Hagel says evidence chemical weapons were used in Syria

[txradioguy]

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Thursday the U.S. intelligence community believes the Syrian regime used the chemical weapon sarin, a revelation that immediately raised the question of whether a "red line" had been crossed in the country's civil war.

Hagel confirmed the intelligence assessment, which was detailed in a letter to select members of Congress, while speaking to reporters on a visit to Abu Dhabi. The administration swiftly released those letters, which said U.S. intelligence determined with varying degrees of confidence that "the Syrian regime has used chemical weapons on a small scale in Syria, specifically the chemical agent sarin."   

The White House stressed that this was not enough to confirm how the nerve gas was released -- though acknowledged it is "very likely" to have originated with the regime of Bashar Assad -- and pressed the United Nations for a "comprehensive" investigation. The letter from the White House director of the Office of Legislative Affairs to leading members of the Senate Armed Services Committee said the assessment was based in part on "physiological samples."

Secretary of State John Kerry further confirmed that there were two documented instances of chemical weapons use.

The assessment is likely to prompt calls for more serious consideration of intervention. President Obama has said the use of chemical weapons would be a "game-changer" in the U.S. position on intervening in the two-year-old Syrian civil war. Obama said last August that "a red line for us" would be the movement or use of chemical weapons, adding "that would change my calculus."

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., suggested Thursday the "red line" had been crossed. Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., also said the assessment is "deeply troubling and, if correct, means that President Obama's red line has certainly been crossed."

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/04/25/hagel-says-evidence-chemical-weapons-were-used-in-syria/

[thundley4]

Didn't British intelligence say that the rebel forces have already used chemical weapons? 


I know, it's okay when Obama's team does it.

[txradioguy]

Didn't British intelligence say that the rebel forces have already used chemical weapons? 


I know, it's okay when Obama's team does it.

Yeah there were Brit Intel reports before Christmas.

IMO they're bringing this out now to distract form the Watertown bombing...and the fact that 44 had the first successful terrorist attack on U.S. soil since 2001 happen on his watch.

[Wineslob]

[zeitgeist]

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., suggested Thursday the "red line" had been crossed. Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., also said the assessment is "deeply troubling and, if correct, means that President Obama's red line has certainly been crossed."

Has VNads issued her finding that they have "Crossed the Unicorn" yet?  Without that these warnings are immature.

And isn't the red line really just a part of the MBTA serving Cambridge?  What gives, is John getting senile? 

BTW Shouldn't that symbol actually be:
for chemical weapons?

Gas is one thing a deadly virus another. ( Just finished a book about the Plum Island Germ Lab  )

[Dori]

Yeah there were Brit Intel reports before Christmas.

IMO they're bringing this out now to distract form the Watertown bombing...and the fact that 44 had the first successful terrorist attack on U.S. soil since 2001 happen on his watch.

It was the fifth terrorist attack with 44 at the helm.

◦June 2009 – Little Rock, Arkansas – Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad, an American Muslim opened fire on a U.S. military recruiting office. Private William Long was killed and Private Quinton Ezeagwula was wounded.
 â—¦September 2009 – New York, New York – Attempt to detonate bombs in NYC subway system by member of al-Qaeda
 â—¦November 2009 – Fort Hood, Texas – Nadal Malik Hassan conducts mass shooting at Fort Hood killing 13 and wounding 30 others.
 â—¦December 2009 – Detroit, Michigan – Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab attempts to detonate an explosive on an aircraft enroute from Amsterdam to Detroit.
 â—¦May 2010 – New York City, New York – New York’s Times Square was evacuated after the discovery of a car bomb.

[CG6468]

The so-called "Red Line" has changed color to bright yellow.

[docstew]

I'm slowly turning to the opinion that, when it comes to muslim on muslim violence in the ME, the US should hold the stance of "Let them kill each other". Let both sides know that if anything pops off here or with one of our allies, we will be drilling for their oil through a thick layer of glass, other than that, let them kill each other.

[txradioguy]

I'm slowly turning to the opinion that, when it comes to muslim on muslim violence in the ME, the US should hold the stance of "Let them kill each other". Let both sides know that if anything pops off here or with one of our allies, we will be drilling for their oil through a thick layer of glass, other than that, let them kill each other.

Sounds like a sound foreign policy stance to take.

[DefiantSix]

I'm slowly turning to the opinion that, when it comes to muslim on muslim violence in the ME, the US should hold the stance of "Let them kill each other". Let both sides know that if anything pops off here or with one of our allies, we will be drilling for their oil through a thick layer of glass, other than that, let them kill each other.

[CG6468]

blammo has started the "I Didn't Mean What I Said" shuffle.

[Chris_]

blammo has started the "I Didn't Mean What I Said" shuffle.

Ah, the Clinton Two-Step

[DumbAss Tanker]

I'm slowly turning to the opinion that, when it comes to muslim on muslim violence in the ME, the US should hold the stance of "Let them kill each other". Let both sides know that if anything pops off here or with one of our allies, we will be drilling for their oil through a thick layer of glass, other than that, let them kill each other.

That's my position on it.  Nothing good comes of trying to slap a tar baby into line.

Also, this caught my eye:

The White House stressed that this was not enough to confirm how the nerve gas was released -- though acknowledged it is "very likely" to have originated with the regime of Bashar Assad --

In the peculiar superficial-truth-selling-a-hidden-implication lying language of our government, this appears to say the Syrian government used the weapons, but when deconstructed what it really means is that we think it was originally made as a Syrian government munition but whether it was in government or rebel hands when it was actually used is unknown.