/t2GCdmD8RNIr/content/id/2717798?p_p_id=101_INSTANCE_t2GCdmD8RNIr&_101_INSTANCE_t2GCdmD8RNIr_languageId=en_GB
“The United States conducted strikes against Syrian government troops in the early hours of April 7, using chemical weapons attacks in Idlib Province as a pretext.
The US opted for a show of force, for military action against a country fighting international terrorism without taking the trouble to get the facts straight…”
“Seeking to justify military action Washington has totally distorted what had happened in Idlib. The US could not have failed to grasp the fact that the Syrian government troops did not use chemical weapons there. Damascus simply does not have them, as confirmed a number of times by qualified experts. This was the conclusion reached by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)…”
“As for Idlib, the terrorists operating there used to produce toxic land mines intended for use in Syria and Iraq. These manufacturing facilities were put out of operation in a military operation carried out by the Syrian air force.
The US pretends that it does not understand obvious things, turning a blind eye to the use of chemical weapons in Iraq, officially confirmed by Baghdad. The US refuses to believe the evidence provided by certified documents confirming the use of chemical weapons by terrorists in Aleppo. In doing so, the US is abetting international terrorism and making it stronger. New WMD attacks can be expected…”
“It is obvious that the cruise missile attack was prepared in advance. Any expert understands that Washington’s decision on air strikes predates the Idlib events, which simply served as a pretext for a show of force.
Russia suspends the Memorandum of Understanding on Prevention of Flight Safety Incidents in the course of operations in Syria signed with the US.”
US Aircraft are now targets.
Just as with his eponymous “university” the gigantic bait and switch that was Trump’s pseudo-populist campaign has finally come to fruition in the worst possible way with the attack on Syria. Looking at his advisers preelection and his appointments post it was easy to see that his administration would be no friend of the working class that elected him but at least his positions about Russia and Syria seemed to be more rational than those of his opponent. Even this,alas,appears to have been a mirage.
Weak, ill informed and even worse, too mercurial and spontaneous to be entrusted with the levers of power he has been easily flipped 180 degrees on Syrian policy. Any possibility of Russian rapprochement may now be dead as under pressure from a largely phony “Russiagate”, a hostile press and coopted by his advisers he has now been partially assimilated into the neoconservative hive mind.
The ship of state has entered dangerous, uncharted waters captained by someone unready to man the helm but to his credit he is not a dangerously rigid ideologue and I can only pray the wisdom of his better instincts will guide us through this crisis.
PT
I don’t doubt that you are correct in stating that the US military know that this was not a chemical attack. However the suggestion by the Russian Ministry of Defence (and it was only a suggestion) that the casualties could have resulted from a hit on a depot holding explosives and chemicals is unlikely. As b has noted, it’s likely that the Russians also know this and are simply trying to give the US a way to climb down.
All evidence so far indicates that this was a massacre of captives, probably at the quarry east of Khan Sheikhoun where there have been extensive excavations and bunkers with ventilation shafts have been constructed in the last two years. The most compelling evidence for this is what the videos do not show. Although the White Helmets have helmet cams, there are no videos of them breaking into homes to find victims dead in their beds. Although the alleged attack occurred before dawn, the victims are in day clothes. Instead we see bodies laid out in the quarry with children separated from their parents, a video of alleged victims in hospital by a jihadi struck-off doctor, and someone who is purported to be the only survivor of a family of 19 holding the bodies of two children he claims to be his. Photographs of the children are produced, but not showing them with their purported father.
It’s unlikely that sarin was used to kill the victims: the brick-red colour of the bodies is consistent with a metabolic poison like cyanide, which is the agent of choice for gassing captives as it does not leave any residue. However recent reports indicate that US and UK intelligence services expect that samples from this incident will test positive for sarin. It’s not clear whether these will be physiological samples (which don’t provide a detailed chemical profile) or whether they will be environmental samples which will show a perfect match to the Syrian military stocks destroyed on the Cape Ray. What is clear is that this information operation, like Ghouta, was planned in advance.
I am sorry, gentlemen !
Until today, because of so many good Americans like you, and because of your last elections, one could still manage to see the American Republic as an ally (though misconducted). Nowm it seems clear that, like with nazi Germany, the only way to stop the hydra is a major war. There where also good Germans who didn’t deserve to be in the wrong place of history but, alas, they where.
Good luck for all, and may God be with all of us and our families.
All
“Meet the new boss , same as the old boss !”
Publius,
Thanks for that analysis. How is it that you know points 1 and 2? This is obviously a critical part of what you say.
Thanks, Publius Tacitus, great post.
I can’t get past the most obvious question: Why would Assad use chemical weapons on his own citizens but doesn’t use them on ISIS?
Of course, there was none of this outcry in early 2009 when Israel fried infants with white phosphorous and other toxic banned chemical weapons. They dont allow the Palestinians to escape. Take a look. The most heartbreaking one was a father holding up his charred black two-year old with tears streaming down his face with an ambulance behind him. I can’t find it on my drive. They bombed UN schools–sardines in a can, a supposed safe zone, 50-60 kids killed–and these same Anti-Assad neocons yawned. Despicable hypocrites.
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/images/2006/08/347271.jpg
“This attack was violation of international law.”
And a violation of American law. I guess we might find out how many activist Democrat judges get interested in the US Constitution real soon now. Don’t laugh… they got interested in state’s rights pretty quick when it suited them.
“It should also alarm American taxpayers that we launched $100 million dollars of missiles to blow up sand and camel shit.”
I dunno, is it more miserable to spend your whole life working at some job just to watch it get taxed away to buy a bucket of overpriced titanium bolts in some spare parts store at the back of an airbase somewhere? It’s a tough call.
Remember Donald Trump words on Twitter?
31.08.2013: “Be prepared, there is a small chance that our horrendous leadership could unknowingly lead us into World War III”
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/373743492151136256
Hmmmm, if this is true then the implications for Trump are grim, because the Russians are certain to have a record of that phone call prior to the Syrian strike in Iblib.
They need only release a copy of that call and Trump’s ass is left swinging in the breeze. WikiLeaks, anyone?
This has little to do with the Syrian sandbox and all to do with the Chinese delegation visit. Negotiation by intimidation. 50 cruise missiles to take out an airfield that needed a new runway is overkill. 50+cruise missiles will devastate any of those new atoll airfields cropping up in the south china seas.
This is the sort of thing the so called ‘great negotiator’ loves to foist on his counterparts.
‘Welcome to my private playground Xi,I call it the winter white house, lets eat our steaks, let the women go to the beauty salon, get a good night’s rest then talk business after I bomb the sandbox with $100,000,000.00 worth of presidential toys’.
How will this affect the negotiations…
Bastard neocons…..but Mr Trump has joined them…
If the salient details of #3 are true, their verification will follow an initial presentation of evidence. Alas, this is unlikely to be delivered by neutral parties. Still, in today’s climate such a counter narrative will enjoy the delivery punch of the alternative media system. We’ll see.
Otherwise, President Trump discovering his own inner borg is the least surprising news of this day. Obviously, he wasn’t in a mood to see what the possible facts were on the ground. …again, predictable.
hmmm…. I take your point that the Democrats may indeed have Trump cornered and trapped over this issue, but do you really expect them to use this weapon?
He’s doing exactly what the borg/deep state wants – endless war for no reason.
I think I can well understand that many members of the frontline troops/ military officers/ intelligence community/ average bloggers/ anyone with a brain might be angered and outraged by these events but do you really think the deep state cares what any of you or even the good Col. Lang himself thinks?
Kissinger is famous for a notorious statement that “Military men are dumb, stupid animals to be used as pawns for foreign policy.”
Invest in infrastructure, not the military.
That he is.
How the terrorist got the chemicals
http://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2016/04/28/seymour-hersh-hillary-approved-sending-libya-sarin-syrian-rebels.html
A reminder of how we were lied to in the past from BBC.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KU5taO5vRDo
Unfortunately, six died on the airbase including a Brig. General plus 9 civilians in the surrounding village. Read that some of the locals living nearby are Arameans.
The Russians and Syrians were informed, or at least were aware, that the attack was coming. They were able to remove a large number of their assets.
Hmm? A fake for public consumption? Sounds interesting, but is it true?
I wonder, if this is a shift in your impeachment contributions, Tacitus. I wish I could see something like that happen, let alone ever expect high position resignations in such a context. … But that is no doubt a scepticism deeply rooted in my own psyche.
“These facts will eventually come out. Donald Trump will most likely not finish his term as President. He will be impeached, I believe, once Congress is presented with irrefutable proof that he ignored and rejected intelligence that did not support the myth that Syria attacked with chemical weapons.”
I think that scenario is now less likely than ever. Trump has joined the team.
Thought crossed my mind too: by the token logic adopted by the war party consensus now – not just of the US, but EU as well(!)* – the IAF should have been flattened after their last action in Gaza city in ’14 at the latest and permanent NFZ established in Israeli air-space.
Needless to say, quod licet Iovi, non licet bovi applies here.
As to the fallen in and around Shayrat airbase, I just can say, şehitlere rahmet, onların ailelerine huzur ve yaralılara geçmiş olsun.
*I particularly note the interventionist tone the so-called “head-of-state” of my country, madam Merkel, has chosen…apparently wants to have her very own “humanitarian intervention” to go with being first dame in that office.
Cooptation didn’t even take the first 100 days…
If what you write is correct, and I trust it is, surely all manner of intimidation and prosecution will be used to keep this information quiet and to silence everyone who knows. Too many important highly placed people are complicit in this crime. I have watched this happen too many times and history documents that these crimes can be covered up, at least long enough for the nation to move on. When the truth comes out, no one cares any more and all are willing to fall for the same pack of lies again and again. All of this will be declared “highly classified” anyone who speaks up will be prosecuted–what they say will be discredited. The media will go along and the highly paid talking heads will help with the coverup.
We have essentially become al Qaeda’s air force and navy. For some reason the borg will not allow these terrorists to be defeated. Every time they are on the ropes–either the US or Israel, or Turkey, or more arms and money intervene. Has anyone else noticed that these terrorists do not seem to lack for arms and money?
From what I can see, Trump’s base is NOT on board with this and are very upset. This is not what he campaigned on and this is not how we “Make America Great Again”.
I was surprised to see the “Impeach the War Criminal” headlining here.
I didn’t like what Trump did and I think it was a bad move, But I want to see how this plays out over the next few days.
Now that people know how to push Trump’s buttons, what’s next? A USS Liberty courtesy of Erdogan?
Agreed. Rand Paul, Tulsi Gabbard and who else?
The Trump “revolution” has no machine behind it.
My 2c, probably based more on hope than anything else.
Yes, we should never give up hope. 😉
A pretty hard thing to do for this cynic on human matters outside the church or religion.
If a USAF plane is shot down in Syria are we at full on war?
I agree. The attack happened just as he was dining with President Xi. This was a threat.
It puts President XI in an awkward situation. If no Chinese statement is given, it shows weakness. If statement is given, it goes against their cultural teaching about being a good guest and politeness. He is screwed either way.
As for Putin, if there is no Chinese reaction, it tells him he has a weak partner.
I honestly, thought Trump was going to be better.
What is truly scary is a commander-in-chief who reacts to what he sees on TV. That cannot end well. The ensuing uncertainty has increased exponentially.
So: What is next?
Nobody in Congress is going to vote for DT’s impeachment over a bunch of dead people in the Middle East.
I suspect that all this will be forgotten by the news media within 2 weeks
An aside:
Southfront has published a interesting piece where they cite a Russian statement that only 23 of the missiles hit the target.
https://southfront.org/russian-defense-ministry-only-23-out-of-59-tomahawk-missiles-reached-their-target-in-syria/
Now, if only 23 hit a target where 59 were laid on, That pencils out to around 2 million per bomb crater.
I am fairly certain that the actual performance of the weapons system in question will be tightly classified.
I have never, ever trusted “smart” weapons
The only way this ends badly for Trump is: if enough Americans pick up their phone and dial their representatives and say “no”.
Let’s see what this does to the price of oil (not olive). Cui Bono, PT? Exxon, Putin, The Kingdom & Gulfies?
Al Sha’irat was NOT an insignificant target. It is the main base to support and supply Deir Ezzor. It is also used to hit ISIS in the fighting about and around Palmyra.
This means more trouble for the besieged government enclave in Deir Ezzor where the U.S. wants to establish its “Salafist principality” proxy – obviously by all means.
I hope Bannon resigns today and maintains his dignity and reputation. I’m surprised the Chinese dude is still around, thought he might have flown out this morning.
Publius Tacitus, thank you for being here to help some of us remain sane. If this is not turned around and soon, we are lost as a nation. The Republic seems dead now after a last effort to revie itself, and the Empire will fail. We don’t need Caligula and Nero, we have McCain and Graham. Can’t figure out how Trump fits in this analogy, except maybe he’s Incitatus.
LeaNder and All:
He bombed Syria in a minimal way, throwing a few bones to the Dogs of War in US to keep them quiet.
I wonder if he had already advised Russia (and Iran) of his intentions.
What puzzles me is how militarily useless the operation was. To fire 59 missiles with 1000lb warheads at a single airfield is just making the dust bounce. (And that’s assuming the Russians are wrong about more than half not getting there at all). On the other hand, I’ll bet every talking head in the USA is on TV right now babbling about decisiveness, standing tall and proud, sending a message and all the other macho BS of the “fernbar Napoleons” (as Fred calls them); generals solemnly saying every target destroyed and all the rest of the bombers’ creed. Completely new subject to blat about for weeks and the Trump is a tool of Putin meme will disappear.
So are we looking at some theatrical gesture to distract the Borg?
Kissinger denies the quote.
CL,
That meeting was supposed to be about Kim Jong-un, who is an unstable world leader with 20-40 nuclear weapons at his disposal and a military that “just follows orders”.
Donald Trump just proved to Xi that he is an unstable man with 4,000 nuclear weapons at this disposal and a military that follows orders. Constitution? What constitution. Rule of Law? Hah! I don’t know about you but it looks to me like Xi and Putin now have one giant incentive to become allies. All because some unstable jackass from NYC with his “art of the deal” bull-s*&# got the “i feelz” spent all day watching CNN/MSNBC/Borg central.
What deal with a guy who won’t abide by the rule of law do you think is going to matter? Unstable guys with 40 nuclear weapons need to be negotiated with. Unstable guys with 4,0000 nuclear weapons at their disposal and generals who just obey orders need to be removed from power before they kill us all.
Excellent
John Minnerath
PT writes his own stuff. pl
“Militarily useless” is too charitable. http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-04-07/first-images-aftermath-inefficient-us-missile-strikes-emerge?page=1
Fortunately, all the rah-rah Borgists will pass this off as Russo-Syrian propaganda.
I thought the deconfliction arrangement only applied to the air force. Since the cruise missile attacks were launched from the sea, I would reconsider the assumption or report that it was coordinated with the Russians.
According to news sources ,they did inform Russians and Syrians
You’re not cynical enough!
Once the Russians and Syrians have run some news crews through Shayrat to film the damage, it’ll be up and running again very quickly. Some planes might have been lost but as all history shows, they are not that important. It’s the pilots that matter. From what I’ve seen, the Syrians have more planes than pilots so I expect to see the SAAF bombing the jihadists as hard as they were yesterday by the end of the weekend. Putin’s most effective response will be to send a couple of additional squadrons of fighter bombers or CAS with their entire retinue to Shayrat and up the carnage on HTS in Idlib. Since this whole piece of theatre seems to be designed to assist HTS (the moderates) for the neo-cons, wiping out HTS and/or driving them back across the Turkish border seems the sweetest revenge.
Publius Tacitus,
I agree with damned near every word you wrote. The history you provided about the targeting of Khan Sheikhoun is especially damning. Unfortunately, I doubt the eventual revelation of the jihadi fakery at Khan Sheikhoun will contribute to a call for impeachment or any meaningful outcry from the American people. I also don’t think the Trump administration’s commitment of a kabuki theater violation of international law will phase the American people in any way. Most just don’t care and, in fact, revel in this kind of swaggering “Billy bad ass” violence.
I don’t subscribe to the view that poor little Donnie was forced into this by the big, bad Borg. He knew exactly what he was doing. He’s a first class bullshit artist and consummate con man. Any promises he made or convictions he may have will crumble to dust in service to his one true conviction of self-agrandizement.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said, that the US is organizing a coalition to remove Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from power. What does this mean? Are we going to witness another Lybia-type-of-scenario or even an US-invasion with the help of coalition forces? Hope this is fake news, any further infos regarding that?
https://southfront.org/creation-of-coalition-to-remove-syrian-president-is-underway-us-state-secretary/
IMO a big reason for all of this was to throw a wrench into the collusion narrative. As Babak mentioned, this was done in an extremely minimal way(23/59 tomahawks reached the target if russian MOD is to be believed, is this normal?intentional misses?). As well as throwing a wrench into that DNC narrative he gets the neocons off his back and gets all republicans to coalesce around him for domestic policies
You remind me of Alba Etie and me when we insisted, or was it predicted, Obama would not honor his red line statement. I agree there is still wriggle room for hope.
According to Leith Fadel, the targeted airport is the main hub of operations against ISIS. He said that supporting air to Deir Ezzour and Hama will be severly affected. So hardly insignificant.
John,
Perhaps a great compromise. Just censure him like McCarthy. That would affect his ego more than impeachment.
https://ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?doc=86
Per the Russian Defense Ministry’s presser (http://function.mil.ru/news_page/country/more.htm?id=12117678@egNews – the video has English subtitles)…
1. Only 23 of the 59 Tomahawks had actually reached the base. I am not a Tomahawk expert, so this seems a pretty incredible failure rate to me IF it’s true. Was the flight pathing so bloody awful or so bloody last-minute? Is this a normal failure rate these days? Was it just one of the older blocs without modernized guidance systems? Enquiring minds want to know…
2. In any case, the damage to the base was pretty negligible. Drone video (~4 minutes in) shows untouched airstrips, and the Russians claim only six aircraft were lost (in maintenance hangars, so ones that could not be moved – which is plausible given that they had advance warning of the strike). A couple of buildings and the base radar were blown up, so I suppose that’s something of a return on investment.
The point is that from a purely military perspective this…this was just very, very bad execution. Even if you completely believe the chemical weapons story and buy into the eminent right of the U.S. to launch a missile strike on any sovereign nation it bloody well pleases; even if you believe that a one-time strike is enough to constitute a deterrent for a “monstrously evil dictator” (gee, wasn’t Assad elected?) who uses chemical weapons thrice daily on his friends and enemies…this is, per the Russians, a fantastically ineffective one-time missile strike. The mind boggles, really.
Not that the U.S. cares, I don’t think. I suspect this was more about internal politics than anything else…
Plus reassuring Gulfies and Turks.
It also sent a signal to Iran that US will not accept the offer of Spheres of Influence – at least US is consistent.
The Iranian papers did not treat this as a huge item.
Two things to watch:
If Ayatollah Khamenei is going to give a speech on this topic.
Is the United States on the escalation ladder (in the ripeness of time)?
Please take a look at this picture:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/russia-condemns-us-missile-strike-on-syria/2017/04/07/c81ea12a-1b4e-11e7-8003-f55b4c1cfae2_story.html?utm_term=.3c934c7b0578
There is a sign on the left hand side which reads: “Aleikom b Al Jihad”.
And then there was the terrorist attack today in Stockholm.
Wonder never ceases.
Patrick,
This may very well have been the intention, but I doubt it’ll turn out to be the effect. Trump’s missile strike makes a Faustian bargain with the Borg on Russia more likely, not less.
My SWAG on how: After initially praising the attack, Washington consensus types from both parties, neocons and the media will frame it as “Trump did what any POTUS would naturally do”. This will then lead to “No cookies for you Donald; you still haven’t proved you’re no Russian plant”, and the inevitable manhood test for bullies: Beat Putin, and you can join the adult table, hair and all.
For Trump not to reach this point, he needs to own the news cycle by generating many more pussy grabbing scandals; hiring and firing a lot more people; divorcing Melania and getting back together with her a couple of times, and tweeting bigly. I’m just not sure he can do that.
PT, I agree with your analysis, and thanks for putting out the idea for discussion that this could be a tool to get leverage over President Trump.
Supporting your interpretation, via zerohedge, is the following ICRC statement, which could be used as justification to start impeachment, or to threaten to start impeachment.
“Any military operation by a state on the territory of another without the consent of the other amounts to an international armed conflict,” ICRC spokeswoman Iolanda Jaquemet told Reuters in Geneva in response to a query.
“So according to available information – the U.S. attack on Syrian military infrastructure – the situation amounts to an international armed conflict.”
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-04-07/russian-pm-us-brink-military-clash-russia
Nancy K,
Of course Kissinger denies the quote that he said soldiers are just dumb animals to be used as pawns in foreign policy. Do you think he is going to admit that he said it?
Kissinger is also alleged to have said, “The illegal we do immediately. The unconstitutional takes a little longer.” Does he deny that quote as well?
You have to look beyond the smoke and mirrors. It’s about serving Mammon. Mammon in two forms: 1) serving the 1% that controls 99% of the media and internal US wealth and wants the breakup of the Levant so settler Israel can expand from the river to the river and to throw out the indigenous or autochtonous people. 2) serving the Wahhabi petrodollars of the medieval Kingdom of Saudi Barbaria/Gulfies that wants to breakup the Shia Crescent (prefer the secular or semisecular crescent) by creating a buffer Islamic statelet between the former Iraq & Syria.
This further creates the opportunity and pathway for the Qatar to Turkey gas pipeline. This is why the US Air Force mistakenly (for two hours) bombed the defensive perimeter of the DeirEzZor, a city of 200K defended by the Syrian Army and longterm beseiged by Daesh/ISIS. The airbases ‘cruised’ by the Trumpster was important to the defense of Palymra and DerEzZor. It was already targeted. And the fake gas attack in Western Syria provided an opportunity too good to be missed.
So it was not about the Sarin gas but about the gas pipeline.
Lord, what does it take for some people to stop drinking the Kool Aid?
Fred,
Is it fair to say that this constitutes a change in your view of and thinking on Trump? Honest question. Thanks.
What do you think?
Ask people this – are you ready to take a nuke for Syria?
All,
More on weapons to terrorists
Jane’s Defence Weekly reported that in December 2015 the U.S. shipped 994 tonnes of weapons and ammunition (including packaging and container weight), generally of Soviet-type from Eastern Europe, to Syrian rebel groups under operation Timber Sycamore. A detailed list of weapon types and shipment weights had been obtained from the US government’s Federal Business Opportunities website
OfficiallY the base was destroyed
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/04/06/initial-reports-indicate-syrian-airbase-almost-completely-destroyed-after-us-strike.html
However, RT has drone footage that shows craters, but little damage. For example, the hardened hangers all appear to be undamaged.
I speculate that EW caused the missiles to go dumb over Syria with 50% glitching their trajectory (23 didnt hit the airbase), and the others following a ballistic trajectory (and not last minute course correcting to actually hit structures – I cant believe that properly guided missiles would be that inaccurate.
https://www.rt.com/news/383912-russia-mod-drone-syria-airbase/
If my speculations are true, this was a massive strategic mistake.
Thank you for this concise summary of the Russophile position
“… people like Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, CIA Director Mike Pompeo and NSA Director General McMaster went along with this charade…..Those who sit atop the NSC, the DOD, the CIA, the Department of State should have resigned in protest. They did not. They are complicit in a war crime”.
This made me smile! PT’s indignation is obviously genuine, and does him credit, but this betrays a strange innocence. The persons referred to didn’t “go along”, they pushed Trump into making the strike. They are key parts of the Borg (aka the Deep State) that runs US policy.
As for “war crimes”, these are only committed, legally, by defeated opponents (eg, the Nazi leadership, Saddam Hussain, Qaddafi, various African warlords, etc), or, for propaganda purposes, by the opposite side.
He told people what they wanted to hear. Grifter.
I voted for and supported Donal J. Trump. I am very disappointed with his decision to attack a Syrian government airbase on the basis of a false pretext. Some of us supported and voted for him because he fought the Borg. He won because enough of us showed up. The fact that Hillary, McCain, Graham, Schumer, et al were cheering this and Rand Paul and Tulsi Gabbard were panning it says it all. The Borg has rolled him. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Bannon on his way out. With this one boneheaded decision he’s overturned a lot of what he achieved during the long election campaign as he ridiculed the Borg for their damaging interventions in the ME. Now that the Borg know he can be easily bent by a false pretext, they’ll keep pressing. There’s no chance he’ll be impeached as those that need to convict have him where they want.
Swamp,
I’m not responsible for Trump’s behavior. Had I worked for him I would have resigned. I feel the same way I did before, he’s not Hilary and I don’t trust him. Now I trust him even less.
Agreed, I am not seeing significant damage here. My eyes show me an airfield operable within hours if not immediately were the need to arise however limited in nature.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwfDRoDmsxA
ancient archer, Babak Makkinejad,
The explanation that Trump ordered the missile strike to placate the Borg media, the neocons, and some in Congress is a possible interpretation. However, once he did it, he has created a “precedent”, as we say. The next time there is some dramatic event, the war promoters will say that he took action before, and so he “has to” take action again. From their standpoint, the next, or second, or third event in the future should be a false flag operation designed to make it look like Iran did it. Then the contrived cry will be that he “must” take action against Iran. After all, he said what he said, and did what he did, with respect to Syria. I hope the future does not come to that.
ECM,
Correct. This morning on the boob tube an announcer said that representative Nancy Pelosi (former Speaker of the House) and senator Charles Schumer approved of what Trump did. We remember Pelosi’s words when the misconduct of George W. Bush (Bush jr) got so bad that people began to speak of impeachment. Said Nancy, “Impeachment is off the table.”
Also, this morning, a senator Cory Gardner (Repub. Colorado) appeared on CNN and surprisingly, the questioner (whose full name I did not get) actually pressed him about how there could be any legal justification for the strike on Syria. The silly Gardner cited the 2001 authorization to use military force as a basis! I kid you not. You know, the one that limited action to those involved in the events of 11 September 2001–
http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/07/politics/tim-kaine-donald-trump-syria-cnntv/index.html
Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, believed to be a lawyer, supports what Trump did, and in a statement of today, further informs us that: “Additionally, for the attention of all Senators, we will have a briefing on this matter later today.” Will that be a public briefing for the voters and taxpayers, Mitch?–
https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=5773CAF6-51C8-43F0-A570-EA962B96EF50
Emad,
Had MAGA man waited a day ISIS would be the news not Syria. Then a different news cycle would be news:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/04/07/truck-crashes-crowd-people-stockholm/
FB Ali,
Yes.
Agreed. Unfortunately your diversion reading isn’t where the discussion is going, yet.
“As for “war crimes”, these are only committed, legally, by defeated opponents”
Well said
Archer was Arash, Babak was a revolutionary against Arabs invaders of Iran.
Fred,
Thanks for your response. Didn’t mean to imply you were responsible for what Trump does by any means. I also distrust him (I distrust Clinton, too).
I think he might have liked that quote.
I agree; Trump, and indeed the entire Fortress West, have to decide what is the most important to them since Iran will not abandon Assad and will fight back – having sunk so many equities in Syria.
Last night’s attack, in the light of this morning’s terrorist attack in Stockholm, looks to me even more foolish.
LondonBob
Unfortunately, the Scott Adams scenario didn’t happen, although that would have been a very good option for Trump to continue with some ambiguity. Instead, he signaled with his decision that he can’t any longer withstand the Borg and rolled over. The Borg now taste weakness. Bannon leaving will be the final nail. Kushner is now the man about town. America First is likely done. It will continue to be Israel First.
SOP per flight deconfliction agreement between the US and Russia. Which is now suspended.
robt,
“You know, the one that limited action to those involved in the events of 11 September 2001–…”
I think you need to read the AUMF again. While I agree it shouldn’t apply the lawyers have been playing fast and loose with its interpretation for some years now.
Even worse (or better, depending on how you look at it) 23 was the number that did hit the airbase. That’s a tad under 40% efficiency, which puts these $1.7 million weapons in a league with good old iron bombs. I share your suspicion that it’s the result of ECM. Maybe the original intent was to launch a smaller number, revised as the attackers got feedback on the sorry performance while the attack was in progress, opting for saturation to overcome getting queered by ECM.
fatsamurai
It’s the most important airbase in the efforts against ISIS whether in Palmyra, Deir e Zor, or the road to Raqqah. This looks like a continuation of the slow rolling partition plan, where the Kurds and Sunni tribesman take Raqqah with heavy us support and enact a de facto partition.
It’s a signal that the siege of Deir e zor will not be allowed to be lifted. That’s certain
Albano Pina,
A major war with a major thermonuclear power? How will that work out? What will be the fruits of victory?
Tel,
Activist Democrat judges? Activist over what? This attack was pure Clintonism on parade. We are watching the Clintification of Donald Trump.
This attack is exactly what the House and Senate Democrats always wanted.
There will be no impeachment now. The House Freedom Caucus may try to get hearings started, but Pelosi and her Democrats will Support The President now that he has done what they wanted.
First post-strike satellite imagery released a couple hours ago:
http://www.imagesatintl.com/us-strike-syria/
Website might not work due to traffic(I presume),I had difficulty.
“ISI very high resolution satellite imagery was able to reveal the results of the Tomahawk cruise missiles attack on the Al-Shayrat Air Base. According to ISI experts, the total of 44 targets hit. Several targets may have hit twice. Photo and analysis of the attack were carried out within 10 hours of the attack.”
Conflicts with russian MOD that over half of the tomahawks failed to land
iowa steve,
I agree with you. Every House and Senate Clintocrat will support Trump now. Now that he has become a foreign policy Clintocrat. Hillary must be so pleased and proud right now.
BillWade,
Bannon thought Trump was an empty vessel to be filled up with Bannon juice. If Bannon still thinks so, Bannon will not resign. Bannon will hang on as long as he thinks he has the slightest hope of manipulating Trump to carry out parts of the Bannon agenda. Bannon will hope that this is just a setback.
Remember when the Russia Caspian Flotilla fired twenty six Kalibr cruise missiles at ISIS a while back and the Americans took delight in four allegedly failing to reach target and crashing in Iran – so this is either payback from the Russians under-counting the number on target or the Tomahawk is well past its sell-by date.
“23 didnt hit the airbase”
No, the Russians are saying that 23 hit the air base so that 36 didn’t.
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201704071052396220-airbase-syria-attack-prepared/
You may be right (i.e., that he won’t be impeached), but Trump has proven himself to be totally untrustworthy. He has betrayed those who supported him on the basis of not wanting to continue with the madness of nation building.
“The verdict is in: Assad is guilty. (according to this article)”
Yes, just like the Donbass rebels shot down MH-17 and the Neocons are protecting all of us by not allowing the NATO radar and communication logs from that day being provided to the public. Deplorables don’t have a need to know, just obey with hate towards Russia and evil Tzar Putin.
Sam Peralta,
This was, in fact, my first thought upon hearing of Bannon’s departure from the inner circle. Zionist ratf****ing. So, what else is new?
Prem,
No, certainly not from the MSM, but reports I have seen have him paying inordinate attention to the MSM despite his earlier puffing and blowing about “Fake News” from that quarter. State is chock-a-block with NeoCons, the IC has been largely behind the soft coup, and the Perfumed Princes of the Pentagon have visions of unlimited troughs of money dancing in their heads.
I.e., no balm in Gilead apart from the free-thinkers Trump is busily defenestrating.
In reality militarily it wasn’t a significant attack, it was not a surprise either, as you hinted it was more useful domestic domestically. IMO US’ policy toward Iran, Syria, and Russia has not been changed, for last few years US has been flying over and entering Syria without Syrian or UN permission, she is just gonna continue on what she has been doing, the real consistency here is ignoring all the domestic and international laws, sounds like R2P is above and beyond any law domestic or international, and no need if for truth before acting.
The Russians get some nice field intel about the state of the art in our weapons’ accuracy. . . and get to bellyache at our expense to boot.
“We voted Trump ….. and got a Clinton.”
A comment on an InfoWars thread on the Syrian attack. This is exactly how I feel today. For decades I did not vote for the duopoly for POTUS. I voted Trump in the last election precisely because of the certainty of an escalating Syrian war with the Borg Queen and Trump’s vigorous opposition to nation building and interventions overseas.
With Hillary, Chuckie, Pelosi, the lunatic McCain and his office wife cheering, and Fareed Zakaria the epitome of Borg media claiming that Trump has finally become president, this was clearly a decision to appease the Borg and get their dogs off his back. One of the consequences is a feeling of betrayal by some of those who voted for him, as seen in the best rated comments on Alex Jones pre & post strike analysis thread.
Col. Lang eloquently noted the virulent Pax Americana world order group think that dominates DC in Walrus’s thoughtful Smoke thread. This exercise in raw power by the Borg we have just witnessed since the election will not be lost on those climbing the rungs of power. They are determined and destroying America is a small price. Where will the Deplorables go next? How will Xi and Putin play for advantage?
There’s a quite detailed analysis of the Shajul Islam video,
used to justify the Tomahawk attack at:
http://logophere.com/Topics2017/17-04/17_015-BLA-ShajulIslam.htm
It was produced by Denis OBrien, who’s done time in USMC, and also
resided in NZ for 10 years. Both good indicators 😉
My question is this :
How can a clear thinking individual produce a report within a day
that gives a lie to “Causus Belli”
while the 17 US intelligence agencies and their multi billion
budgets fail to detect such obvious fakery??
McMaster and Mattis knew. Don’t know what they told the President.
Babak, what does Aleikom b Al Jihad mean?
Hillary Clinton Approved Delivering Libya’s Sarin Gas to Syrian Rebels: Seymour Hersh
http://www.globalresearch.ca/hillary-clinton-approved-delivering-libyas-sarin-gas-to-syrian-rebels-seymour-hersh/5522647
According to the SOHR via Reuters the Syrians at Shayrat are back in business.
https://twitter.com/Reuters/status/850425431899680768
JUST IN: Syrian warplanes take off from air base hit by U.S., carry out strikes in Homs countryside – Syrian observatory for human rights
I expected it take the Syrians a couple of days but this shows a high level of commitment.
In case you haven’t seen this yet
https://youtu.be/DSiOIM1wEQ4
ZeroHedge has some choice tweets.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-04-07/trumplash-rapidly-evolving-syria-policy-leaves-pundits-puzzled
At least one person was alerted ahead of time there would be chemical weapons involved.
https://www.infowars.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/040517admission.jpg
Very roughly – “Struggle (Jihad) be with you”.
Sort of like Rosa Luxembourg’s “Yours in Revolution”.
More:
One of the reasons for Denis OBriens prompt and detailed rebuttal
of the False Flag /Shajul Islam video was that it was a re visit / rerun.
It was a revisiting of his trenchant analysis of Ghouta Massacre at
http://logophere.com/Ghouta%20Massacre/MITSM-Ver02.pdf.
(Free download and good to pass on )
Just as the Khan Sheikhoun Incident of Apr04|2017 was a AQ rerun /
re-staging of the Ghouta Massacre of Aug21|2013. This time with
the desired effect on President Mousetrap 🙂
AND PRAY TELL….JUST HOW IS THE PUBLIC IN THE US AND EUROPE GOING TO LEARN THE TRUTH?????? THE MSM WILL PROVIDE A “SCOOP”? BASED ON WHAT RELIABLE SOURCE? THE RUSSIANS? A LEAK FROM OUR MILITARY? THE WHITE HOUSE WOULD ISSUE A MEA CULPA? LOOK, WE STILL INSIST ON THE STORY ABOUT THE DRUG FACTORY WE BOMBED IN SUDAN.
This is NOT what I voted for when I voted for Trump.
This is exACTly what I voted aGAINST when I voted against Clinton.
O Archons of Trump: where is your God-Emperor now?
Well, $250 Million for a Deep State fart, the globalist pinheads love it. Too many globalist in D.C. for comfort. The Pentagon and Langley need to be re-tooled to what our Constitution is all about. That war crimes will not be tolerated – period. Do not pass go, do not collect $200, go directly to Leavenworth Prison.
Now I’ll get off my soapbox.
$250 Million for a deserted airfield, now that’s a Visa Moment.
My two cents: He was the least worst of two bad choices. This action has been waiting for the new President. Most Americans who voted for him took him at his word. I doubt that many will be forgiving I certainly will not. On the bright side it’s good to find out sooner that he is a lying POS, rather than later.
As to the authenticity of the videos, if Trump didn’t, know they were faked then those advising him would have known. Only one conclusion can be drawn this.
Sylvia, I think you are dead on with the key concept: Money. Those world leaders and pundits arguing most favorably towards US airstrikes are those who stand to gain from an alliance with the US foreign policy. The White Helmets compete for the Oscars against privately- or NGO-funded filmmakers. Just one vector for the $Millions in funding available for propaganda, influence, along with weapons.
It will be interesting to see how it plays out. If Trump adopts the neocon agenda he also hijacks the ownership of the process, leaving the HRC party weeping over the fact that he stole their prize. Unfortunately, this would also put a brake on impeachment because of that very fact, that he carried out the same action that his enemies would. The McCain cheerleaders are ecstatic, no doubt, again, because money.
39% seems like a high failure rate given the distance to the target. Did the Russians use countermeasures against them?
Here is some data from the Gulf War:
“Two submarines and a number of surface ships fired Tomahawk cruise missiles during the Gulf War. According to initial US Navy reports, of 297 attempted cruise missile launches, 290 missiles fired and 242 Tomahawks hit their targets. But TLAM performance in Desert Storm was well below the impression conveyed in DOD’s report to the Congress, as well as in internal DOD estimates. During Desert Storm, a TLAM mission was loaded 307 times into a particular missile for launch from a Navy ship or submarine. Of those 307, 19 experienced prelaunch problems. Ten of the 19 problems were only temporary, thus these missile were either launched at a later time or returned to inventory. Of the 288 actual launches, 6 suffered boost failures and did not transition to cruise. Despite initial strong positive claims made for TLAM performance in Desert Storm, analysis of TLAM effectiveness was complicated by problematic bomb damage assessment data. The relatively flat, featureless, desert terrain in the theater made it difficult for the Defense Mapping Agency to produce usable TERCOM ingress routes, and TLAM demonstrated limitations in range, mission planning, lethality, and effectiveness against hard targets and targets capable of mobility.”
https://fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/smart/bgm-109.htm
And perhaps the Russians got to test their missile defense under real-world conditions.
You only now have noticed that Donald Trump is a ‘child and a moron’?
To have thought otherwise is to show what a ‘willing idiot’ you were, emphasis on idiot.
It rather undermines any pretense to sophisticated analysis this site claims to have.
Thanks, This a valuable (and convincing analysis). It’s helpful to read the file on Ghouta first. OBrien goes into greater technical detail for those like me who are not medical pros.
Michael,
Thanks for the compliment. How would Hilary have been different?
I hope you’re wrong, but sadly, I believe you’re right.
I’ve lost hope in his “better instincts.” When he threatened the Freedom Caucus, I was angry because a dictator was not what I, at least, was voting for. I’ve tried to keep an open mind regarding his appointees, but this 180 flip on Syria has finished it for me. Sad that the other option would have been Hillary and Tim Kaine.
Tulsi, she is great
http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/07/politics/tulsi-gabbard-assad-chemical-weapons-blitzer-cnntv/
Fred I am still happy I voted for DT instead of the Borg Queen, at minimum the folks in this country showed the Borg and its media Presstitutes, they can interrupt and make it more difficult for Borg to implement her agenda.
C L,
So, Trump is “killing the chicken to scare the monkey”? And he thinks the monkey will scare? Especially when the monkey is an 800 pound gorilla?
And when the 800 pound gorilla knows all about “killing the chicken to scare the monkey” . . . having invented that phrase itself long long ago?
Trump plays Tuff Guy. Xi Jin Ping will keep playing weiqi.
Fred
Hillary would make Trump look like a wimp. Speaking to a weman’s group yesterday she said we need to bomb Assad’s airfields, plural. Not one but all. He would be at her mercy. Her high heels on his throat. We must save the women and children. Thunderous applause dispelling the myth women rulers will bring peace, love and understanding to earth.
I do have crush on Telsi Gabbard. She is a voice of reason in the Washington asylum and she’s a fox.
Fred,
Hillary would have been a James Bond villain.
Yup..
I’ve printed out and passed on the PDF to friends
( or soon to be ex friends 🙂 )
As some of them are from a military background, its causing
massive cognitive dissonance. Particularly as the MSM here
in NZ are vocal in echoing Washington’s warmongering..
Hope it brings some sunshine into the insanity. But who knows
Richardstevenhack
According to published statements from reasonably reliable sources, Obama was ready to go ahead with the mass cruise missile attack after the first false flag sarin attack, however Russia and some sane members of our intelligence community got him to walk that back, and the compromise of a supervised removal of Syria’s small CW stockpile was reached.
After that point, it was John Kerry and other neocons who were slavering for directly attacking the Syrian state, with cruise missile attacks on air bases, air defense systems, and Assad’s home being the favored initial plan, Obama was a canny imperial executive and kept intervention against the Syrian state to materiel and intel supply to jihadis, with Qatar and Saudi paying their share, since it was on their behalf.
I’m no fan of him, but he was smart enough to take good advice, and not get the US military into another Iraq, or to create another Libya via “No Fly Zones.” His plan was simply to destroy the Syrian state slowly and at a low cost in American lives and dollars. Russia stymied that, and suddenly we learn via every news outlet that Putin is Hitler^10, and Assad is Hitler ^11 who Barrel Bombs infants daily.
Trump’s action based on an obvious false flag puts the entire Kurdistan plan in Jeopardy, if Syria decides to protect its airspace, and an increased American presence in eastern Syria could result in the green buses picking up idlib residents and depositing them close enough to stop any victory parades in Raqqah, while also separating even further the local from the foreign jihadis, which is a win win for Syria.
To put it in Trumpian terms, Trump is weak, he’s a very weak man. Everyone is saying it. Weak
FYI according to a report by Doctors Without Borders released on April 5:
“A Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) medical team supporting the emergency department at Bab Al Hawa Hospital in Syria’s Idlib Province has confirmed that patients’ symptoms are consistent with exposure to a neurotoxic agent.
A number of victims of the April 4 attack on the town of Khan Sheikhoun were brought to the hospital, located about 60 miles to the north, near the Turkish border. Eight people who were examined by MSF staff displayed symptoms consistent with exposure to an agent such as sarin gas or similar compounds, including constricted pupils, muscle spasms and involuntary defecation.
The MSF team provided drugs and antidotes to treat patients, and distributed protective clothing to medical staff in the hospital’s emergency room.
MSF medical teams also visited other hospitals treating victims of the attack, and reported that they smelled of bleach, indicative of possible exposure to chlorine.
These reports strongly suggest that victims of the attack on Khan Sheikhoun were exposed to at least two different chemical agents.
MSF directly operates four health facilities in northern Syria and provides support to more than 150 health facilities in Syria.”
Syria: Khan Sheikhoun Victims Show Symptoms Consistent with Exposure to Chemical Substances
http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/article/syria-khan-sheikhoun-victims-show-symptoms-consistent-exposure-chemical-substances
The Bottom line for You all : http://www.voltairenet.org/article195904.html
since fact : http://www.voltairenet.org/article195893.html
Best Regard
Brucie, you may be right. No doubt there is this inner counterforce that keeps my cynicism in check. …
Since some have decided to accuse Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and National Security Advisor General H.R. McMaster of being [insert your preferred pejorative] perhaps people might want to read what they actually had to say and then decide for yourselves?
ICYMI Press Briefing by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and National Security Advisor General H.R. McMaster, 4/6/2017 https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/04/06/press-briefing-secretary-state-rex-tillerson-and-national-security
Among other things we learn that while the focus has been on the April 4 attack on the town of Khan Sheikhoun, the Secretary of State and the National Security Advisor both have very high confidence that within the last few weeks “aircraft under the direction of Bashar al-Assad’s regime” have carried out two earlier chemical weapons attacks involving the use of sarin nerve gas, one on March 25 and the other on March 30 in Homs Province.
If there is an offer from the Russians to rid Syria of all chemical weapons in exchange for lifting sanctions on them, we will know what this was all about.
Here is a good Stratfor article on the credibility of Syria using saran gas:
Before believing the 2017 sarin attack story, ask if the 2013 attack was real
https://fabiusmaximus.com/2017/04/08/us-government-attacks-syria/
Lilian Belly
You are new on SST. Do not post links without a description of what they are about. pl
As an outsider I do not understand how she survives. She keeps making sense in an environment that is very corrosive to common sense, logic and facts. How come she has not been crushed yet, she is dangerous what if someone starts thinking for themselves that would be the beginning of the end for the products of Western Democracy.
Thank you, Richard and ante.
I’m curious what the military-men here make of that number.
Are the Russians telling the truth that less that 50% of the tomahawks reached their target?
And if it is true (again, I don’t know if it is) then what was the cause?
I assume that a 50%plus failure rate must lie way, way outside what is expected from these weapons, correct?
Is English your second language, because it’s not mine, and I didn’t get that, from this article.
“These reports strongly suggest that victims of the attack on Khan Sheikhoun were exposed to at least two different chemical agents.”
If that is true then Assad’s forces are exonerated.
The jihadi eyewitness to the bombing – and who was used repeatedly by the MSM as the go-to man for sound bites – was quite clear about what he saw.
And what he said he saw was a single SU-22 bomber that dropped three (3) high-explosive bombs and one (1) bomb that resulted in a “white cloud” that smothered the area and resulted in all those deaths.
I’ll repeat that: the rebels themselves insist that the chemicals that killed all those people was released from a single, solitary bomb.
Now, excuse me for lacking imagination, but I fail to see how one bomb can contain within it “at least two different chemical agents”.
But I *can* conceive of a situation where a single bomb lands smack-dab in the middle of a chemical weapons stockpile, and the resulting BOOM would certainly cause the (unintended) release of “at least two different chemical agents”.
Indeed, maybe many more than two, depending upon what was in that stockpile.
You know….. just like the Russians have been claiming since the very beginning.
Two chemical agents exonerates the Syrians.
Didn’t you realize that?
Influential Iraqi cleric Moqtada Sadr on Saturday called on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down, also calling on Washington and Moscow to stop intervening in the conflict.
http://turcopolier.typepad.com/sic_semper_tyrannis/2017/04/donald-trump-is-an-international-law-breaker.html
Thoughts????What effect would this have on Iran-Iraq relationship,if any? The character of Sadr is a deep mystery to me. “he’s a prophet and a pusher, partly truth, partly fiction. A walking contradiction.”
Wrong link in my last post. Please edit if you can
http://www.france24.com/en/20170408-iraqi-shiite-cleric-sadr-urges-assad-step-down
Looks like plenty of hits
https://www.google.com/amp/www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4392962/amp/Satellite-images-destruction-Assad-s-air-base.html
I was beginning to wonder if i read the WHOLE article wrong! How in the hell did he come up with that “verdict”!!
I see the photo and the sign but not any indication of where the photo was taken. Was it in the vicinity of the alleged gas attack, and does the sign the indicate that the area was Jihadi controlled?
fyi The fifth report of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons – United Nations Joint Investigative Mechanism dated February 13, 2017.
On page 3 of the report we learn:
“4. In the Mechanism’s third and fourth reports, the Leadership Panel reported that it had reached a conclusion as to the actors involved in the following four cases: Talmenes (21 April 2014), Sarmin (16 March 2015), Qmenas (16 March 2015) and Marea (21 August 2015). In relation to the first three incidents, the Panel had determined that the Syrian Arab Armed Forces had been involved in the use of toxic chemicals as weapons and that their helicopters had been used to drop barrel bombs in those three cases. It had also identified the Hama and Humaymim airbases, both controlled by the Government, as the airbases from which the helicopter flights had originated. In relation to the incident in Marea, the Panel had determined that Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) had conducted an attack in Marea, using several artillery shells filled with sulfur mustard, a chemical weapon.”
Also read:
The forty second monthly report of the Director General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), submitted pursuant to paragraph 12 of Security Council resolution 2118 (2013) dated March 27, 2017.
http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=S/2017/260
It is worth citing the entire cover letter of the UN Secretary General António Guterres to the President of the Security Council.
“The present letter covers the period from 23 February to 22 March 2017. As before, the situation with regard to the destruction of the chemical weapons production facilities declared by the Syrian Arab Republic remains unchanged, with the destruction of three remaining sites yet to be verified by OPCW.
The Director General, in his note to the OPCW Executive Council, affirms that the prevailing security situation continues to prevent safe access to these sites. With respect to the initial declaration by the Syrian Arab Republic and subsequent submissions, I note that, on 2 March 2017, the Director General submitted to the Executive Council a report on the work of the Declaration Assessment Team.
In this regard, I further note that the Director General has sent an invitation to the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic to resume, in early May 2017, high – level consultations to address the unresolved issues related to the declaration by the Syrian Arab Republic.
I reiterate the need for the Government to work with the OPCW Technical Secretariat with a view to resolving all outstanding issues.
The continuing use of toxic chemicals as weapons, as well as the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic, imperils the long established norm against such weapons. Their use is intolerable and impunity must be stopped by identifying and holding those responsible to account.
The OPCW fact-finding mission in the Syrian Arab Republic is continuing its efforts to investigate allegations of the use of chemical weapons, including through studying all available information relating to such allegations.
As the Director General states in his note to the Executive Council, the fact-finding mission is currently preparing a report further to its investigation of four reported incidents of the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic.
It also continues to investigate eight additional incidents of the use of chemical weapons, all of which have been recorded since the start of 2017.
The OPCW – United Nations Joint Investigative Mechanism continued to build up its capacity. An investigations office has been reopened within the OPCW headquarters, and its work has commenced for the Mechanism.
The Mechanism also continued its cooperation and coordination with OPCW, Member States and other stakeholders.”
The full report is attached to the letter at the provided link. The reader may wish to review that document.
Whether or not what took place on April 4 was a chemical weapons attack carried out by the Syrian Air Force, or an attack on a militant controlled weapons depot that went horribly wrong, maybe the purpose of the strike was not to signal that the Trump administration was going to pursue regime change, but rather was a signal that the use of chemical weapons had to stop, those responsible for past attacks had to be held to account, the Syrian Government had to fulfill its obligations concerning the destruction of chemical weapons and the Russian Government had to be more forceful in policing compliance?
The Syrian Government led by Bashir al-Assad may vehemently deny that they launched a chemical weapons attack on April 4, and rather what took place was a horrible tragedy, but does that completely exonerate them and what about the multiple occasions in the past when they did launch air borne chemical weapons attacks?
As an aside, what about the UAV attack on the hospital treating the injured hours after the original attack took place on April 4?
The AQ threat in Idlib province needs to be addressed.
The opposition forces, along with some aligned with AQ and ISIS may have celebrated the US strike, however will they and the Turkish Government be in such a celebratory mood when the UN OPCW joint investigative mechanism finds the weapons depot which was destroyed contained chemical weapons, so exposing the people they were purportedly helping to grave danger?
How will such a finding look on those advocating for the removal of the Assad Government, particularly in the United States?
Could be all wet, but people may want to read the release posted on the website of the Iraqi Prime Minister of the read out of the telephone call that took place on April 7 between VP Mike Pence and Iraqi PM Al-Abadi
http://pmo.iq/pme/press2017en/7-4-20171en.htm
Also read the read out of the telephone call that took place on April 7 between the Russian and Turkish Foreign Ministers as published on the TASS website. http://tass.com/politics/940204
Lastly read the following statement issued by the Russian Ministry of Defense on April 7 concerning the shutting down of the so called “hotline:”
https://www.facebook.com/1492252324350852/photos/a.1492313031011448.1073741828.1492252324350852/1905072536402160/?type=3
Yes, that is a set back for the nascent co-operation between Russia and the United States concerning taking out ISIS, along with the US launching air strikes against AQ positions. However, Secretary of State Tillerson and his team are scheduled to be in Moscow on April 12 for meetings with Foreign Minister Lavarov and his people to discuss a number of issues, including counter-terrorism matters. One can anticipate the Syrian situation will be high on the agenda.
Link to copy of letter sent earlier today by the President to the Congress setting out his justification for the strike on the Syrian airbase https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C86VewqW0AEk-Bd.jpg
I am sort of thinking the same thing….
I read that only 23 of the missiles made it and that the runways were only mildly affected. Betcha the others were shot down by Russia.
You give the elites too much credit. They are successful only with our cooperation. The tide is turning….
I stated this in my twitter feed and I’ll state it here. Regardless of our sentiment, America had lost initiative in the Syrian theatre, and needed to increase its leverage before any opening talk with Russia. The Tillerson meeting is still on the table, and the strike has massively strenghtened America’s position. I think we are all being irrationally hasty in our judgment of the attack (which applies to myself as well), because there is a good chance this is a necessary gambit.
That said, if it turns out that it is not, and that the neocons have triumphed, perhaps it is time for a genuine revolution in America, in which the establishment is finally dethroned.
Ironically, it will now be up to Putin, to “anoint” Trump, and make us “forget” his errors.
Since Publius Tacitus cited Sundance, who blogs at theconservativetreehouse.com, in support of an earlier post, people might find the following post by Sundance of interest:
Syria – It Doesn’t Matter Who Used The Chemical Weapons, The Issue is Extremism and Stability…https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2017/04/08/syria-it-doesnt-matter-who-used-the-chemical-weapons-the-issue-is-extremism-and-stability/#more-131064
When I wrote:
“How will such a finding look on those advocating for the removal of the Assad Government, particularly in the United States?”
I should have added “through the use of force.”
In saying that it is up to the Syrian people to decide the future of Bashir al-Assad what does that mean?
To my understanding it means that while the Trump administration has ruled out regime change through the use of force and is supporting a political solution, which will include his future, reached at the negotiating table, and ratified through the ballot box.
Satellite images show destruction of Assad’s air base as US says 58 of 59 Tomahawk missiles hit their target – but Russia insists more than half of them MISSED
https://www.google.com/amp/www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4392962/amp/Satellite-images-destruction-Assad-s-air-base.html
These pictures don’t lie.
This has to be looked from a much bigger picture … this is all about Israel (Trump is their boy like every President since JFK). Through this timeline I will show what I mean:
1 – Early to mid March Trump starts sending in new American soldiers into Syria mostly into strategic areas which affect Iran’s forces inside Syria (Israel has never kept it a secret they consider Iran it’s number one enemy and rival in the region); “the initial deployment of 500 US troops in Syria was followed on March 9 by a further 400, with the Washington Post announcing on March 15 that another 1,000 are on the way.” https://www.rt.com/op-edge/381243-iran-mosul-iraq-us-trump/
2 – Around March 17th Israel airplanes shoot missiles into Syria and Russia responds by asking their diplomat for a talk and letting Israel it’s time to stop doing this. http://ronpaulinstitute.org/archives/featured-articles/2017/march/21/israel-precipitates-new-tensions-in-syria/
3 – A couple days later Netanyahu tells Putin in a phone conversation he will continue attacks. https://www.rt.com/news/381696-israel-syria-netanyahu-putin/
4 – About a week later Netanyahu meets with Putin in Moscow and offers him some kind of a deal which would involve Russia stabbing Iran from behind and siding with Israel. Putin laughs off this deal.
5 – A couple days ago we have a terrorist attack in Saint Petersburg (I’m putting my money on this being a MOSSAD operation; Jews don’t react well to their offers being laughed at)
6 – Then of course we have the false flag chemical attack
7 – Finally we have best friend of Israel, Trump doing what he did
So to me it looks clear like the real joker in the deck is Israel and Trump is just another one of their pawns. By the way who is Trump’s right hand man … the Jewish psycho in a suit Kushner.
Here is another missing piece of the puzzle. Days before the chemical attack in Idlib, 250 people were kidnapped by Alqaeda from a nearby town. So it seems as though those in the deep state who have been wanting to take down Assad for years informed Alqaeda of the location of the upcoming airstrike, giving Alqaeda enough time to place chemicals at the site and civilians by the site to be affected by the chemicals. They created the perfect storm to blame the Syrian Government with and apparently also to take down President Trump via impeachment, who they’ve been looking to take down as well.
https://mobile.almasdarnews.com/article/jumping-conclusions-something-not-adding-idlib-chemical-weapons-attack/
Kissinger is the GREAT DENIER when it comes to his involvement in destroying the AMERICAN CENTURY! STILL HIS THOUGHTS AND WRITINGS AND
INTELLECTUAL PROGENY DO MATTER. BUT NEVER BELIEVE HE IS A REALIST!
HIS IS THE TRAGEDY OF romantic idealism AS IS MARX!
David Hume and Adam Smith feared the destruction of CAPITALISM by GREED! And so it seems. Unable to internally reform IMO!
You are correct
http://www.veteranstoday.com/2017/04/09/trump-humilated-syria-shoots-down-34-of-59-cruise-missiles-russia-to-upgrade-system-soon/
impeaching trump does not help lol, ya get zionist pence……………
Turkey has ‘found’ sarin?
“Concrete evidence of the use of sarin gas in Syria’s Idlib attack on April 4 has been found, Health Minister Recep Akdag said Tuesday.
“Sarin gas metabolite, isopropyl methylphosphonic acid, has been detected in blood and urine samples of the Syrian victims Sait Huseyin, Esme al-Hasan, Mohamed Avat and Ahmed al-Salih, who is still getting medical treatment in Hatay,” Akdag told Anadolu Agency.
Akdag said the evidence had been confirmed by the Public Health Institution’s Chemical Warfare Agents Diagnosis and Verification Laboratory.”
http://aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/turkey-says-evidence-of-sarin-gas-in-syria-attack-found/794620
Trump might be impeached for defying the gods of Political Correctness, or perhaps removed under the 25th Amendment (kind of a streamlined impeachment, with no hearings and no trial); but for a US president to be impeached for trampling on the constitution, for lying us into a war, and for exercising dictatorial powers? If it didn’t happen to any president in the last 100 years it ain’t gonna happen today.
“But here’s a little secret from 20 years of teaching and doing research in the neurosciences: trust the biology. It doesn’t matter what the politicians and CIA, and MSM, and OPCW, and WHO say, if the biology does not show a sarin attack, then there wasn’t a sarin attack. And in the case of sarin, the biology — meaning symptoms and the absence of symptoms — is not debatable, certainly when there are multiple supposed-victims. If the videos did clearly show victims exhibiting the symptoms of sarin intoxication, my position would be somewhat less certain because most of the symptoms of sarin poisoning can be easily faked. But when the videos FAIL TO SHOW the diagnostic symptoms of sarin, then you know two things: 1) it was not sarin, and 2) the terrorists were too stupid to fake the sarin symptoms.”
http://logophere.com/Topics2017/17-04/17_017-BLA-Sarin.htm