General Discussion

kpete

(72,900 posts) Fri Aug 30, 2013, 05:46 PM Aug 2013

Friday News Dump? U.S. Had Intel on Chemical Strike Before It Was Launched [View all]

Geez, this is more than a little disturbing ...

American intelligence agencies had indications three days beforehand that the Syrian regime was poised to launch a lethal chemical attack that killed more than a thousand people and has set the stage for a possible U.S. military strike on Syria.

.................

The disclosure -- part of a larger U.S. intelligence briefing on Syria's chemical attacks -- raises all sorts of uncomfortable questions for the American government.

Yes. Yes it does.

In a call with reporters Friday afternoon, senior administration officials did not address whether this information was shared with rebel groups in advance of the attack. A White House spokeswoman declined to comment on whether the information had been shared

MORE:
http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2013/08/30/us_had_intel_on_chemical_strike_before_it_was_launched
via:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/08/30/1235137/-Foreign-Policy-U-S-Had-Intel-on-Chemical-Strike-Before-It-Was-Launched

126 replies

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Highlight:

Friday News Dump? U.S. Had Intel on Chemical Strike Before It Was Launched [View all] kpete Aug 2013 OP

yikes. very disturbing. alas, not terribly shocking. cali Aug 2013 #1

More "disturbing" than the actual chemical attacks? n/t ProSense Aug 2013 #53

The whole thing is shocking Aerows Aug 2013 #73

So lets strike afterwards? DJ13 Aug 2013 #2

it also would have been illegal. nt bunnies Aug 2013 #4

any experts (incl President Carter) thinks Obama will break the law with the strikes afterwards too DJ13 Aug 2013 #8

I dont know what happened there^ DJ13 Aug 2013 #10

Whoa, that's weird. NealK Aug 2013 #98

Indeed. Weird Aerows Aug 2013 #109

NYC_SKP Aug 2013 #114

So, what did I do? DJ13 Aug 2013 #116

Looking at the source code... NYC_SKP Aug 2013 #120

Thanks, but I doubt I will duplicate it DJ13 Aug 2013 #122

And Republicans would be drooling over impeachment. bunnies Aug 2013 #11

That figure is an outlier KamaAina Aug 2013 #16

How could that have happened? JDPriestly Aug 2013 #94

There are some evils that you cannot prevent. DJ13 Aug 2013 #113

And how many people would be alive and in their own homes today if America HAD NOT... TheMadMonk Aug 2013 #102

It appears to be illegal afterward, too, woo me with science Aug 2013 #14

It certainly seems that way. bunnies Aug 2013 #15

Simple- they could have revealed that they knew about it Hydra Aug 2013 #18

hmmm. Yes. Good point. I wonder why they didnt. bunnies Aug 2013 #21

I don't know their cpabilities either Hydra Aug 2013 #29

I just read a post here that sounded like the rebels bobbytrapped the neighborhoods notadmblnd Aug 2013 #34

Geezus. bunnies Aug 2013 #41

Sorry, Aerows Aug 2013 #52

I don't think it is beyond what the rebels are capable of doing notadmblnd Aug 2013 #66

It is nuts all the way around Aerows Aug 2013 #69

We're in agreement there. notadmblnd Aug 2013 #71

They could do what they've already done Aerows Aug 2013 #31

Damned if he does, damned if he doesn't. This black president can't do anything right. NYC_SKP Aug 2013 #7

NYC_escapee Aerows Aug 2013 #107

DU members excepted, I think it's true that he takes more heat than a white guy would. NYC_SKP Aug 2013 #110

Amen, my friend, amen Aerows Aug 2013 #112

What do you think would be the outcome of bombing a chemical weapon sites? notadmblnd Aug 2013 #9

I know you didn't ask me Aerows Aug 2013 #106

Yes, the chemicals would be dispersed resulting in more deaths from chemical warfare notadmblnd Aug 2013 #125

And if the US attacked weapons sites beforehand? Cali_Democrat Aug 2013 #19

Not by wanting to kill more people after the fact Aerows Aug 2013 #27

I caught this too when I read the "assessment" TomClash Aug 2013 #3

What should we have done? bunnies Aug 2013 #5

Saved the live children? Aerows Aug 2013 #26

well yeah, but my question was how. bunnies Aug 2013 #32

That's my point Aerows Aug 2013 #38

Right. "Humanitarian bombing" bunnies Aug 2013 #46

I agree Aerows Aug 2013 #48

Birth defects from depleted uranium tblue Aug 2013 #93

Yeah. I ran into a ton of those pics earlier... bunnies Aug 2013 #103

I know. Just awful. We owe such a debt tblue Aug 2013 #123

we have and continue to provide millions in non military aid JI7 Aug 2013 #58

I hope we continue to do so Aerows Aug 2013 #59

Are you serious? Orrex Aug 2013 #60

Unfortunately, it wasn't a serious question Aerows Aug 2013 #65

Well... Orrex Aug 2013 #90

Prevented it by reveling that it was going to happen Aerows Aug 2013 #91

How so? Orrex Aug 2013 #115

Asked the rebels to stop it Aerows Aug 2013 #111

Which rebels? Stop it how? Orrex Aug 2013 #117

Nightmarish mess sums it up Aerows Aug 2013 #119

It's possible moondust Aug 2013 #6

Good god. Is this true? woo me with science Aug 2013 #12

K & R AzDar Aug 2013 #13

Where was the screeching of the humanitarian hawks? leftstreet Aug 2013 #17

It's okay if we do it Aerows Aug 2013 #23

CNN just had a convo about this... dkf Aug 2013 #20

Well there's a surprise Aerows Aug 2013 #22

Is there some evidence that the US knew this wouldn't be one of the "usual" smaller-scale pnwmom Aug 2013 #24

Well, I'm sure they are as eager Aerows Aug 2013 #77

Other than that you're being sarcastic, I have no idea what you're saying. pnwmom Aug 2013 #80

I don't think it raises disturbing questions at all. Particularly when you see how stevenleser Aug 2013 #25

like another poster said questionseverything Aug 2013 #35

With what info? That some activity appeared like Syria might use Chemical weapons? stevenleser Aug 2013 #39

so if the world did not believe it questionseverything Aug 2013 #54

See #40 below for another important point. The data may have come in but it was not analyzed stevenleser Aug 2013 #75

You're assuming that the US was "assessing" these streams of info in real-time, pnwmom Aug 2013 #40

So it was politically expedient Aerows Aug 2013 #42

Where in the article does it say that the CIA had done anything more than pnwmom Aug 2013 #51

Oh my Aerows Aug 2013 #57

Why should it be fascinating to you that I used the exact term that the posted article used? pnwmom Aug 2013 #64

Some folks Aerows Aug 2013 #79

some folks pnwmom Aug 2013 #81

And never did Aerows Aug 2013 #83

Are you a child? ConservativeDemocrat Aug 2013 #101

Proud member of the Reality Based Community, are you? Aerows Aug 2013 #104

Awwww.... ConservativeDemocrat Aug 2013 #124

it's what was used in the article JI7 Aug 2013 #78

We all Aerows Aug 2013 #82

So kpete, it's all OUR fault? I'm not surprised you'd push that propaganda. DevonRex Aug 2013 #28

please don't be harshing in kpete, she posts lots of stuff. This is interesting. And Foreign Policy KittyWampus Aug 2013 #36

That is a deliberate misrepresentation of what the paragraph says. DevonRex Aug 2013 #50

I hear ya, Devon. "Friday news dump?" Yeah, Cha Aug 2013 #67

No one knows which side unleashed it Aerows Aug 2013 #43

hey, kpete Aug 2013 #47

No you're not, not when you deliberately phrase your post like you did. DevonRex Aug 2013 #55

from the Government's report kpete Aug 2013 #69

The word "collected" is in the past tense. The words "reveal" and "assess" are in the present tense. pnwmom Aug 2013 #74

I'm sorry, I'm unclear on something. Robb Aug 2013 #30

After - it was a few days ago Aerows Aug 2013 #44

Thank you. nt Robb Aug 2013 #45

Maybe they should worry more about BOSTON!!! daa Aug 2013 #33

This just gets worse and worse for Obama. David__77 Aug 2013 #37

Nowhere in the article does it say that the US had analyzed this info days before the attack. pnwmom Aug 2013 #49

It won't be long now ProSense Aug 2013 #56

That's exactly how it works. Everything is brought together afterward. DevonRex Aug 2013 #62

so the nsa can not stop anything terrible questionseverything Aug 2013 #63

The budget recently came out and it's smaller than most people were guessing. pnwmom Aug 2013 #68

so stop spying on every American questionseverything Aug 2013 #72

They're not. Next? nt stevenleser Aug 2013 #76

He's a LAWYER...he doesn't want his Presidency to Touch Dirt... KoKo Aug 2013 #86

You do understand that the US doesn't have the intelligence staff with the requisite pnwmom Aug 2013 #61

Gee, it seems odd that our language staff would still be at 9-11 levels after years to correct that. Bluenorthwest Aug 2013 #85

Snowden just leaked NSA and CIA budget figures that were much lower than most pnwmom Aug 2013 #87

Are you seriously suggesting . . . markpkessinger Aug 2013 #92

You obviously have no idea moondust Aug 2013 #97

From reading this week it sure sounds like we do NOT HAVE enough Arabic translators & Israel does KittyWampus Aug 2013 #99

K&R...Same Old Scam...with a Dem Face from Kerry..Nothing to see here... KoKo Aug 2013 #84

Yeah, same old thing. A bunch of DUers pnwmom Aug 2013 #88

Look! It's hard not to given everything going on against what we Voted for... KoKo Aug 2013 #95

Please read the actual article instead of just kpete's interpretation. pnwmom Aug 2013 #96

U.S. Had Intel on Chemical Strike Before It Was Launched kpete Aug 2013 #105

kpete, pnwmom Aug 2013 #108

oooppsie... pangaia Aug 2013 #89

If this is true... NealK Aug 2013 #100

I don't mean to interrupt Aerows Aug 2013 #118

Raccoons are gnarly. They hiss. Even the babies! NYC_SKP Aug 2013 #121

Let me get this straight, they let it happen on purpose? Arctic Dave Aug 2013 #126