GOP Rebuffs Obama Call To Train Syrian Opposition

[Purveyor]

Source: Associated Press

By ANDREW TAYLOR
Sep 10, 1:21 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) -- House Republicans have rebuffed President Barack Obama's request for explicit approval to train and equip Syrian rebels battling forces seeking creation of an Islamic State and to spend up to $2 billion stabilizing the situation in Ukraine, Iraq and other hotspots, officials said Wednesday.

Despite the setback, administration officials worked to win the support of reluctant lawmakers in the hours before Obama was delivering a nationally television speech to the nation laying out his strategy for combating militants with Islamic State group.

Officials said Obama made two specific requests of lawmakers as they drafted a sweeping spending bill to keep the government open past the end of the Sept. 30 budget year. Neither was included in the bill that the House is scheduled to vote on Thursday, but the situation remained fluid.

The White House request asks for "authority to train and equip appropriately vetted elements of the Syrian armed opposition to help defend the Syrian people from attacks by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and the Syrian regime" as well as stabilize areas in Syria under rebel control.

Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_ISLAMIC_STATE_FUNDING?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-09-10-13-21-20

[lark]

1. Right thing done for the entirely wrong reason.

ISIS was also in the anti-Assad crowd in Syria, we gave them weapons which they are now using against our interests. We don't know enough about the players to get involved in that quagmire.

Will we ever learn? Don't think so. You'd think what happened with us giving money to Osama in Afghanistan would be a strong warning against this kind of action, but of course not.

[Iliyah]

2. No thats not it, GOP want American soldiers on the ground

more profit. Listen to Pres Cheney's dumbass talking points which he advised GOP to follow his lead.

[jtuck004]

3. "...my next stop is Vietnam. And it's 5, 6,...." Just wait, they are gonna attack one of our ships,

in the desert...and then it's on.

[Comrade Grumpy]

4. I hate to agree with the Republican-led House on anything, but...

[pampango]

5. I hate to agree with the Republican-led House on anything.

[Cali_Democrat]

6. LOL

GOP: Hey Obama, DO SOMETHING ABOUT UKRAINE AND ISIS!!!

Obama: Okay, let's do this....

GOP: NOOOOOOOOOOOO

Obama: So what should we do then?

GOP: Obama has no strategy!!! WAAAAHHHHH

[pampango]

7. GOP: Obama, do something! Obama: OK let's do this. GOP: NOOOOOOOO.

Obama: So what should we do then?

GOP: Obama has no strategy!!! WAAAAHHHHH

That is the best summary of GOP foreign policy that I have ever seen.

[kairos12]

9. This post nails it.

[Cayenne]

8. Mao Zedung welcomed Chiang Kai-Shek's American weapons too

[Enrique]

10. "in good faith"

"In good faith, we're trying to get briefed up on what the request is and it's a complicated big-time change in policy that I hate to see us attach to a continuing resolution at the very last minute," Rogers told reporters. "This is a complex, complicated policy change that needs to be fully vetted here in the Congress."

No one believes this Worst Congress Ever does anything in good faith. They lost all credibility early in Obama's first term.

[Turbineguy]

11. The GOP want

IS terrorists in the US. That way they can declare martial law and have lots of power.

Remember how riled up they got when Clinton wanted to go after Osama bin Laden?