Questions About McCain's Surprise Visit To Rebel Leaders In Syria......

[global1]

Who sets these visits up? Is there a travel agent he calls to get a meeting with Syrian rebels? What about security? Does he have bodyguards or a military unit go in with him? How does he do this securely? Do the American Taxpayers pay for his security on a trip into potentially dangerous territory?

If for some reason - what if he was harmed - could it be enough to get the U.S. pulled into a war?

This just doesn't seem right that any sitting Senator can go into dangerous territories and meet with one side or the other of a potentially explosive situation. Did the White House know about this before hand? the State Department? Did he need any permission to do this?

What's the story?

[MADem]

1. Well, pure guesses....

Who sets it up? State and defense, maybe a three letter agency or two, coordinating with their Turkish counterparts.

Security? Again, same deal--security in this case would probably NOT be military people (or at least people who admit to being military if captured--that would be problematic at this point, assuming that McCain has really "gone over the border" and they didn't come to him in some remote spot just inside, say, Turkey).

What do we know about this, to this point? Where? Why?

Sometimes, a member of the "opposition" making a deal with people is the best way to go about these things--that way, if it goes wrong, or bad, the, er, Secretary can disavow any knowledge....etc.

This seems to be what is known (MUCH more at link):

In contrast to the Obama administration's restrained approach to an intervention, McCain has been a strong advocate for U.S. action in Syria, proposing airstrikes and "large-scale" training and arming of rebels in his Senate remarks this month. The senator's visit came the same day that European Union officials reportedly decided to lift an embargo on providing arms to the Syrian opposition.

Elizabeth O’Bagy, political director for the Syrian Emergency Task Force, a U.S.-based nonprofit providing support to the opposition, said in a phone interview from Turkey that McCain’s office approached the task force two weeks ago about visiting with rebel leaders.

The visit came as part of the senator's trip to the Middle East, where he met with officials from Egypt and Lebanon, spoke at the World Economic Forum in Jordan and visited American troops in Turkey.

O’Bagy, who accompanied McCain, said the senator met with FSA commanders in two meetings in Gaziantep, Turkey, and in one meeting about half a mile inside the Syrian border at the Bab Salameh border crossing; there, he held talks with Asifat al-Shamal (Northern Storm Brigade), which controls the crossing.

O’Bagy said the rebel commanders told him, “They don’t need more pizza, they need weapons.”

O’Bagy said Gen. Salim Idriss, leader of the Supreme Military Council of the Free Syrian Army, and other rebel commanders asked that the U.S. consider giving heavy weapons to the Free Syrian Army, set up a no-fly zone in Syria and conduct airstrikes on Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group.


http://www.latimes.com/news/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-mccain-syria-rebels-assad-20130527,0,1388842.story

A proxy war is better than a real war. No war is best, but now even Europe has decided that Assad needs to go.

[Poiuyt]

2. None of the stories I've read have mentioned anything about knowledge or approval from the

White House or the State Department.

[MADem]

3. Of course not. The Secretary will disavow...

But he didn't take Jet Blue, he's over there ON a CODEL and CODELs are coordinated by State and Defense, and...well, you don't have to believe me (full disclosure--I have coordinated more than my fair share of CODELs down the years), but IMO, this was on his sked, State and DOD knew all about it and helped to make it happen. It is entirely likely that McCain is carrying a message directly from the White House, too. However, because many of the key players were off on the front lines, he may not have been able to deliver the message(s).


Someone, sooner or later, is going to give those rebels the tools to shift Assad. It is probably going to be us and a few others.

[Comrade Grumpy]

5. The Qataris and the Saudis and the Turks have already given "those rebels the tools to shift Assad."

About $3 billion worth from the Emir of Qatar alone. You know, that paragon of democracy, the Emir.

The rebels have had two years and what have they accomplished?

100,000 dead Syrians, including 41,000 Alawites, according to the Syrian Observatory.

The destruction of the Syrian economy.

The empowerment of radical jihadist tendencies.

The ignition of a sectarian regional conflict that's inflicting a mounting death toll from Tripoli to Baghdad.

And they can't even get their act together to decide on who represents them at peace talks.

[MADem]

7. They haven't given them heavy weapons, and that's what they're asking for.

Assad has an air force--the rebels don't. Are you sure your Emir figures are accurate, as an aside? I think they might be a bit high.

EU wants Assad gone. That's what's going to happen, sooner or later.

Don't cry to me like I'm in charge of this exercise. I can look at the lay of the land and see what's happening. Stop shooting the messenger. It won't change a doggone thing, you know.

[Comrade Grumpy]

4. McCain's on a Mission Impossible for the White House?

I think that's rather far-fetched.

Or are you suggesting that Obama and McCain are playing some sort of "Good cop, bad cop" routine, with Obama secretly hoping Mr. Never Saw A War I Didn't Want to Suck Us Into can gin up enough war fever to win popular support for US intervention?

I don't think so poorly of the president.

[MADem]

6. NO. There's nothing even remotely "impossible" about this meeting.

He's on a "Plausible Deniability" water carrying mission for the WH. He's at arms-length from the Executive Branch.

And his transport and meetings have been organized by DOD and State.

He probably has a fair to excellent idea of the amount and type of weaponry, contingent upon behaviors on the part of the rebels, that USA is prepared to hand over. He's delivering a message. For his trouble, he gets a few good pictures to show his constituents, and he gets another Hawk star on his report card.

It's a negotiation without official Administration imprimatur.

No "good cop, bad cop." McCain has been briefed, he already knows what Obama will agree to, and he's unlikely to negotiate beyond those parameters--at least not without making it clear that he's talking beyond his portfolio.

You do realize that a proxy war is better than boots on the ground, and that Europe has already signed off on ending this shit in Syria? The link is instructive.

Like it or not, something's going down. The rebels will likely have their paws on US weaponry, passed through Turkey, sooner rather than later. If a no-fly zone goes into effect, that will happen if/when Turkey gives us apron space at one of their air bases to work out of, or at least use as an alternate...and since the EU has indicated a favorable disposition to Assad going bye-bye, and Turkey is part of the EU....well, you pull the string.

This isn't Kumbayah Obama, this is Commander in Chief Obama. I think doing it in a proxy fashion is infinitely better than committing troops. But one way or another, it's going to be done.

[mfcorey1]

8. If they kidnapped his behind, he would want all US resources to provide for his

release. Nothing about what he did impresses most Americans. He is just pissed because the President will not rush into another civil war.