US Not Waiting for UN to Respond on Syria

[morningfog]

STATE DEPARTMENT — The United States says it will not wait for the United Nations to respond to the suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria. The Obama administration is building an alliance outside the U.N. as it considers possible military action against Syria.

Deputy State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said the president is not waiting for the United Nations to decide what to do about Syria. "We are making our own decisions on our own timeline, and we believe that the U.N. inspection has passed the point where it can be credible," she said.

That inspection of last week's attack outside Damascus is meant only to confirm the use of chemical weapons, not to determine who is responsible. Washington has already determined that President Bashar al-Assad's forces are responsible so Harf said they must be held accountable.

She said Obama is deciding how. "The president has a range of military contingencies on his table regarding Syria for when and if he would ever need to use them. Again, we're not talking about boots on the ground. We're not talking about no-fly zones at this point."

http://www.voanews.com/content/us-not-waiting-for-un-to-respond-on-syria/1739187.html

Any attack without the UN Security Council will be an illegal war.

[Gravitycollapse]

1. WOOOO AMERICA. BALD EAGLES AND AMBER WAVES OF GRAIN. USA USA USA USA...

[leveymg]

2. That's yesterday's news. Looks like WH and Brits are backing away from the brink, for now

Knock wood.

[morningfog]

5. I saw that for the UK, but not from the WH.

[leveymg]

7. The State Dept spokesperson got a good working over this afternoon. Lots of doubts being expressed

This was posted a couple hours ago at Foreign Policy - The Cable, which has been on top of things: http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2013/08/28/state_dept_admits_it_doesnt_know_who_in_the_syrian_govt_ordered_chemical_strike

[Amonester]

9. Woops, the price of gas is...

blowing up

up up up it goes

the sky's the limit

the economy is...

drip drip drip

the warmonging advisors don't care, but...

[jsr]

3. Wouldn't be prudent. Just Shock and Awe 'Em.

[Arctic Dave]

4. We may have to ressurect this scene again for Obama.

Wrong clip before

[babylonsister]

6. Obama's deciding? So what did he decide? Thanks in advance! nt

[grasswire]

8. Is the current DECIDER going to wait for Congress?

Hmm?

[delrem]

10. This new found speed doesn't make sense.

First, this new found speed is based on a pretext.

Second, the idea being presented is that of a "spanking", a "punishment for a moral failing", but the country speeding to do the "spanking" is the same country which lied itself into a self-justification for an illegal war of aggression against a state that didn't threaten it, and which broke international law in very bad, bad ways. Which openly committed a war crime at Fallujah, and whose leaders openly admitted to overseeing torture.

Third, the second point should make the US wary of presenting the first point as justification for new adventures in military crimes.

Fourth, but this elementary reasoning, understandable to anyone of the age of reason, doesn't factor into the current plans, into that new found speed to quit the pretense of "leading from behind" and commence direct US bombing. On the contrary, the administration which is contemplating just this week absolved the previous administration for war crimes.

[leveymg]

11. Logic isn't altogether dead in our age, apparently. Nice summation.