Obama Administration Denies AP Requests For Syria Evidence - HuffPo

[WillyT]

Obama Administration Denies AP Requests For Syria Evidence
Michael Calderone - HuffPo
9/8/13

<snip>

The Associated Press ran a skeptical piece Sunday about the Obama administration's public case for military intervention in Syria in response to a reported Aug. 21 chemical attack: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20130908/ml-syria-attack-scenarios/

The AP's Zeina Karam and Kimberly Dozier wrote that "the U.S. government insists it has the intelligence to prove it, but the public has yet to see a single piece of concrete evidence produced by U.S. intelligence -- no satellite imagery, no transcripts of Syrian military communications -- connecting the government of President Bashar Assad to the alleged chemical weapons attack last month that killed hundreds of people."

The Obama administration has released videos to make its case, but the AP noted that it's requests for additional evidence the government claims to possess have been denied:

The Obama administration, searching for support from a divided Congress and skeptical world leaders, says its own assessment is based mainly on satellite and signals intelligence, including intercepted communications and satellite images indicating that in the three days prior to the attack that the regime was preparing to use poisonous gas.

But multiple requests to view that satellite imagery have been denied, though the administration produced copious amounts of satellite imagery earlier in the war to show the results of the Syrian regime's military onslaught. When asked Friday whether such imagery would be made available showing the Aug. 21 incident, a spokesman referred The Associated Press to a map produced by the White House last week that shows what officials say are the unconfirmed areas that were attacked.

The Obama administration maintains it intercepted communications from a senior Syrian official on the use of chemical weapons, but requests to see that transcript have been denied. So has a request by the AP to see a transcript of communications allegedly ordering Syrian military personnel to prepare for a chemical weapons attack by readying gas masks.

The AP has been especially skeptical of the Obama administration's claims, a reflection of how the media's failure in the run-up to the Iraq War still lingers...

<snip>

More: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-calderone/obama-administration-ap-syria_b_3890207.html

[Junkdrawer]

1. Going down the road of Proof is a slippery slope....

No end to where THAT could lead.

[tavalon]

8. The rabbit hole of truth.

[rug]

2. How could they even ask?

[99th_Monkey]

14. Awesome toon. makes the point well. nt

[dkf]

3. Wow, what could possibly be a problem about showing us these satellite images?

Are they BSing us? I don't understand why else they need to keep this secret.

[questionseverything]

4. or the incepts

from the article:

The Obama administration maintains it intercepted communications from a senior Syrian official on the use of chemical weapons, but requests to see that transcript have been denied. So has a request by the AP to see a transcript of communications allegedly ordering Syrian military personnel to prepare for a chemical weapons attack by readying gas masks.

////////////////////

according to greysen our reps are not allowed to see or hear the actual "evidence" either only "summaries"

[LittleBlue]

5. Bush 2.0

They have nothing or they would reveal it

[MissDeeds]

17. Especially after the Iraq debacle

It would seem Obama would do everything possible to show evidence that Assad used chemical weapons - especially since Bush and Company lied us into war the last time. Sorry, but the president is not convincing in this "oh we know...trust us" approach. We've been down this road before.

[Logical]

6. What a shock......NOT! n-t

[tavalon]

7. They clearly missed the vial of white powder that John Kerry held up

Oh, wait, wrong war. Same technique, clearly.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

9. Where are Bradly Manning and Edward Snowden when we need them?

Which is why we need them and other whistle blowers.

[Dragonfli]

12. Mostly fearing for their lives or trying to avoid torture for the crime of "ratting out" criminals.

Snitches get stitches, works as a policy for all organized crime syndicates, it is very effective at keeping lips zipped and criminal behavior safe from investigation.

I am sure the "message" has been received and has shut down many that otherwise would have revealed even more truths about criminal behavior that should be brought to light. This mob like attitude alone shows me that criminals are actively engaged in illegal acts at the highest levels where such mob like policies regarding "rats" is being formed.

[morningfog]

10. They got little to nothing, that's why.

[Dragonfli]

11. If they can not present evidence, then there is no evidence!!! Rumors and gossip do not a case make!

Try having your neighbor arrested and telling the court that would arraign him that you have evidence he committed a crime but it is none of their business, see how far such "evidence" gets you in the real world where the secret "intelligence" isn't fixed around the pseudo-sexual desire to turn people into flying hamburger!

[99th_Monkey]

13. In a totalitarian state, Truth is a "state secret". nt

[Raksha]

21. That's for damn sure.

[Rebellious Republican]

15. I worked on Obama's 08 campaign, I voted for him in 2012. I still have hope.

I believe he may be holding some cards close. He is one of the smartest presidents in my lifetime. Just food for thought....

On a warm summer's evenin' on a train bound for nowhere,
I met up with the gambler; we were both too tired to sleep.
So we took turns a starin' out the window at the darkness
'Til boredom overtook us, and he began to speak.

He said, "Son, I've made my life out of readin' people's faces,
And knowin' what their cards were by the way they held their eyes.
So if you don't mind my sayin', I can see you're out of aces.
For a taste of your whiskey I'll give you some advice."

So I handed him my bottle and he drank down my last swallow.
Then he bummed a cigarette and asked me for a light.
And the night got deathly quiet, and his face lost all expression.
Said, "If you're gonna play the game, boy, ya gotta learn to play it right.

You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em,
Know when to walk away and know when to run.
You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table.
There'll be time enough for countin' when the dealin's done.

Now Ev'ry gambler knows that the secret to survivin'
Is knowin' what to throw away and knowing what to keep.
'Cause ev'ry hand's a winner and ev'ry hand's a loser,
And the best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep."

So when he'd finished speakin', he turned back towards the window,
Crushed out his cigarette and faded off to sleep.
And somewhere in the darkness the gambler, he broke even.
But in his final words I found an ace that I could keep.

You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em,
Know when to walk away and know when to run.
You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table.
There'll be time enough for countin' when the dealin's done.
Chrousx3

[sulphurdunn]

16. Any hard evidence

the administration possessed would have been released by now. It would not be in their interests to without it.

[NuclearDem]

18. Evidence is for commies and terrorists

[woo me with science]

19. Oh, please!

If they had evidence, we would not be able to turn on the TV or radio, or open the internet, or see a newspaper, or walk down a street without HAVING IT IN OUR FACES.

What a scam this is. What a disgusting, bloody, murderous scam.

[MissDeeds]

20. Agreed n/t

[KoKo]

22. It's starting to sound like "Shoot First and Ask Questions Later"...yet

how could they think that the American Public would be so gullible after all we learned about the lies and propaganda about Iraq?

Why the big rush to get it done last week and then Obama calls it off at last minute? Now they won't give their complete evidence but release gruesome pictures designed to sway public opinion? To an America so used to violence now that many are very jaded.

Why the campaign tactics to do six videos for TV and then his big address to the people tomorrow night? Why doesn't he wait until the UN Report is released. What is the Rush? Is he hoping that Public Opinion will be swayed by just the terrible photos and his polls will soar and we will call congress and demand that we do Air Strikes?

I just can't figure out what is going on that they are acting so crazy with all of this.

[MisterP]

29. presumably they were caught off-guard with Parliament,

like with Snowden (Morales, Miranda, the hysterical declarations that this is some Putin-Palin trick TO MAKE THE REPUBLICANS WIN AIEE)
plus many of the old CIA Spooks are staunch GOPers, with the Dems unable to win them over no matter how much they warmonger

[Baclava]

31. maybe even "Shoot First and Ask No Questions later"

I don't understand the rush either

[blackspade]

23. Of course they denied the request.

We wouldn't want the 'evidence' actually reviewed would we?

[Safetykitten]

24. You will get nothing and like it Spaulding!

[Uncle Joe]

25. Why on Earth would satellite images be so sensitive?

Thanks for the thread, WillyT.

[joshcryer]

28. Because they are Hubble Space Telescopes, pointed downward.

The proof, if it exists, mind you, would indicate a level of spying that the world can't be allowed to see.

They'd never show that proof. If it exists, I should stress.

That doesn't stop them from showing the audio intercepts. Or even troop movement (you can show grainy images of troop movement without giving away ability).

[markpkessinger]

26. To be fair . . .

. . . they can't release what they don't have, right?

[SamKnause]

27. Transparency

There is no proof, or they would be parading it on TV, in print, over the airwaves and on the internet 24/7.

Even zero proof is classified in the U.S.

What a destructive deceitful government the U.S. has.

[Bolo Boffin]

30. The French report had satellite imagery showing the attacks came from government-controlled areas.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/02/vladimir-putin-syria

[Autumn]

32. IF they had evidence it would be put out. That no evidence has been put out, well

as some fool said. Fool me once........can't get fooled again. I'm not buying what this administration is selling.

[IsItJustMe]

33. This is what really bothers me about this whole thing

I don't care if they say it is top secret. After seeing what GWB did in cooking the intelligence to get his war, Obama surely knows how distrustful the American people are by now about our so called intelligence.

He needs to go the extra mile in convincing the people of this country, that Assad did this, before he even begins to talk about WHAT to do about it.

[Catherina]

34. So this is what transparency looks like n/t

[florida08]

35. and there it is

Evidence denied is either fabricated or non existent. This action is going to hurt the country along with the democratic party.

[littlewolf]

36. that is because it is soooper secrit and is

double locked behind really big steel doors
and armed guards and it is too hard to get to
to show you, but we have it, really you just
have to trust us
/s

[blkmusclmachine]

37. Bo ate it.

Liars.

[blkmusclmachine]

38. Trust us. We wouldn't LIE to you,

again.

[truth2power]

39. And they wonder why we don't believe anything they say. ...

"The Obama Administration maintains..." blah blah