U.S. Preps For Possible Cruise Missile Attack On Syrian Gov't Forces

[Purveyor]

Source: CBS NEWS

(CBS News) WASHINGTON - CBS News has learned that the Pentagon is making the initial preparations for a cruise missile attack on Syrian government forces. We say "initial preparations" because such an attack won't happen until the president gives the green light. And it was clear during an interview on CNN Friday that he is not there yet.

"If the U.S. goes in and attacks another country, without a U.N. mandate and without clear evidence that can be presented," the president told CNN, "then there are questions in terms of whether international law supports it -- 'do we have the coalition to make it work?' Those are considerations that we have to take into account."

--CLIP
Launching cruise missiles from the sea would not risk any American lives. It would be a punitive strike designed not to topple Syrian dictator Bashir Assad but to convince him he cannot get away with using chemical weapons.

Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey is expected to present options for a strike at a White House meeting on Saturday.

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563_162-57599944/u.s-preps-for-possible-cruise-missile-attack-on-syrian-govt-forces/

[Eddie Haskell]

1. The plan's been in place since 1998 ... 15 years and still no clue.

Nothing new at the DU.

[dtom67]

2. looks like those shares ....

of Dyncorp, Northrop Grumman, and Boeing are finally gonna pay off.

Thank Christ for the American Empire and our commitment to higher profits through the killing of non-whites.....

[bhikkhu]

3. I'm pretty sure we still have a working plan to conquer Canada too

Only if necessary, of course

[branford]

9. You can't be too careful with those wily Canadians! :)

[ConcernedCanuk]

19. You bet the USA has such a plan, has since 1812

.
.
.

No accident that Fort Drum is within spitting distance of our capital, Ottawa,

and our largest city, Toronto.

CC

[Tx4obama]

4. So, they've moved only ONE extra war ship into the 'region' ... and

... and the news of the ship is way down in the SEVENTH paragraph in the article below, so The AP must have concluded that it's not a huge deal.

Obama plays down US intervening in Syria

-snip-

Even so, U.S. defense officials said Friday the Navy moved an additional warship into the eastern Mediterranean Sea, meaning it now has four destroyers in the region. Each can launch ballistic missiles.

-snip-

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/obama-plays-down-us-intervening-syria

[EX500rider]

7. "Each can launch ballistic missiles." says AP....

....no, no they can't.

Arleigh Burke-class destroyers (the U.S. Navy's only active destroyers since 2005) have Harpoon missiles and Tomahawk missiles for land attack, neither is ballistic, they are slow cruise missiles. (slow compared to a ICBM on re-entry)

[Aerows]

8. There are a handful of you

that unfortunately have lost credibility with the majority of posters in your zeal to step up EVERY SINGLE TIME the Obama administration does something. We could actually forget about you if you didn't leap in to defend every action EVERY SINGLE TIME.

Obama eats a kitten on live TV: Tx4Obama, ProSense, et. al, "He was hungry, and the kitten was threatening Sunny and Bo - Justified!"

Because you really do bring a lot to the conversation, but you go so overboard with it that no one takes it seriously anymore. You are the most rational of the bunch (in my opinion) so please take that to heart. Criticism of war isn't criticism of Obama because it is being waged under his tenure, it's criticism, because it is idiocy to get involved in yet another one.

[Tx4obama]

10. I don't see where you get the idea that my comment/article link was defending Obama

I had posted the excerpt in another LBN OP because the OPer didn't have a link to the news, here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014574270

That OP got locked so I thought I'd post it over here on this open thread.

In my opinion moving ONE extra war ship into the REGION is NOT a reason for everyone to panic - which btw has nothing to do with Obama.

I also think your comment regarding me was uncalled for and offensive.

Have a great weekend

[Aerows]

11. Okay

I am sorry you thought my comment was uncalled for and offensive. I'm sure I'll make one that you think is the same.

Have a great weekend, Tx4Obama

[Purveyor]

17. Indeed and "they" stand out hogs in the sheep show competition at the county fair. eom

[big_dog]

5. we're already in theatre...

just over the border in Jordan http://www.debka.com/article/23199/New-Centcom-underground-war-room-in-Amman-for-US-intervention-in-Syria

[Aerows]

6. People are going to die

without US interference. I hope I am wrong, but I will state the body count will be much higher if we wade into this hornet's nest. Smearing honey on your ass and sitting on fire ant hill isn't the way to end a conflict, as Afghanistan has proven.

It just makes more fire ants wanting the honey, and more people being sent to senselessly sit on the ant hill so the honey supplier gets contracts. Not to mention every ant that stings dies, but more keep coming because an asshole and their honey is there.

[PaulKersey]

13. WHY is it our responsibility?

The "rebels" are mostly Islamists just as bad as the regime. It's also a good way to possibly start WW3.

[Aerows]

14. I was trying to ask that question

and got blown off in some "nobody in the US will ever be harmed by this action" type bullshit answer that has shown my family members, all US citizens, running over there to deal with a side that nobody knows which one they are on.

And it still isn't our responsibility at all.

[PaulKersey]

16. my bad

[cstanleytech]

21. Mmm maybe because we should try to avoid the mistakes prior to WWII when

our government ignored what was going on in Germany?
Mind you I am not saying "hey lets invade syria!!!" I am just saying burying our heads up our butts like we suddenly are republicans might not be the wisest move so lets keep our options open.

[Livluvgrow]

12. Yay

more war Meanwhile closer to home Detroit's appraisal must nearly be complete and the Philadelphia public school system is in shambles. Chicago closed dozens of schools and scores of students arrived at school this week to find a few missing components from their classrooms such as books. We dont need no stinkin books anyway.

[Pharaoh]

15. International Law!

Bush/Cheney

We don care about no stinking international law............

[Supersedeas]

26. Exactly

[Bosso 63]

18. Has the US ever "threatened" to use cruise missiles,

and then NOT launched?

"We" threaten, but "they" don't back down.
"We" fire off some missiles, and we're all back to square one.
and so it goes.

[cstanleytech]

20. The military makes all sorts of plans for varies scenarios all over the world so

why should one more plan be so shocking?

[Sand Wind]

22. That will not happen, just some bullshit talking for the Russians who don't believe it anyway.nt

[Comrade Grumpy]

23. Despite the warlike rumblings, it seems like Obama is being quite cautious.

As in, let's have some solid proof first and let's act within international law.

Unlike Sen. McCain, for example. Good Lord, with all his enthusiasm for wars, he reminds me of that guy in the cowboy hat riding the bomb down in "Dr. Strangelove."

[joshcryer]

24. I don't see him acting without the UN unless a huge escalation.

Let's say even if the rebels did it as a lot here think, an escalation would require people to look at the facts, and find out where it's coming from, and at minimum bomb the facilities and those who have the weapons. But I'm thinking you'd need more than 500-1300 allegedly dead, you'd need 5-10k or more. And it would have to come with some serious corroboration.

Obama, rightly, doesn't want to get involved in Syria for a myriad of reasons. The primary one being we've spent trillions on war and just can't afford it.

[Purveyor]

25. He is the only one right now and I hope he holds fast. eom