After reviewing the questioning of John Kerry in Congress, I conclude he lied

[David Krout]

Here is the question Senator Johnson asked Kerry. In summary, he asked Kerry whether the opposition in Syria, which began as widely moderate, has become more dominated by extremists groups over time. See Kerry's response too:

SEN. JOHNSON: What do we know about the opposition? I mean, what is -- have we been tracking them for the last two years? I mean, it seems like -- and this is more of an impression I have as opposed to any exact knowledge, but it seems like initially, the opposition was maybe more Western-leaning, more moderate, more democratic, and as time has gone by, it's degraded, become more infiltrated by al-Qaida. That -- is that basically true? Or to -- (inaudible) -- has that happened?

SEC. KERRY: No, that is -- no, that is actually basically not true. It's basically incorrect. The opposition has increasingly become more defined by its moderation, more defined by the breadth of its membership and more defined by its adherence to some, you know, democratic process and to an all-inclusive, minority-protecting constitution, which will be broad-based and secular with respect to the future of Syria. And that's very critical.

I found a Reuters article in August in which we are told:

More than two years of a revolt-turned civil war have turned Syria into a magnet for jihadists from across the world, fuelling fears foreign military assistance might fall into the hands of fighters hostile to the West.

That has served only to strengthen the hand of Islamist brigades whose regional backers, many of them private Gulf donors, have been more forthcoming with support.

In recent weeks, al Qaeda-linked groups attacked several Alawite villages in the coastal province of Latakia, Assad's stronghold. They also seized a strategic airport in Aleppo province that Syrian rebels failed for months to take.

Fighters from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and the al-Nusra Front, both of which acknowledge the authority of al Qaeda leader Ayman Zawahri, are now the ultimate rulers in many rebel-held towns.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/25/us-syria-rebels-idUSBRE97O07I20130825

Note how we're told in Reuters just a month ago that "and now" (implying that wasn't the case at an earlier stage) Ayman Zawahri's disciples dominate certain areas.

Now you tell me if that sounds to you like moderates in Syria have kept or increase their share of power in the opposition, or whether extremists have "infiltrated" the opposition over time.

[HooptieWagon]

1. He was just "least untruthful".

The whole Administration is a pack of fucking liars.

[blm]

2. and the US recently started arming and training the moderates....

so it stands to reason that the moderates would become the dominant force.

The Al Qaeda groups get all the media interest because they're crazy and bloodthirsty while the moderates do not. Like the media here gives all the airtime to the most aggressive TeaParty voices while they pretty much ignore moderate voices.


I'm pretty certain that Kerry is far more informed than you or Reuters.

[cui bono]

3. Sorry, but the "father knows best" line doesn't fly.

We are not supposed to just trust that our govt officials know best and blindly follow them, especially into war. You would have thought Colin Powell was more informed than us or Reuters too and look where he took us.

In fact, the issue isn't about being informed at all, it is about being truthful. It is our duty as citizens to question what we are told by TPTB and I'm glad there are people examining what is being said and done by our govt in our name.

[blm]

5. Actually, I know quite a lot about what's been going on in Syria - I don't follow

anyone, but I respect the workhorses and those who made a difference, I'm not religious, and certainly not blind when it comes to information.

I trust that Kerry knows what is going on in Syria because there isn't anyone who focused on bringing Assad around to BE part of the solutions in the region than Kerry.
Perhaps if you followed the details on Syria for the last decade as I have you'd feel more comfortable trusting that Kerry knows Assad and his current mental state a helluva lot more than anyone else, including those opining about it.

This ridiculous push to claim that Obama is no different than Bush and Kerry is as uninformed as Powell, is absurd to me. Actually, it sounds like a bunch of Paulites baiting the dupes on the left with their Obama = Bush memes because they started working on Rand2016 back in 2011.

Paulbots - the yellow jackets of politics.

[wisteria]

8. Wow, well said! n/t

[cui bono]

9. I know from having seen your posts around here in the past that you do know a lot.

I'm not questioning your knowledge or Kerry's either. I do question what we are being told right now though.

No need to throw name calling terms like "Paulites" or "Paulbots" into the convo though.

I have been curious the past week or so, having noticed some of your posts lately taking stances I would not have associated with you. Have you changed your opinion on things or are you rallying because it is a Dem admin? I really am not trying to offend with this question, just curious. Maybe I have you mixed up with someone else, but I thought you used to post informative things about TPTB and the connections behind the scenes, was that not you?

[David Krout]

12. If you know so much, why didn't you know USA hasnt begun arming rebels?

http://articles.latimes.com/2013/aug/17/world/la-fg-syria-arms-20130817

[polly7]

18. Others say differently.

1) As protests spread through the Arab world in 2011, the mostly leftist groups who organized the Arab Spring protests in Syria formed the NCB to coordinate peaceful protests and resistance to government repression. They agreed, and they still agree, on three basic principles: non-violence; non-sectarianism; and no foreign military intervention. But the U.S. and its allies marginalized the NCB, formed an unrepresentative "Syrian National Council" in Turkey as a government-in-exile and recruited, armed and trained violent armed groups to pursue regime change in Syria.

2) The United States, the United Kingdom, France, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar began flying in fighters, weapons and equipment to turn the Syrian Spring into a bloody civil war. Once they had overthrown the government of Libya, at the cost of 25,000 to 50,000 lives, they began adapting the same strategy to Syria, despite knowing full well that this would be a much more drawn-out, destructive and bloody war.

3) Even as a Qatari-funded YouGov poll in December 2011 found that 55% of Syrians still supported their government, unmarked NATO planes were flying fighters and weapons from Libya to the "Free Syrian Army" base at Iskanderum in Turkey. British and French special forces were training FSA recruits, while the CIA and US special forces provided communications equipment and intelligence, as in Libya. Retired CIA officer Philip Giraldi concluded, "Syrian government claims that it is being assaulted by rebels who are armed, trained and financed by foreign governments are more true than false."

http://www.alternet.org/world/america-has-fueled-bloody-civil-war-syria

Syrian rebels get first new heavy weapons after Obama announces U.S. to send military support

Richard Spencer, The Telegraph | 13/06/19 | Last Updated: 13/06/19 6:55 PM ET

The first new heavy weapons have arrived on Syria’s front lines following President Barack Obama’s decision to put Western military might behind the official opposition, rebels have told The Daily Telegraph.

Rebel sources said Russian-made “Konkurs” anti-tank missiles had been supplied by America’s key Gulf ally, Saudi Arabia. They have already been used to destructive effect and may have held up a promised regime assault on Aleppo.

A handful of the missiles were already in use and in high demand after opposition forces looted them from captured regime bases.

More have now arrived, confirming reports that the White House has lifted an unofficial embargo on its Gulf allies sending heavy weapons to the rebels.

http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/06/19/syrian-rebels-get-first-new-heavy-weapons-after-obama-announces-u-s-to-send-military-support/

[David Krout]

19. The National Post article quotes rebels saying that the Saudis gave them weapons

No quotes about USA weapons delivery.

[wisteria]

7. Some refuse to listen to truth. They would rather conclude

the one they oppose is lying. That way, they are secure with their wrongs.

[David Krout]

11. "U.S. Still Hasn't Armed Syrian Rebels" (Sept. 2, 2013)

In June, the White House authorized the Central Intelligence Agency to help arm moderate fighters battling the Assad regime, a signal to Syrian rebels that the cavalry was coming. Three months later, they are still waiting.

The delay, in part, reflects a broader U.S. approach rarely discussed publicly but that underpins its decision-making, according to former and current U.S. officials: The Obama administration doesn't want to tip the balance in favor of the opposition for fear the outcome may be even worse for U.S. interests than the current stalemate.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324202304579051280341316034.html

[SidDithers]

4. Welcome to DU...nt

Sid

[wisteria]

6. And, you concluded wrong. n/t

[20score]

10. ...

Last edited Sat Sep 7, 2013, 12:07 AM - Edit history (1)

[oberliner]

13. Would "Sen. Johnson" happen to be RW conservative Ron Johnson?

It's amazing how popular these RW Republicans are all of a sudden.

[undeterred]

14. Senator Johnson is a rightwing dumbass who can barely read the sheet

Last edited Sat Sep 7, 2013, 10:09 AM - Edit history (1)

of talking points his party hands out to him every morning.

[David Krout]

16. Kerry lied = Johnson popular?

Explain.

[oberliner]

17. Lots of posts quoting RW Republicans

Citing them non-ironically seems to be popular of late.

Normally RW-ers are quoted here to show how idiotic they are.

Recently, the opposite appears to be the case.

[Catherina]

15. As Kerry was extolling the democratic virtues of the “rebels” on Wednesday...

As Kerry was extolling the democratic virtues of the “rebels” on Wednesday, jihadist militias were laying siege to the Christian village of Maalula, north of Damascus, seizing high ground and shelling defenseless civilian neighborhoods and churches and threatening to unleash a sectarian bloodbath.

This is but the latest of countless atrocities carried out by the US-backed Islamist militias, which were funneled into Syria along with arms and funding from Washington and its allies with the aim of toppling the Assad regime and redrawing the political map of the Middle East. The main reason for the rush to direct US military intervention is the disintegration of this effort in the face of defeats on the battlefield as well as mounting popular hostility and revulsion on the part of the Syrian people.

...

These acts include the roadside execution of three truck drivers for the “crime” of being members of the Alawite minority. (One of the drivers tells the killers, “We’re just trying to earn a living.”)

They also include the beheading of a Catholic priest. Another video recently smuggled out of Syria by a disgusted defector from the “rebel” camp shows amass execution of defenseless Syrian soldiers who have been taken prisoner.

These atrocities go largely unreported in the corporate-controlled media, which dedicate their efforts (with decreasing success) to molding public opinion in support of war. When pressed on confirmed atrocities by these “rebels,” Kerry and other war supporters insist that only US bombing can prevent “radicalization.”

...

http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-us-al-qaeda-alliance-in-syria-and-the-fraud-of-the-war-on-terror/5348548

WARNING. Graphic roadside execution of three truck drivers

Published on Aug 26, 2013

+18
Syrian Islamist Rebels Execute three Truck Drivers who they stopped in a highway because they are not Muslim Sunnis. They asked them questions specific about prayers which they answered wrongly. They shot them on the spot. They all were shouting Allah Akbar while killing them. This is Islam, but then when "Educated" Muslims speak to the Western public they deny that this has anything to do with Islam, and accuse the doers as not applying true Islam.

[hr]
WARNING. Graphic (WARNING) Syrian Catholic priest beheaded by Jihadis as crowd cheers

[hr]

NO KERRY. ONLY PARTISANS, WAR LOVERS AND UNINFORMED PEOPLE BELIEVE YOUR BULLSHIT