Did I just stop by DU and find people PUSHING for war against Syria?

[MADem]

186. Even though "we" would NOT be thick "on the ground" doing a CW destruction protocol

(we're high value targets) we would be essentially paying a fair chunk of the freight for the blue helmets doing the work--which we do a lot of, anyway (and i think it's a good expenditure, myself).

Blue helmets on the ground would be there SOLELY in support of a peacekeeping mission, to destroy CW weapons and nothing more. Their charter would be constrained. They wouldn't get involved in 'civil war' business whatsoever. They would be there to remove and destroy those WMDs, nothing more.

That said, just because they are peacekeepers, that doesn't mean they don't know how to defend themselves. They are, after all, drawn from militaries around the world. If there needs to be overflights to secure their safety while they do their work, there are a LOT of countries--not just us--that can do that. For example, France has some talented pilots, and they haven't dipped in much, though they do have a history with Syria. Right in the neighborhood there are assets aplenty-- Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Jordan--their pilots are US trained, high quality airmen, and they know what to do.

The only way the UN could get there, though, is if the Russians rescind their objections at the UN. It's looking more and more likely that someone in Assad's camp (his brother's unit, is the latest rumor) is involved in this. The Syrians have changed there story from "There was NO release of chemical weapons what-so-EVER!" to "Those rebels over THERE did it!!!"
http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/25/world/meast/syria-civil-war/index.html?hpt=hp_c2

What Putin does will tell the world where his head is at--I'm not hopeful.