Obama Faces Calls To Act Over Downed Plane

[Purveyor]

With the world waiting for a US verdict on who was responsible for downing Flight MH-17, Barack Obama now faces potentially the greatest test of his mettle as US president

By Peter Foster, Washington, 8:40PM BST 17 Jul 2014

Barack Obama was facing perhaps the toughest calls of his presidency last night as pressure mounted to take concrete action over the apparent shooting down of Flight MH-17 over Ukraine, with 23 American citizens feared among the dead.

As the world waited for an official US verdict on who was responsible for downing the plane, defence hawks were already warning that there would be "hell to pay" if Russia or its separatist proxies in eastern Ukraine were to blame.

Senator John McCain, the former Republican presidential candidate who has long argued for a more robust approach to Russian meddling in Ukraine, warned that the US should now consider providing significant military support to the government in Kiev.

"If it was a missile that was launched either by Russia or the 'separatists' – which in my view are indivisible – this would have the most profound repercussions," he told CNN.

"It would open the gates, finally, for our assisting the Ukrainians. Giving them some defensive weapons, sanctions would have to be imposed as a result of that, and that would just be the beginning."

more...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/10974902/Obama-faces-calls-to-act-over-downed-plane.html

[Spazito]

1. Geez, what a surprise....not...

The media can be assured McCain will do two things, blame Obama and beat the war drums, that's why the go to him for comment. He has nothing of substance to say but can be counted on to repeat ad nauseam what he always says.

[oldandhappy]

2. Much more important to ACT over Israeli invasion of Palestine.

[kysrsoze]

5. Totally agree.

[oldandhappy]

8. Just emailed the White House to express dismay.

[frazzled]

11. Or how about the 170,000 killed in Syria in the last year or two?

With 743 civilians killed just in the past month since Assad's "reelection"? And millions of displaced persons in refugee status? Do we care about that anymore? It appears not.

From today's paper:

The latest estimates of the numbers killed in the war stand at about 170,000. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which is based in Britain and gathers information from contacts in Syria, said Wednesday that since the election on June 4, 743 civilians had been killed.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/17/world/middleeast/assad-sworn-in-for-third-term-as-syrian-president.html?ref=world

[Fozzledick]

14. Israel didn't do it so no one cares...

[oldandhappy]

15. exactly

Good post, thanks. Syrians do not contribute to American political parties!! The angst over the Malaysian plane will be t-folk driven and the lack of response to invasion in Gaza is money driven. We ignore Syria, Somalia, and lots of other places. I am one who thinks we cannot be the police for the world. AND, I think we need to call out anyone who forces a situation whereby they then can claim just cause to invade. I used to be pro-Israeli but no more.

[geek tragedy]

4. We didn't go to war over KAL007, Neocons need to STFU.

No military action.

But, time to put Ukraine into NATO and to enact maximum sanctions, with the goal being to hurt Russia's economy as much as possible.

[Cali_Democrat]

6. The world is wating for a US verdict? In a few hours?

[geek tragedy]

9. no, but the D.C. press corps is nt

[WilliamPitt]

7. Strong frontrunner for Dumbest Headline Of The Year.

[Kingofalldems]

10. Invade somebody right now!

[Rex]

13. CALL CONGRESS RIGHT FUCKING NOW!!!!

WE MUST BOMB SOMEBODY ASAP!

[Rex]

12. Yes yes we know...you fucking conservdicks all want to blow up the planet now.

I swear if we survive to 2100 with tea bagging, conservdicks like McSame still in politics...it will be 100 Christmas miracles!

[GeorgeGist]

16. Noting time stamp, it's almost like this was written in advance ...

and published prematurely

Barack Obama was facing perhaps the toughest calls of his presidency last night as pressure mounted to take concrete action over the apparent shooting down of Flight MH-17 over Ukraine, with 23 American citizens feared among the dead.

[HooptieWagon]

18. telegraph.co.uk should clue you in that it was written in England, where its already nighttime.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

17. John McCain trying to get interviewed by the Food Channel and Weather Channel

He was served a bad burger last night and this morning it was too cloudy. Obama needs to get involved and bomb something.