Who had their money on Syria being next? You might be cashing in.

[jmcon007]

I knew it. When these assholes are cornered, bombs are going to be dropping somewhere.

U.S. COULD STRIKE NORTHERN SYRIA

JERUSALEM -- The United States has been considering attacking Sunni insurgency centers in Syria.

Western diplomatic sources and analysts said the U.S. Defense Department and Central Command have been warning of the increasing activity of a Sunni insurgency network in northern Syria. They said the Pentagon has been discussing a U.S. strike that could end the network's operation.

(more)

http://www.menewsline.com/stories/2005/july/07_18_1.html

[Xipe Totec]

1. It's Wag the Dog time n/t

A little bit of fireworks on the Syrian border to distract attention from clusterfucks in Baghdad.

[RC]

3. or the mounting scandals in the White House.

[jmcon007]

5. you got it......and look at this:

The story below would seem strange if Syria is guilty as accused.
Notice especially: "The U.S. military in Iraq had no immediate comment."
You would think they would be happy, unless....unless.....
unless it complicates their case for attacking Syria?

http://www.jsonline.com/news/intl/feb05/305481.asp

Syria surrenders Hussein half brother

Al-Hassan suspected of playing a major role in insurgency

Associated Press
Posted: Feb. 27, 2005

Baghdad, Iraq - Iraqi officials said Sunday that Syria had captured and handed over Saddam Hussein's half brother, a most-wanted leader in the Sunni-based insurgency, ending months of Syrian denials that it was harboring fugitives from the ousted Hussein regime.

Iraqi authorities said Damascus acted in a gesture of goodwill.

Sabawi Ibrahim al-Hassan, who shared a mother with Hussein, was nabbed along with 29 other fugitive members of the former dictator's Baath Party in Hasakah in northeastern Syria, 30 miles from the Iraqi border, the officials said. The U.S. military in Iraq had no immediate comment.

[Stinky The Clown]

2. Can you say 'Cambodia'?

Or Laos?

[donco6]

4. No kidding. Even the analysis is the same.

The military analysts are saying we have to cross the borders to take out the insurgents before they enter the country. That is word for frickin word the same as the Laos /Cambodia argument.

[Sparkly]

6. Moreover, I think we've already been in Syria. nt

[donco6]

8. I have no doubt.

Just like we started bombing in Iraq long before * declared "war."

[jmcon007]

10. exact same thought I had. We're always behind the curve.....

Iraq was getting the hell bombed out of it while Bush & Co were "deciding" whether to go to war or not and I remember a story about Special Forces in Iraq weeks before the actual start of the war, ready to guard the oilfields as soon as the war started.

We obviously can't know everything these creeps are doing in our name...let me say that again:IN OUR NAME!....but we know their MO now and can look back and figure out what's been going on.

[Sparkly]

11. In addition, we've been on that border for a long time, fighting heavily.

It's hard for me to believe the US is playing cat and mouse there, and everytime the other side skirts across the border, we leave them alone until they come back into Iraq.

No doubt, we've crossed that border.

[jmcon007]

9. Who says they don't know history? If only they could learn from it.

[wli]

7. "Western diplomatic sources" means pure propaganda

[Old Vet]

13. Western diplomatic sources=Untruths............

Period

[PurityOfEssence]

12. A lot of us here have been saying that

I still say that history will one day show that we were geared up to continue on after Baghdad fell, but the situation got too dicey.

They've certainly exhibited every one of the standard old signs, and being short the army they need to pop Iran, they can always call in the IDF from the west to help with Syria.

[wallwriter]

14. Some people in Congress better stand up fast

and call this the bullshit that it is...

I can already hear the Repukes sermonizing about how the Rove thing is a distraction from the War on Terr...

[McCamy Taylor]

15. *s poll numbers will dip again. His staff is clueless.

I know what he needs to do, but I wouldnt advise him, even if I thought he would listen to me (which he wouldnt lol, cause he is Dumbya and Monkeyboys dont listen to sound advise). Clinton could tell him what to do, too, but he wont accept advise from the Big Dog either.

[jmcon007]

16. read this piece carefully......

This has the neocons' fingerprints all over it. The US froze assets of these Syrian government officials under a "Presidential order" and are described as having "espionage responsibility" for Lebanon.
Okay. Maybe they had something to do with that assassination in Lebanon? No. No evidence, apparently. But, surely we can get them on something!

The US Treasury Dept. said, "Both Ghazaleh and Kanaan allegedly engaged in a variety of corrupt activities and were reportedly the beneficiaries of corrupt business deals."

What?! Since when did our authority reach into the internal affairs of other countries and business corruption? BTW, should we now freeze the assets of Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld,...oh, never mind.

A classic case of Bush trying to provoke a war:

(http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=16415)

Syria slams U.S. 'assets freeze' of two officials

Compiled by Daily Star staff
Saturday, July 02, 2005

DAMASCUS: Syria slammed a U.S. assets freeze imposed on its interior minister and a senior intelligence officer as a deliberate ploy to "divert attention from Israeli aggressions" in South Lebanon. "Syria has asked its ambassador in Washington to seek clarifications from the State Department," said an unnamed official cited by the state SANA news agency.

The U.S. Treasury Department named Interior Minister Ghazi Kanaan and Rustom Ghazaleh, who had espionage responsibility for Lebanon, as "specially designated nationals" under an anti-terrorism presidential order.

"Today's designation freezes any assets the designees may have located in the United States and prohibits U.S. persons from engaging in transactions with these individuals," the department said.

"Both Ghazaleh and Kanaan allegedly engaged in a variety of corrupt activities and were reportedly the beneficiaries of corrupt business deals," the department added.

U.S. officials would not rule out further action against the regime of President Bashar Assad. David Welch, assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, said Washington has been trying to resolve its problems with Syria through direct talks.

But Welch, testifying before the Senate foreign relations committee, said the U.S. administration was also weighing "unilateral American measures that we have in our inventory." - AFP

[welshTerrier2]

17. i did ... check this thread ...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=1806673