Kerry portrait of Syria rebels at odds with intelligence reports

[Scootaloo]

7. "Some, you know, democratic process" - like, yeah, totally! Or some junk?

Look, I have no doubt there are these guys in Syria. The men and women who were with the Arab Spring are still there (the ones who haven't been killed, of course) and the dream is still there. We didn't give them any support two years ago because we were very comfortable with our dictators in the middle east, even the outlier Assad, who wasn't really "ours."

The FSA and other factions that these people have taken with have been steadily waning in power due to attrition from two sides - the Assad government and the mujahadeen groups. Assad's been securing his position, the FSA's resources are exhausted, and the mujahadeen are financed and armed from Saudi Arabia.

Two years ago? Maybe we could have done something. Today? I'm sure they wouldn't mind the help, but a few missiles here and there and sporiadic aid filtered through King Abdullah isn't going to help.