UlanBatori wrote:Straight talking Senator there.
Yes, but what appears to come from his mouth is coming from deep, deep, deeper down from his fundament, with no approach to his brain.Oh, my mistake! He is of course a Fundamentalist, that IS where his brain is located.
....
But he
does make Ashton Carter and the Jarnail squirm on global TV/YouTube.

The Jarnail's Colonels and Majors and Lts and Sergeants and Corporals and Privates (pun intended) must have got a real kick out of that.
I agree with what you say but my comment was to highlight this last point. I really LOLed on the way both the Secretary Defence and Jernail sa'ab squirm.
The US govt and a lot of people keep saying that Assad killed 250,000 Syrians. I don't see how Assad is responsible for so many. After having watched countless videos on the Syrian conflict, following the news etc, and not having access to 'Intelligence' reports I have the following conclusions on the Syrian conflict (would anyone draw any other conclusions?). To substantiate, I have used wikipedia entries though mostly these entries have a pro western tilt - the entry on chemical weapon attack in Syria is a case in point:
a) The Arab Springs conveniently reached Syria (not Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Qatar) but Syria where an Alawite dictator had a 'silver spoon' access to the throne.
b) Assad and hence Syria are pro Russia and Iran and not in good books of USA.
c) The vast civilian uprising is mostly Sunni in composition and is being aided and supported by NGO's / entities from abroad and get a lot of free press in the West. Of course there is Saudi support and Turkish support but these entities to me are "opportunists" who used the US support to get through their own Sectarian agendas and revenge from the Shia states.
d) By 2011, the uprising turns violent from both sides - violence of guns start both from the SAA and the 'rebels'.
e) FSA is formed which is nothing but "five or seven defected Syrian officers" Source Wikipedia, link
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Syrian_Army Note: Read this wiki entry.
f) People die and are being killed by both sides, kind of happens when guns start getting used
g) Barrel Bombs are used by Syrian forces and the whole world complains (okay the world as per the Western press). I read Wikipedia and learn this: "The earliest known use of barrel bombs in their current form was by the Israeli military in 1948. The second known use of barrel bombs was by the US military in Vietnam in the late 1960s. Starting in the 1990s, they were also used in Sri Lanka, Croatia and Sudan. Barrel bombs have been used extensively by the Syrian Air Force during the Syrian Civil War—bringing the weapon to widespread global attention—and later by the Iraqi forces during the Anbar clashes. Experts believe they will continue to be embraced by unstable nations fighting insurgencies since they are cheap to make and utilise the advantages of a government's air-power" Link:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barrel_bomb
h) Large scale Western and Sunni nation funding to rebel groups start with training in Turkey, weapons, Toyotas etc. Islamic fundamentalist enter the fray and start recruiting. The Civilian Uprising is almost over by 2012.
i) The funding to the rebels and easy access to weapons has been reaching Al Qaeda (Al Nusra) which is formed in 2012. This is what wikipedia has on Al - Nusra "The group announced its formation on 23 January 2012.In November 2012,
The Washington Post described al-Nusra as the most successful arm of the Free Syrian Army (FSA).Ten days later, the United States designated Jabhat al-Nusra as a foreign terrorist organization" Link:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Nusra_Front
The birth of ISIS/ ISIL/IS / Daesh as a separate monster, the real monster and monster which also devoured Iraq, Yezdis, made sex slaves of women, the mass murders, the barbarism, the inhumanity, all are spin off from this Al-Nusra. Though in some form they existed before but it was in 2014 that they finally split to stake claim to the Caliphate. Link:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_S ... the_Levant
j) Chemical Weapons are used in Syria in 2013 - Sarin gas. Same agent with similar signature according to UNHRC in multiple places in Syria. Among the screaming and shouting for US bombing of Damascus, Assad surrenders his Chemical Weapons. Turns out later the source of Chemical Weapons and the users were not Assad backed forces.
k) In 2014, the conflict changes in nature with the birth and rapid expansion of ISIS. The world is horrified and for a few months takes its focus off Syria. However, ISIS seems unstoppable until the Kurds make a stand at Kobane. This is after Shri John Kerry publicly says that -
Kobani may be lost. The US starts its token anti ISISism by displaying airpower.
ISIS have looted some of the best and newest weapons from Iraqi army at Mosul, all under the brand, "Made in USA, Paid by USA". Compared to the weapons of Assad, ISIS in weapons are like 21st century vs. Assad's early 20th century equipment. Except, Assad still has a small but functional Air Force.
In 2014, Russians are busy solving a crisis in Ukraine.
l) By Jun / Jul 2015, the fall of Assad after 04 & 1/2 years of conflict is becoming clear. His Army is depleted, dejected and exhausted. His weapons are hardly making a dent on the opposition. Hezbollah has assisted him for some time but Hezbollah is fighting its own war against Al Nusra in Lebanon too. In Sep 2015, Russia suddenly moves in to Syria -aircraft, weapons, boots, spas and all the jazz.
m) Photos of Russian aircraft on the Latakia airbase runway are splashed as if some super secret is being revealed. The Russian give full credibility to these reports by starting to bomb out the 'rebels' -"If it walks like a terrorist ...." The US govt goes the Pakistani Way - Moderate terrorists (Good Terrorists?). Do the Govt. people in US know of this word "OxyMORON"?
n) In one month of Russian air operations helping the SAA + Hezbollah + Iranian forces on ground have ended the hopes of "Moderate Terrorists" getting rid of Assad by December 2015. Suddenly 250,000 + people of the region have sought refuge in Europe.
___________
If the US for 05 years funded, encouraged supported a conflict in which people of both sides killed 250,000 plus people, how are US govt sources blaming only Assad for this? Had they not supported anti Assad forces would anyone have died? Would ISIS have come into existence? Would those dead Yezidis who had no 'truck' with anyone in the conflcit have been dead / enslaved? Will the world hold Barrack Hussein Obama responsible just as he holds Assad responsible for those 250,000 dead Syrians? And what about those dead Iraqis.
Also, this may need some data collation: What % or what are the numbers of combatants in those 250,000+ dead ? Are the numbers inclusive of the dead in Iraq or those numbers are separate?
The hypocrisy of the US officials blows my mind. They encourage, help start, fund , train and arm a movement which goes on to produce the most gruesome HD reality tv and yet they blame others!!!