Senator Sanders Statement on Syria

[ProSense]

Sanders Statement on Syria

August 31, 2013

WASHINGTON, Aug. 31 – Sen. Bernie Sanders issued the following statement today after President Barack Obama announced that he will ask Congress to authorize military strikes against Syria:

“The use of chemical weapons by the Assad dictatorship is inhumane and a violation of international law. However, at this point in time, I need to hear more from the president as to why he believes it is in the best interests of the United States to intervene in Syria's bloody and complicated civil war. I look forward to the Senate debate that will be taking place in the very near future.”

http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/news/?id=2e6dce9f-dbfe-41ed-ba57-dfbf823f92b8

[AnotherMcIntosh]

1. Sen Sanders is unlike Pres Obama in that he is not pushing for another optional war.

The Syrians did something wrong? Are they the only ones?

[ProSense]

3. President Obama isn't pushing for another war. n/t

[RobertEarl]

4. right

But he has been getting pushed to start a war.

Wisely he stopped at the red line he was about to cross.

Today we still have peace.

[MotherPetrie]

6. He has Sec. Kerry to do that for him.

[ProSense]

7. No, Kerry isn't pushing war. n/t

[AnotherMcIntosh]

12. Here's John Kerry's nine reasons for action in Syria:

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/08/30/20262499-john-kerrys-nine-reasons-for-action-in-syria?lite

[pnwmom]

34. Both Obama and Kerry said there wasn't a military solution to Syria, only a political solution.

Neither of them is calling for a war.

[MotherPetrie]

36. Calling for bombing another country = calling for war.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

15. He is pushing for another war. That's the reason why he sent John Kerry to give 9 reasons for it.

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/08/30/20262499-john-kerrys-nine-reasons-for-action-in-syria?lite

[ProSense]

17. You know, too many

"Here's John Kerry's nine reasons for action in Syria"

...people seem to want to take a simplistic view of the debate. Senator Sanders understands that decisions have to be made based on facts. He and other Senators supported holding Libya accountable to include a possible no-fly zone (a Senate resolution in support of a no-fly zone before the action was taken) :

SENATE RESOLUTION 85--STRONGLY CONDEMNING THE GROSS AND SYSTEMATIC VIOLATIONS OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN LIBYA, INCLUDING VIOLENT ATTACKS ON PROTESTERS DEMANDING DEMOCRATIC REFORMS, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES -- (Senate - March 01, 2011)(PDF)
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CREC-2011-03-01/pdf/CREC-2011-03-01-pt1-PgS1068-4.pdf#page=1

Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself, Mr. KIRK, Mr. LAUTENBERG, Mr. DURBIN, Mrs. GILLIBRAND, Mr. SANDERS, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, Mr. SCHUMER, Mr. CASEY, Mr. WYDEN, and Mr. CARDIN) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

<...>

Resolved, That the Senate--

(1) applauds the courage of the Libyan people in standing up against the brutal dictatorship of Muammar Gadhafi and for demanding democratic reforms, transparent governance, and respect for basic human and civil rights;

(2) strongly condemns the gross and systematic violations of human rights in Libya, including violent attacks on protesters demanding democratic reforms;

(3) calls on Muammar Gadhafi to desist from further violence, recognize the Libyan people's demand for democratic change, resign his position and permit a peaceful transition to democracy governed by respect for human and civil rights and the right of the people to choose their government in free and fair elections;

(4) calls on the Gadhafi regime to immediately release persons that have been arbitrarily detained, to cease the intimidation, harassment and detention of peaceful protestors, human rights defenders and journalists, to ensure civilian safety, and to guarantee access to human rights and humanitarian organizations;

(5) welcomes the unanimous vote of the United Nations Security Council on resolution 1970 referring the situation in Libya to the International Criminal Court, imposing an arms embargo on the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, freezing the assets of Gadhafi and family members, and banning international travel by Gadhafi, members of his family, and senior advisors;

(6) urges the Gadhafi regime to abide by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1970 and ensure the safety of foreign nationals and their assets, and to facilitate the departure of those wishing to leave the country as well as the safe passage of humanitarian and medical supplies, humanitarian agencies and workers, into Libya in order to assist the Libyan people;

(7) urges the United Nations Security Council to take such further action as may be necessary to protect civilians in Libya from attack, including the possible imposition of a no-fly zone over Libyan territory;

(8) welcomes the African Union's condemnation of the ``disproportionate use of force in Libya'' and urges the Union to take action to address the human rights crisis in Libya and to ensure that member states, particularly those bordering Libya, are in full compliance with the arms embargo imposed by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1970 against the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, including the ban on the provision of armed mercenary personnel;

(9) welcomes the decision of the United Nations Human Rights Council to recommend Libya's suspension from the Council and urges the United Nations General Assembly to vote to suspend Libya's rights of membership in the Council;

(10) welcomes the attendance of Secretary of State Clinton at the United Nations Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva and 1) urges the Council's assumption of a country mandate for Libya that employs a Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Libya and 2) urges the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations to advocate for improving United Nations Human Rights Council membership criteria at the next United Nations General Assembly in New York City to exclude gross and systematic violators of human rights; and

(11) welcomes the outreach that has begun by the United States Government to Libyan opposition figures and supports an orderly, irreversible transition to a legitimate democratic government in Libya.

[ProSense]

29. What the hell are you talking about? n/t

[pampango]

5. Sen. Sanders did not say, "The Syrians did something wrong?" He said the Syrians did something wrong

“The use of chemical weapons by the Assad dictatorship is inhumane and a violation of international law. ... I look forward to the Senate debate that will be taking place in the very near future.”

I trust Sen. Sanders decide against intervention, not because the Assad dictatorship is innocent but because intervention will make things even worse.

[dionysus]

2. thank you Bernie. he's one of the good ones.

[Lee-Lee]

9. Yes he is

[indepat]

13. And so precious few good ones can be found among TPTB where the march to war feeds a major

profit center.

[alcibiades_mystery]

8. Oh, my

"The use of chemical weapons by the Assad dictatorship is inhumane and a violation of international law."

Looks like Senator Sanders is convinced as to source...

I guess he doesn't read Mint.com.

[Maedhros]

14. You're going to be really disappointed if we don't kill some people in Syria, aren't you? [n/t]

[zeemike]

19. there will be a lot of disappointed people if we don't kill some people

In Syeria...
You can figure roughly at least a million bucks a person killed...there is lots of money to be made by that...

[KittyWampus]

23. Why does admitting Assad is culpable automatically mean someone is PRO intervention?

The two don't correlate. At all.

[zeemike]

30. Because many like to punish the culpable.

And even those who just think he is and don't know any more than I know.
As for me, I have been fooled too many times now, and I don't believe a word they are telling me. Cynical bastards like me are what they get when they repeat the pattern of lies over and over again.
I voted for change, not this.

[iandhr]

38. Wow

So admitting fact means you are pro war?

[zeemike]

40. You mean like the "facts" of WMDs in Iraq?

And the yellow cake and shit that turned out to be manufactured.
And those facts led us to a trillion dollar war that we still have not recovered from?
sorry, I question the facts....and fuck the war talk.

[iandhr]

41. Berine voted against the war in Iraq.

But in the case there is so doubt chemical weapons were used.

I can think that intervention is a bad idea and not subscribe to the false flag conspiracy theories of the tin foil people.

[zeemike]

43. And there is a non conspiracy theory to

that says conspiracies never happen because some nutty people have some nutty ones....thus rendering all conspiracies invalid.

And the doubt is not whether they were used but by who....and more importantly why.

[KittyWampus]

22. A lot of us are against intervention but we aren't stupid enough to buy Russian propaganda

[Maedhros]

25. Only American propaganda, eh? [n/t]

[KittyWampus]

42. Do you prefer Der Spiegel?

Yet, it is perhaps irrelevant who gave the order since the entire Syrian leadership is reportedly afraid that the defense lines will collapse. These fears have been fanned by a number of developments over the past few weeks: the unauthorized withdrawal of previously Assad-loyal militias to their Alawite villages; the feared rebel offensive; the declining morale of the regular troops; and the rising losses without military victories to show for them.

The poison gas attack was probably carried out by the 4th division of Assad's army. Experts and defectors agree that this is the only unit that possesses launching devices for chemical weapons. Immediately following the chemical attack, it shelled rebel positions with conventional artillery -- but was unable to take a single location.

Instead, the division lost at least seven tanks in the Damascus neighborhood of Harasta alone. A rebel video provides an insight into the lack of personnel among the elite division: Two crew members flee a burning tank -- but they are wearing no uniforms, no helmets and no radio gear. Shabiha militia members have apparently been forced to fill the gaps in the ranks of the army.

The images are highly significant and don't correspond with reports that Assad has strengthened his military position. Military experts and intelligence agents had been circulating this theory for months, ever since the battle for control of the small town of Qusayr in early summer. Under the leadership of over 1,000 fighters from the Shiite Hezbollah militia from Lebanon, Assad's troops were able to recapture Qusayr.


Snip
Nevertheless, the myth of a military turning point in the regime's favor has persisted since June. This has also hampered the search for motives for the poison gas attack: Many observers wondered why Assad should use chemical weapons if he is winning the war already. In actual fact, the situation has been difficult for the regime's troops for quite some time now. Since the spring of 2012, many of the army's positions have only been supplied from the air because all land routes are under the control the rebels.

[etherealtruth]

39. Exactly n/t

[alcibiades_mystery]

31. I've made it perfectly clear that I oppose military intervention in Syria

That doesn't mean I'm a gullible fool like the Mint.com fetishists, though.

[Maedhros]

32. It's Mint Press News, genius.

If you're going to call people fools, you might want to get the name right.

Here is a story on Mint Press News by the Minnesota Post:

http://www.minnpost.com/david-brauer-blog/2012/01/who-mintpress-and-why-are-they-doing-all-hiring

What's wrong with Mint Press News?

[jazzimov]

35. For one thing, they obviously can't count.

In order for the "rebels mishandled gas" story to be true, they would have had to mishandled it in at least 12 different places at once.

[Maedhros]

37. See? You can actually respond to the content of the article.

Rather than just insult the source.

Thank you for making my point.

[freshwest]

20. Kerry got to him with his smooth talking Frenchiness and great hair.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x1839583


Sanders to be thrown under the bus for agreeing with Kerry in...

[libdem4life]

10. Hoping cooler heads will prevail.

[freshwest]

11. I too, welcome the debate! Change is good, let's decide the new path.

[Ocelot]

16. Somebody's feeling the pinch

I'm sick of the secret and vague bullshit, why won't they just present their "evidence" to the world? Or actually proceed through legal diplomatic channels (there are those, you know). Maybe Bernie has his own exclusive information that could be used to persuade the UK? Or maybe he's just feeling the pinch.

[raindaddy]

18. Trying to make a case..

The idea that the civil war in Syria is a threat to the American people and we need to plow millions of dollars into lobbing missiles over there is insane.

It's not like we have a model society happening over here and that money couldn't be used to create some decent paying jobs and affordable health care.

[rhett o rick]

21. I will be interested in the coming debate. Ya for Sen Sanders. nm

[CRH]

24. I think about half the people in this thread, ...

don't understand what Bernie Sanders is sayin'.

Chemical weapons are a very bad thing to use on people and it is against international law. BUT, why is it in the best interest of the US to intervene in a Sryian civil war without further debate.

Have we unleashed cruise missiles on the Congo or the chocolate factories in west Africa? They kill more than 1400 in a month, and enslave the children to do their work. Oh but I forget, that is Africa, this other, is near Israel and a pipeline to oil. By the way, is there a difference between a Sryian muslim and an African muslim, is there a difference between a Syrian child and an African child. Is there a difference between a christian child and a muslim child. When is it, what is the criteria, when they deserve our cruise missiles and others don't. When is it we need to burn the village to save it. Why is Kosovo different than Rwanda?

Look beneath the propaganda, and I think you will find age old reasons for aggression in one geographical region and not another. In two words, self interest.

I think these are possibly the questions Bernie wants to explore, or the points he wants to illustrate.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

27. Sanders, of course, has repeatedly show himself to be on our side. No one should misinterpret

his statements as an endorsement of Obama's plan for war or as an endorsement of Kerry's pro-war statements.

[CRH]

28. Agreed n/t

[gopiscrap]

33. Good for Bernie Sanders

[DCBob]

44. I agree with Bernie on this..

Even though Syria used chemical weapons is bombing them the only/best option.