Senate chairman pushed for arming Syrian rebels

[DonViejo]

Source: AP/Salon


BY DONNA CASSATA

WASHINGTON (AP) — The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is calling for the United States to provide weapons to vetted Syrian opposition groups battling President Bashar Assad’s forces in the 2-year-old civil war.

Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey introduced legislation on Monday that would allow for arms, military training and non-lethal aid to rebels that meet certain criteria on human rights and don’t have links to terrorism.

The bill also would create a $250 million fund to assist the country in a transition after the end of the Assad regime. The measure would give the U.S. government the power to sanction any individual who sells or transfers military equipment, weapons or oil to Assad.

Menendez said the U.S. must act to tip the scales in favor of the opposition.

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Read more: http://www.salon.com/2013/05/06/senate_chairman_pushed_for_arming_syrian_rebels/

[Comrade Grumpy]

1. No, thank you.

[atreides1]

2. Of course

Can't feed the elderly or disabled, but we're going to give weapons and training to more Jihadist groups?

Why the hell not, it worked so well in the past...NOT!!!

[John2]

8. So is the

American people OK with this Congressman offering 250 million dollars of their money to these groups? That money will go to somebody for a profit.

[tularetom]

3. How does he propose to tell the good rebels from the bad rebels

I've heard reports that many of these rebel groups have ties to Al Qaeda and other baddies.

What safeguards are being included to keep these arms from falling into the wrong hands?

[DonViejo]

5. He doesn't propose...

He just writes the legislation and leaves it to someone else to determine the good rebels from the bad ones'

[turbo_satan]

4. Yes. What could possibly go wrong? (n/t)

[leveymg]

6. Menendez is one of the biggest Senate recipients of AIPAC money.

We all know who is pushing the "red lines" on the Administration.

Senate recipients of AIPAC funding 2006-2012: http://maplight.org/us-congress/interest/J5100/view/all

Top Senate Recipients Funded
Recipient Amount
Recipient Amount
Mark Kirk $945,679
John McCain $772,327
Benjamin Cardin $446,948
Mitch McConnell $404,700
Carl Levin $366,278
Robert Menéndez $343,394
Richard Durbin $325,112
Kirsten Gillibrand $312,687
Mary Landrieu $294,259
Harry Reid $261,708
Frank Lautenberg $258,333
Barbara Boxer $245,179
Charles Schumer $243,149
Bill Nelson $236,150
Ron Wyden $219,931
Sheldon Whitehouse $214,421
Sherrod Brown $212,175
Robert Casey $203,450
Claire McCaskill $175,396
Debbie Stabenow $169,089
Barbara Mikulski $168,250
Mark Udall $162,923
Roger Wicker $152,561
Bob Corker $151,820
Roy Blunt $144,750
Susan Collins $141,518
Mark Warner $140,651
Mark Pryor $138,250
Jeff Merkley $137,130
John Rockefeller $123,807
John Thune $122,725
Max Baucus $121,050
Amy Klobuchar $119,302
Pat Roberts $116,900
Jeanne Shaheen $114,374
Jon Tester $113,557
John Reed $111,140
Michael Bennet $109,126
Alan Franken $109,018
Tom Udall $107,468
John Cornyn $107,000
David Vitter $105,469
Joe Manchin $103,910
Saxby Chambliss $103,650
Tim Johnson $92,465
Kelly Ayotte $90,350
Martin Heinrich $89,160
Maria Cantwell $87,722
Jefferson Sessions $86,550
Lisa Murkowski $85,900
John Barrasso $84,550
Lindsey Graham $84,515
Daniel Coats $81,733
Tammy Baldwin $81,637
Patty Murray $81,550
Thomas Harkin $81,480
Richard Blumenthal $80,640
Orrin Hatch $80,250
Patrick Leahy $74,062
Marco Rubio $73,800
Richard Burr $70,850
Robert Portman $68,815
John Hoeven $67,535
Thomas Carper $64,450
Mike Johanns $63,635
Dianne Feinstein $63,520
James Inhofe $60,000
Charles Grassley $57,600
Jerry Moran $53,400
Thomas Coburn $47,445
Dean Heller $47,100
Michael Crapo $45,750
Mike Lee $45,030
James Risch $41,750
Jeff Flake $39,250
Patrick Toomey $38,500
Mark Begich $36,727
Joe Donnelly $35,400
John Boozman $34,250
Kay Hagan $32,933
Michael Enzi $31,600
John Isakson $31,600
Richard Shelby $27,250
Jim DeMint $24,270
Chris Coons $20,774
Mazie Hirono $20,300
Christopher Murphy $13,550
Ron Johnson $10,400
Bernard Sanders $9,000
Tim Scott $6,000
Rand Paul $5,500

[Comrade Grumpy]

7. Nice bi-partisan rogues' gallery.

Like everything else in this country, our foreign policy is for sale to the highest bidder.

[John2]

9. This wouldn't

look good in the Middle East and gives the U.S. no credibility. Who are the people giving this money and do any come from Israel? I also wonder is that how business is done at the U.N. also? I also wonder why our media hasn't reported this to the American people?

[Purveyor]

10. Thank you for pointing this out and you are 'spot on' with your commentary. +1

[pscot]

11. Fuck you very much, Bob.