Kerry becomes first war casualty

"Much as the strike may (or may not) weaken the Syrian armed forces and diminish its military capabilities, Kerry's capacity to be an effective secretary of state for the reminder of President Barack Obama's term may have been seriously 'degraded' already. The point is, over three full eventful years still remain in Obama's presidency and three years is a lot time in politics. Kerry's tragedy is that he is being called upon to defend an indefensible brief. Three major gaffes within the space of a week is a terrible record for a top diplomat to pile up under any circumstances." Continue reading

Continue ReadingKerry becomes first war casualty

Pepe Escobar: Dogs of war versus the emerging caravan

"Not even the ghost of Machiavelli would come up with an adjective to describe the whole planet waiting in disbelief to see whether the almost universally despised House of Representatives (15% approval rating, according to RealClearPolitics) decides, Roman Empire style, to give the thumbs down and authorize the bombing of one of the oldest cities in humanity (well, they have an illustrious precedent of applauding Shock and Awe over Baghdad, which topped the Mongols going medieval in the 13th century). And all this against the will of the 'American people' who, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll support this folly by an overwhelming 9%. Yes We Bomb. But what for?" Continue reading

Continue ReadingPepe Escobar: Dogs of war versus the emerging caravan

Paul Craig Roberts: Why Are Obama and Kerry Desperate to Start a New War?

"Isn’t it a threat to international security when a superpower can, acting on a whim, demonize a leader and a country and unleash mass destruction, as the US has done seven times in the past twelve years? There are millions of innocent but demonized victims of the 'indispensable, exceptional USA,' the 'light unto the world.' Forget about the US media, which is nothing but a propaganda ministry for the Israel Lobby. What the members of Congress and what the American people need to ask obama is why does the White House only represent the Israel Lobby? No one supports an attack on Syria but the Israel Lobby." Continue reading

Continue ReadingPaul Craig Roberts: Why Are Obama and Kerry Desperate to Start a New War?

Justin Raimondo: We Beat the War Party – For Now …

"Facts on the ground have little impact on the course of American foreign policy. It’s really all about politics on the home front. The Iraq war had nothing to do with the threat of Al Qaeda, in spite of the Bush administration’s war propaganda: it was all about building domestic support for the GOP around a program of war hysteria, the mystic doctrine of 'American exceptionalism,' and untrammeled foreign adventurism. So too in the case of Syria, but this time things turned out differently: the War Party ran up against a brick wall of public opposition – and real outrage that the political class would even try something like this after a decade of war." Continue reading

Continue ReadingJustin Raimondo: We Beat the War Party – For Now …

The “Blowback” That Neocons Do Understand

"Neocons still don't utter peep about blowback from U.S. foreign entanglements. They will never write or speak one word about it. However, with the current smackdown that the American public is delivering to Obama on his drive to war in Syria, at least one Neocon fears 'blowback' of a domestic sort. Wehner isn't speaking about 'blowback' from foreigners (He wouldn't dare.) He's referring to the non-interventionist voices in the U.S. that have grown by leaps and bounds since Ron Paul's campaign. The American public waking up, and not remaining in a woozy stupor as the war machine tramples on, is the type of 'blowback' that Neocons do understand." Continue reading

Continue ReadingThe “Blowback” That Neocons Do Understand

McConnell to Vote ‘No’ On Syria As Election Looms

"'I have never been an isolationist,' McConnell will say, according to his prepared text. 'And a vote against this resolution shouldn’t be confused by anyone as a turn in that direction. But just as the most committed isolationist could be convinced of the need for intervention under the right circumstances when confronted with a threat, so too do the internationalists among us believe that all interventions are not created equal. And this proposal just does not stand up.' Translation: McConnell has a tough primary and general election ahead and can't be seen as going against the will of the people." Continue reading

Continue ReadingMcConnell to Vote ‘No’ On Syria As Election Looms

Obama, the US Liar-in-Chief

"If these leaders in Washington cannot even tell the American people about what the real military contingency plans are for Syria, why should we believe them on all their other claims about chemical weapons used in that country. It’s a con trick, and the American people know it. Moreover, Liar-in-Chief Barack Obama and his partners-in-crime know that the people know it. It really is saying something of the collapsing legitimacy of the US presidency when foreign leaders such as Vladimir Putin or even Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad - the latter vilified as a despotic tyrant - project more moral authority and credibility to the American people than their own leaders do. The American people are right." Continue reading

Continue ReadingObama, the US Liar-in-Chief

What Do Americans Know That Their Government Doesn’t Know?

"Since morality and social order cannot be imposed by foreign attacks and aggressive wars to alter governments and entire societies, what these American intrusions have caused is death and destruction in one country after another, plus hatred and revenge visited upon the invaders. What Americans now recognize, if only by gut instinct, is that the war policy has backfired. The global war on terror has backfired. Interventionism has backfired. America has done wrong, morally and pragmatically. Americans are coming to recognize this while their leaders are still caught up in their false notions that power and their power in particular can remake the world for the better." Continue reading

Continue ReadingWhat Do Americans Know That Their Government Doesn’t Know?

Patrick Buchanan: America Says ‘No!’ to a Beltway War

"How many Syrians should we kill to restore the credibility of Barack Obama? How many Syrians should we kill to impress upon Iran how resolute we are? How many Syrians should we kill to reassure nervous allies that Uncle Sam will forever come fight their wars for them? In America, before we put a man to death, we prove him guilty of murder 'beyond a reasonable doubt.' Should we not set as high a standard of proof before we kill a thousand Syrians and plunge the United States into another war?" Continue reading

Continue ReadingPatrick Buchanan: America Says ‘No!’ to a Beltway War

Scheuer: Ten questions worth pondering on Obama, Syria, and Interventionism

"Question: Is it justifiable for America to go to war in Syria to get President Obama out of the box he created for himself by talking about a 'red line' in the Syrian civil war, a conflict in which no genuine U.S. national interests are at risk? Answer: No. Obama’s inexperience in foreign affairs and his seeming personal arrogance got him — and America — into this mess, and so little a man is he that he now refuses to accept responsibility for foolishly drawing the red line, instead blaming it on 'the world.' Let him swing. Question: Will America’s credibility as a great military power be denigrated if it does not attack Syria? Answer: No. We have already lost most of that credibility [..]" Continue reading

Continue ReadingScheuer: Ten questions worth pondering on Obama, Syria, and Interventionism