US considers air strikes in Syria after murder of James Foley

[grahamhgreen]

Officials briefed American media organisations that the White House was now considering seeking Congressional approval for unlimited use of force against the jihadi group. Such approval was last given in 2001 against al-Qaeda and in 2002 against Saddam Hussein’s Iraq.

That would allow an expansion of American military action which is at present limited to Iraq for 60 days, under presidential powers.

An administration official told Washington Post that contingency plans for broader air strikes in Syria had been drafted although Mr Obama had not yet asked for them.

Other options include stepping up training and equipping moderate rebel groups or Kurds within Syria.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/11052892/US-considers-air-strikes-in-Syria-after-murder-of-James-Foley.html

I love that last line- cuz that's exactly how we got ISIS! Yesterdays moderate is tomorrows terrorist!

It's exactly how we got OBL and al Qaeda as well.

Consider this - one of ours is murdered and the administration wants to spend billions and kill thousands - imagine how the Iraqis must feel who've seen their lives shattered by our 12 years of aggression.

At least, for goodness sake, can the administration press for a tax on the wealthiest to pay for this new debacle???? (of course not - cuz it's meant to benefit the wealthy military contractors).

I also imagine, if you look at a map of force deployment and air strike, that what we're defending is the oil fields.

[CJCRANE]

1. ...and ignore the guy who has protected christians and minorities all along?

I'm not a christian (or any other religion for that matter) but our policies in the region seem absurd from the standpoint of protecting christians (going back to Bush and before).

[NuclearDem]

2. ISIS and its predecessor AQI were never considered moderate.

[grahamhgreen]

3. Predecessor - FSA, and random pissed off Iraqi dude (read - Sunni Awakening people we paid off).

[NuclearDem]

4. What on earth are you talking about?

Yes, some of the SOI joined ISIS, and frankly the Iraqi government caused quite a bit of that with their shut out of the Sunnis.

I have absolutely no idea where you're getting this idea the FSA has anything to do with ISIS other than being bitter rivals. ISIS was AQI that spread into Syria after the start of the civil war. FSA hates them with a passion.

[grahamhgreen]

5. Sad but true:

http://m.aljazeera.com/story/2013920164342453621

Even truer: they hate us more than they hate each other. (OK, personal belief)

[NuclearDem]

6. That's your evidence that ISIS has its origins in the FSA?

Because if so, I hate to break it to you, but JAN and ISIS are not the same group.

Both JAN and ISIS have their origins, to one degree or another, in AQI. JAN is primarily Syrian fighters who joined the Iraq insurgency and went home to help overthrow al-Assad; ISIS answers to al-Baghdadi and is exploiting the civil war for its own power grab.

The FSA hates ISIS, and frankly a lot of people in the FSA aren't exactly fans of JAN either, but since JAN is focused on the overthrow of al-Assad and not the establishment of their own caliphate and they have some of the most experienced guerrilla fighters in the entire opposition, they tolerate each other.

[grahamhgreen]

7. Then there's this:

https://www.zamanalwsl.net/en/readNews.php?id=5696

[pampango]

9. Don't you know that all opposition to Assad is AQ or ISIS? Assad has been telling us that

since this began. Anyone who opposes him is a terrorist.

There is not such thing as a moderate Arab who opposes a dictator. All Arabs are blood-thirsty wackos whose sole goal in life it so impose their religious beliefs and practices on others.

It is not wonder that our Islamophbic 'friends' on the far-right, like Pam Geller, are doing their best to protect us from these crazed killers.

[AngryAmish]

10. Oh, the myth of the moderate Syrian opposition

Yea, the moderates who are farmers and tech support dudes and Jimmy John's delivery men will suddenly be able to stand up to worldwide, hardcore Jihadis supported by some of the richest people on earth and the Assad rejime fighting for it's life and has been for over forty years.

The only sane approach is to tell every Us citizen to get out. There are no winners, only losers. The region cannot be fixed, let alone by a bunch of Harvard and Yale grads.

North America can be energy independent. Other than petroleum nothing of any worth comes from that region. Allow them to soil their own nest with their tenth century mindset.

We have fucked up the middle east for far too long.

[pampango]

11. "Other than petroleum nothing of any worth comes from that region. Allow them to soil their own nest

with their tenth century mindset." And surely once they have 'soiled their own nest' they will leave the rest of their neighbors' 'nests' alone, won't they?

Does the same apply to Africa, Central and South America, Asia? Other than natural resources, does "any(thing of) worth comes from that region".

Oh, the myth of the moderate Syrian opposition.

Pamela Geller and Bashar al Assad agree with you. There are no moderate Arabs. They are all out to get us and "soil our nests".

...suddenly be able to stand up to worldwide, hardcore Jihadis supported by some of the richest people on earth and the Assad rejime fighting for it's life and has been for over forty years.

Now it sounds like you are just might be a group of moderates but they have no hope since they are caught between a murderous regime "fighting for its life" (not, notably, the good of the Syrian people) and a group of "worldwide, hardcore Jihadis".

So either there is no moderate opposition to dictators among Arabs or there is some, but their cause is so hopeless that liberals need to just wish them luck and get the hell out of there.

[MisterP]

8. heck, Kurdish militants give us most honor killings *and* the Armenian Genocide

in the 1870s it was the Chinese we were afraid of--not only did they mutilate their own girls, "To rule the World, is a dogma, a creed, a holy tradition of China"; soon the Dragon Flag will be raised over the Capitol!
https://archive.org/details/lastdaysofrepubl02doon

[hexola]

12. Is there any KNOWN connection between Foley's killer and ISIS?

I think this beheader guy is just along for the ride - and only in it for the money!